Preview

Review "We Have No Right to Happiness"

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
721 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Review "We Have No Right to Happiness"
Review on We have No “Right to Happiness”
By: C.S. Lewis

In class we read three different essays including ‘The Dying family’ by J.H. Plumb,’ Does Fatherhood Make You Happy?’ By Daniel Gilbert, and ‘We Have No Right to Happiness’ by C.S. Lewis. Though the purpose of these essays can be very controversial to some, after reviewing all three essays I have picked my favorite, or the one I agree with and disagree with most. ‘We have no Right to Happiness’ makes a very good argument on the point the author is trying to make. Some people believe that happiness is a right and is supposed to be given out, or is required to be provided by the government, like a right. In all reality that is true, but to an extent, we do have a right to happiness; we also have a right to earn happiness. We are all provided with the resources to do so. As in all rights we are provided with there still is some kind of boundary. We have freedom of speech, but yet we could not just walk up to president Obama, cuss him out, and get away with it. We have the right to bear arms; under certain circumstances. Therefore every right can be justified. One of the points the author makes is “it has been laid down that one of the rights of man is a right to the ‘pursuit of happiness’.” As I said before, this statement can be translated in several different ways, I took it as we have the opportunity to make ourselves and others happy but it is up to us to grasp it and follow through with it. Happiness that is earned is a lot more fulfilling then happiness that is provided, in my opinion. Saying that happiness is a right just doesn’t settle in my mind. Now I’m not saying that you should ruin other people’s happiness to create your own as Mr. A did causing his wife to commit suicide after leaving her, but within reason, do what you got to do. Mrs. A was just as entitled to happiness as Mr. A, she just didn’t act on it. Another valid point the author makes is “A right to happiness

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    What is the pursuit of happiness, is it simply pursuing happiness, or finding it within yourself as an individual or is it all of the above? A piece of paper with tons of signature can grant people happiness, that doesn’t seem true, but hey if it is possible then let it be that way if that’s how it’s supposed to be. Shklar mentions in her paper, “Self-preservation is possible only if we are free to protect the integrity of our lives, and as each one of us is created uniquely different, we must seek in our own way the happiness to which our nature also drives us.” So, if everything goes as follows above, then we will be able to achieve happiness that we wish to pursue, that makes sense. However, this all took place in a time where money was scarce and limited and some would say that money is needed to acquire happiness, which is, in fact, false, all a person needs is their family.…

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Didion On Family

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In both “On Going Home” written by Joan Didion and “The Case for Single-Child Families” written by Bill McKibben, family is the main topic that each author centers their stories. While each author has different perspectives, they also have some similarities that come to the surface.Both passages are full of insights of how each author views their families and how their families have shaped their lives. Individually each author has a different tone and style, but each let the aspect of family effect their futures and their lives all together.…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Instead, we will look to a second definition of happiness by Miriam-Webster presenting a definition that more reasonably proposes that happiness is one’s position on life rather than a transient feeling. Miriam-Webster states that happiness is “a state of well-being and contentment.” By introducing this idea of well-being to an explanation of the inspiration of happiness, Miriam-Webster’s definition suggests that different elements, such as health and comfort, are required to create happiness. Many people over the course of history have attempted to define happiness, and some definitions are quite interesting, however, who is to say that any of the definitions are correct or incorrect? To answer the original question asked, “What is happiness?” there is no definite way to define happiness, especially not a definition that will be valid for every person. Happiness is something that is achieved, and once achieved, that person knows that something is different. It is something strived towards in our society because there are so many people facing adversity that many are unable to find their happiness due to their worries. In his book, Brave New World, Aldous Huxley introduces a type of society quite different from our own in which happiness…

    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn 't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand." Humans need more than just happiness to be happy. Freedom was seen as a useless idea in We, humans are volatile and irrational, and confusing, all things that make life a difficult place to be in at times. However, life isn’t life without all of these things. Happiness is what you make of a life that is unpredictable and full of misfortune. Otherwise, you are living a…

    • 1770 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    After reading C.S Lewis’s essay I can understand his argument and why he feels the way he feels about man using the excuse of his “pursuit of happiness” to justify his misdoings. I agree with his idea that our sexual impulses have been put in a position of “preposterous privilege” because it condones all behavior because it was done in man's interest of happiness. In reality what Mr.A did is immoral and many of our strongest impulses must be squashed in the interest of the greater good. Many of our desires, specifically sexual, tend to be selfish and if acted upon come at the expense of another's happiness. C.S Lewis made me question is it wrong to be happy if it would mean destroying another's happiness? I do not think that we have a right to happiness if it is obtained by cruelty , but I do believe that man is free to pursue happiness when their pursuit is in the confinements of the Laws of Nature and is honorable. In society today I believe the “right to sexual happiness” is the root cause of many marriages which ended up crumbling. There was once a time when partners stayed together because they knew it was right and had made a promise to love one another forever, and slowly that promise has come to lose some of its power. It is not necessarily that in past generations men were not…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Everyone that is living in the world we live in today are all making their best efforts to obtain that which we all want the most, happiness. Many individuals will pursue that happiness, while others manage to compromise that happiness. Everyone has their own methods at trying to achieve happiness, but sometimes they just cannot pursue it and when they realize that what they want, they cannot have. Their happiness will become compromised. When at the same time some individuals can pursue that happiness and achieve what they truly want in life. Other times those who pursue their happiness, end up compromising their happiness in the process. The image “New York, ca. 1962” can be shown to prove what an individual’s happiness can be like when it is compromised. With that in mind it can be determined that when an individual makes an attempt to pursue their own happiness, that how they pursue that happiness can lead to the compromise of what they are truly trying to find.…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Henry David Thoreau

    • 1311 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Happiness is a word that has been thrown around for centuries. The term means something different to everyone. To Henry David Thoreau it means not being locked down to the rules of society. To be free from social slaughter of word of mouth. Free from taxes that society is forced to pay and why? Because some big shot said so? Thoreau was a man in a natural world, he knew true happiness, he didn’t care about society and class, never felt alone, he believed in an existence far different than we do, John Muir lived a life like Thoreau, and modern society is not capable of living the way he did.…

    • 1311 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    This section of the book really resonated with me, within the first pages of the second section, Shawn Achor makes it clear that “happiness is relative to the person experiencing it” (Achor 39). Happiness is truly subjective, and I am so glad that Achor touched on the subject. I find in my own life, I often find the objects and experiences that bring me happiness aren't always identical to what brings my friends happiness. I find an immense satisfaction sitting with people I know and talking about thoughts, opinions, and ideas. I found that, especially in high school, the friends around me would much prefer to drink shitty wine coolers and trash talk other people from school. While I from time to time found myself enjoying these interactions, I often found that I didn’t have…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    References: Aldous, J., & Ganey, R. F. (1999). Family life and the pursuit of happiness: The influence of gender and race. Journal Of Family Issues,20(2), 155-180. doi:10.1177/019251399020002001…

    • 5360 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Brent Strawn, a religion professor, believes that many people in modern day see the pursuit of happiness as “‘[having] to do with ‘seeking it’ or ‘going after it’ somehow.’” However, in the 1700s, the pursuit of happiness was not seen as just practicing how to be happy, but actually obtaining it. Marcus Tullius Cicero once said, “‘What then is freedom? The power to live as one wishes.’” The Founding Fathers believed that everyone had the right to be truly happy not just attempting to be. Happiness was not about self-satisfaction or stupefied pleasure, but more of living life to its full potential; it was a choice. Sadly, in today’s society happiness is not a choice for all. Those in poverty, or facing discrimination in one form or another, do not always have the choice to be happy. Mankind has created such a culture that it is almost impossible to truly be one’s self without being persecuted for it. Moreover, the Founding Fathers viewed Great Britain as denying them the right to choose happiness, once again taking away their “unalienable…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Life has many obstacles and it is up to the individual to either give up or to exercise perseverance. Gardner asks himself why is the pursuit of happiness a right written by Thomas Jefferson and how did he know to put the “pursuit” part in there. He realises that happiness is not a given right, it is the right to pursue happiness for those who are persistent and determined to achieve success. Happiness is productivity, hard work, and personal wellness to conquer difficulties in a constant…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is a phrase that is widely recognized here in the United States of America and the world. Written in the Declaration of Independence of 1776, Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are three innate rights that where given to humans by their creator. It is safe to say that the right to life and freedom has one sole meaning in which we can all understand. Now if we take “The pursuit of happiness” and dissect the phrase into two parts you will come to realize that only “the pursuit to” would be the only part in which we can all comprehend. “Happiness” however differs vastly and has multiple meanings to different people.…

    • 1118 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Pursuit of Happiness was thought to be an unalienable right by the writers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. When the Declaration of Independence was written, happiness meant something different than it does today. The term happiness comes from the old norse term happ meaning “luck” or “chance”. Happiness in the 1500’s are still very much in use, such as “good luck,” “success,” and “contentment”. The writers of the Declaration of Independence…

    • 231 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Non Traditional Families

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Growing up my parents were tough on my sister and I, they expected us to reach goals, and strive to be the best us. Now that I’m 21, I cannot thank them enough for all their hard work, because it has made me into a strong, independent young man. “If we have stronger families we will have stronger schools, stronger churches, and stronger communities with less poverty and less crime” (Maillard,2012). Family is about changing the world, who knows maybe that child could be the next president, or that doctor to treat cancer, we just never know. Being able to teach your kids the value of life is crucial, that’s why when parents teach their kids to value others and things, helps them become better people. If families in societies worked together, it would make for a stronger society. “Children are the first end, or purpose, of marriage” (Carlson & Mero, 2013, p155). I feel having children makes for a stronger marriage, kids bring couples together, “the new father takes on the protection of the new mother in her time of vulnerability and dependence” (Carlson & Mero, 2013,…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I also think that he would say that while, yes some people need to express more than just happiness, that happiness is the only emotion that will in the end bring them true pleasure. I would still have to disagree with Mill because most individuals have different forms of true happiness. While I think that Mill’s arguments are convincing I think that my objection is as well. It is important to remember that objections are merely opinions and while I’m sure as readers you have concerns about my objections as I do about Mill’s. The most important take away from my objection is that an individual should be strong enough to find happiness through every moment in their life. There is a reason that everything happens and if you believe that it will bring you happiness, even in the hardest times in your…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays