A Rhetorical Analysis Of 'The Introduction To The Hedonism Handbook'
A Rhetorical Analysis of The Introduction to The Hedonism Handbook In the introduction to The Hedonism Handbook, the author Michael Flocker, tries to convey that the assumption: “If you avoid all things pleasurable, you will live a long and happy life,” is a fallacy- that the reasons for this assumption are wrong. He states that working every day, steering clear of anything that many be construed as something pleasurable, is something that this generation has adopted as being ‘happy.’ However, his argument that it is okay to seek pleasure and that we as a society have deemed it as wrong is not as sound as he tries to argue. We do not all feel happiness just from seeking pleasure. This may be effective in some instances, but people are not
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Hedonists enjoy life, are about the only ones that actually have a good life, and are not just working to try and have a good life, hidden behind competition, manipulation, all while trying to fit into a ‘perfect’ way of life. However, the author’s argument relies heavily on his audience being these people that follow these “societal rules” outlined by him in the first two paragraphs. He is trying to convince this “Western world” that happiness cannot be achieved by being hard-working and disciplined and not willing to let loose. The assumption that all people are unhappy in the way they work their life, from not smoking, to planning kids’ play dates, is far-reaching. Buddhist monks dedicate their whole life to exactly what hedonists are concerned of, but do it because it makes them happy, and in the end, believe that true happiness will be attained. Theodore Rubin once quoted, “Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.” In contrast to Flocker’s belief, happiness can be attained by working hard and earning something that you dedicated time to do, and a good life can be achieved by building a family and making sure they have what they need. Nor is every person in the Western world trying to fit into these society rules, afraid to find pleasure and actually be happy, while having a good
Hedonists enjoy life, are about the only ones that actually have a good life, and are not just working to try and have a good life, hidden behind competition, manipulation, all while trying to fit into a ‘perfect’ way of life. However, the author’s argument relies heavily on his audience being these people that follow these “societal rules” outlined by him in the first two paragraphs. He is trying to convince this “Western world” that happiness cannot be achieved by being hard-working and disciplined and not willing to let loose. The assumption that all people are unhappy in the way they work their life, from not smoking, to planning kids’ play dates, is far-reaching. Buddhist monks dedicate their whole life to exactly what hedonists are concerned of, but do it because it makes them happy, and in the end, believe that true happiness will be attained. Theodore Rubin once quoted, “Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.” In contrast to Flocker’s belief, happiness can be attained by working hard and earning something that you dedicated time to do, and a good life can be achieved by building a family and making sure they have what they need. Nor is every person in the Western world trying to fit into these society rules, afraid to find pleasure and actually be happy, while having a good