Trivial Pursuit

The pursuit of happiness is not just a fundamental right and theme found in the United States’ Declaration of Independence. It is an inward aspiration and impulse that has rooted itself as a fundamental need and craving for humanity. In Confessions by Saint Augustine, the pursuit of happiness, or simply desire, is an evident theme found within the juxtaposition of Augustine’s crimpling longings and struggle for earthly and spiritual desires. However, Augustine’s earthly and fruitless desires for…

Purposeful” his objective was to expand the nation (The American). The United States was not justified in going to war with Mexico for the act was hypocritical of American ideals, fought for trivial goals of a tyrant that were executed in a manner that opposed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which were established in the Declaration of Independence. The first inalienable right introduced, is that of preserving life. It is well established that war is a poor…

happiness and the economy chapter of Walden echoes these notions throughout. Perhaps the pursuit of happiness, more so than other ideals, is the most important value for a democratic society. Thoreau did not want to be lost in the worries of society concerning himself with things modern and alien to his own beliefs. “I delight to come to my bearings … not to live in this restless, nervous, bustling, trivial nineteenth century” (Thoreau 164). From the textual evidence, it is made clear that…

resting upon respectability, certain moral codes and values based on financial status, property, birth, education etc. An individual residing in such restrictions was bound to have the utmost desire to escape from such a regulated society in the pursuit of pleasure. This paper would focus on the witticism in Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest, which exposes the dualities of identities in a society where the social relationships are rooted on false notions of deception. The play…

My teacher called me a liar when I said my great-great-great-great-grandfather was a Spanish pirate. On top of that, I also said I was related to Johnny Appleseed. Of course, I protested that I wasn't lying because my mother said it was true but to no avail. Don't get me wrong; this teacher wasn't cruel. In fact, she was one of my favorite teachers. She just wasn't buying what I was selling that particular day. But the Legend of the Spanish Pirate never left my mind. Twenty-five year later, I…

powerful bond between them. WHAT DOES DIOTIMA CLAIM LIES MIDWAY BETWEEN WISDOM OR KNOWLEDGE AND IGNORANCE? In Socrates’ retelling of Diotima’s speech, she claims that human contemplation is what lies between wisdom / knowledge and ignorance; the pursuit of said wisdom / knowledge, more specifically, Diotima is adamant that this is what we should all strive…

high/middle class while female characters portrayed in the novel, she leads a seemingly purposeless existence; her husband takes little interest in her and she has no ambition to work in any means. Instead her life is consumed by obsession with trivial pursuits and the valuing of material things, not for their usefulness, but rather for their ability to impress…

A recurring theme in Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist is of success, and of how it is dependent on one’s own decisions. Throughout the novel, Santiago is shown to frequently face obstacles when in pursuit of his Personal Legend. Such an example is when Santiago, after having been robbed of his money by some stranger, ruminates over what had happened, and soon “ realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure” (…

of being Ernest by Oscar Wild is a playwright about a country man living a double life in the city. The main character of this play is Jack Worthington. He goes by Ernest in the city add to the mystery of his fanciful life. This play describes his pursuit to win over and marry a young lady from the city, named Gwendolen. Algernon Moncrieff is the girl 's cousin and an absolute nuisance to the main character. Algernon exploits Jack 's double life, and creates a situation where it is profitable to…

the two men's love potion-persuasion attraction for her. Through these interactions, we find out that love is blind, illogical, seemingly produced by magic's sleight-of-hand, rather than reason's honesty. Like a child, lovers are often charmed by trivial trinkets rather than deep character traits. This message is further noticed by the blandness of Lysander and Demetrius. As Lysander makes it clear in his conversation with Egeus in Act I, no differences exist between the two men, so Helena could…