Since 1776 the phrase, “the pursuit of happiness” has been etched into the brains of Americans. The essence of the pursuit is present throughout their every endeavor, even if he or she is down on their luck. The movie “The Pursuit of Happyness” directed by Gabriele Muccino is the story of the main that joins this pursuit for happiness. Christopher Gardner, the protagonist, supports his wife and child by selling bone density scanners. These machines are hard to sell and because of that, times are becoming tight for the family. Chris becomes inspired by the “pursuit of happiness” and so his pursuit begins. Through his pursuit, different aspects of society become increasingly apparent. Like all members of society, Chris takes on multiple roles. …show more content…
Education has a direct correlation with jobs and subsequently, careers. It is often noted that it is easier to get a job with more education, and Chris exemplifies this. When Chris interviews for the position at the stock market firm, the interviews seemed surprised that he had only a high school education and was attempting to apply for a job that usually requires higher education. During his intern process, he also found that those individuals, who had received a higher education, were finding it easier to understand the material before the exam. These social institutions evidently have started to integrate. Last piece to seeing how the society functions are the shared values seen throughout the story. A prominent value for society is working. As a society we push members to enter the workforce and provide support for themselves and their families. This is present in Chris’s life throughout the entire movie, his first decision is to sell the scanners, then to quit his job and begin working in the stock market. This value is a common theme in American society and seemingly holds the society …show more content…
Breaking a folkway is not punishable by law, but cause reactions in society. There a few folkway that’s are exhibited in the story. One of the folkways is depicted in the interview scene. The first is that it is customary to wear business attire to an interview such as a shirt and tie. Chris enters the uniform covered in paint, in an overall casual outfit. This causes the interviewers to be weary of him and concerned for how he will preform. One of the interviewers even asks Chris what he would think if he saw someone dressed so casual get the job over others who were dressed professionally. The interviewers realize that coming to an interview for a prestigious job, dressed as what they refer to as a garbage man, is not really socially acceptable. Their shocked reactions prove this to be so. Mrs. Chang, the owner of the daycare where Chris’s son attends school, exemplifies a folkway. Society believes that students should begin education at a young age through day cares and preschools, at these facilities they want their children actively involved with education away for television sets. Mrs. Chang challenges this folkway, by allowing the kids to watch Bonanza and Love Boat. Chris like many other parents would be is appalled and angered by this because society views this to be incorrect. By watching societies reactions to events that take
The theme of hopelessness is proven through poverty statistics during the time the story is taking place. But the film’s overall purpose provides proof as to what drives Chris Gardner to pursue happiness through dreams and determination. With the aid of visual cinematography and setting context the logos of the film is uncomplicated and artistically arranged to convince an audience of the situations they witness in the film. Themes in a film differentiate depending upon whether the plot of the film had shifted to reached its climax and while the themes may differentiate, most films all incorporate the use of pathos, logos, and ethos in various ways. A great example of the use of these three principles is The Pursuit of Happyness as it
Humans are born with pursuits: some search for fame, some go after money, some seek achievements in professional fields, and some only wish their lives to be content . If one wants to become content with life, one should alter one’s old ways of living and embrace new things. Both in Cathy Jewison’s The Prospector’s Trail and Eva Lis Wuorio’s The Singing Silence, the main characters used to be dissatisfied with life. In search for true happiness, they begin to try things that they have never experienced before. At the end, the two protagonists find that their new activities can bring them happiness, and they start to live satisfying lives.
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS - Four Revolutionary Words. Forbes ASAP, "The Big Issue," November 2001. Web. The Web. The Web. 29 June 2015.
In the essay Why Happiness, Why Now? Sara Ahmed talks about how one’s goal in life is to find happiness. Ahmed begins her essay with skepticism and her disbeliefs in happiness. She shows her interest in how happiness is linked to a person’s life choices. Ahmed also tries to dig deeper, and instead of asking an unanswerable question, “what is Happiness?” she asks questions about the role of happiness in one’s life.
The studies given as examples and discussion focuses on teenagers and young adults, but includes anyone is struggling to find happiness. Evidence to Support Thesis: Point 1: The level of well-being is emphasized as more people continue to lose track of what makes them happy. Shawn Anchor is reminding people to capture the essence of simple contentment and asking his audience to think about what they value. Anchor’s book provides seven principles that involve having an open mind to becoming happier. Anchor includes other research studies as evidence to his claims throughout the book.
In contrast to Aristotle, Roko Belic’s documentary “Happy” provides a fresh perspective that takes place far more recently. The film sets out to similar goals of Aristotle in defining the nature of happiness and exploring what makes different people happy in general. Unlike Aristotle, however, the film’s main argument refers to makes people happier. In this case, the film argues that merely “doing what you love” is what leads to happiness (Belic). The argument itself appears oddly self-serving, considering that message is what underlines the foundation of happiness, yet there is a subliminal message that a simpler lifestyle is what leads to what the film is trying to convince you of. The message itself is obviously addressed to Americans, considering
Happiness plays an important and necessary role in the lives of people around the world. In America, happiness has been engrained in our national consciousness since Thomas Jefferson penned these famous words in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson). Since then, Americans have been engaged in that act: pursuing happiness. The problem however, as Ray Bradbury demonstrates in his novel Fahrenheit 451, is that those things which make us happy initially may eventually lead to our downfall. By examining Guy Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451, and the world he lives in we can gain valuable insights to direct us in our own pursuit of happiness. From Montag and other characters we will learn how physical, emotional, and spiritual happiness can drastically affect our lives. We must ask ourselves what our lives, words, and actions are worth. We should hope that our words are not meaningless, “as wind in dried grass” (Eliot).
The philosopher Aristotle once wrote, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” This famous quote compels people to question the significance of their joy, and whether it truly represents purposeful lives they want to live. Ray Bradbury, a contemporary author, also tackles this question in his book, Fahrenheit 451, which deals heavily with society's view of happiness in the future. Through several main characters, Bradbury portrays the two branches of happiness: one as a lifeless path, heading nowhere, seeking no worry, while the other embraces pure human experience intertwined together to reveal truth and knowledge.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, what about happiness? Some would say that happiness is simply apart of life, while others feel it is something that one should chase. Nevertheless, in 1981 Chris Gardner a salesman from San Francisco, California in the award winning movie The Pursuit of Happiness had big dreams for his family but things did not turn out the way he intended. However, Christopher Gardner continued to strive and take a chance to chase his happiness even if it took loosing his wife and his home.
Bowman, James. "The Pursuit of Happiness." The American Spectator. N.p., Sept. 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
To what extent would a parent go to keep their child protected, safe, and happy? The movie “The Pursuit of Happiness,” a biographical drama based on a true story, portrays the hardships that an African American man (played by Will Smith) and his son face together. This movie reveals the striking reality of poverty and emphasizes that most Americans are not living the ‘American Dream.’ Hollywood generally portrays an unrealistic image of the average American and leads people to believe that everyone is meeting financial requirements on time, purchasing nice vehicles, enjoying life in fancy homes, and not dealing with constant money shortages. Director Gabriele Muccino does an amazing job at reversing this image by exposing viewers a different side. He reveals how some people in America are struggling
The movie Pursuit of Happyness shows how a person became a homeless then eventually how he survived from being a homeless. Then, to being a multi millionaire. Even though he experienced how hard life can be he still pursued to reach his goals in his life for his son. This movie shows how a homeless person stand up and pursue to be successful.
What does it mean to be happy? Happiness is a sensation that people want to have, and a lot of it. Above all else in the world, it’s what we seek and long for. Though this feeling can be found in many different places and at many different times, it isn’t easy to acquire. For some people, happiness might be found in exercise and sustaining good health. On the other hand, others can discover it when they go on vacation and relax. The idea here is that we each have our own things that make us happy.
For our Economics subject, we watched The Pursuit of Happyness, a movie based on Chris Gardner, a salesman who was not making that much money and eventually experiences homelessness with his five-year old son. He faces problems when his wife is unwilling to accept his goal to become a stockbroker and leaves him. However, he perseveres even under all this stress.
Gertner, Jon. The Futile Pursuit of Happiness. New York: The New York Times, 2003. n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2009.