Happiness In The Movie : The Pursuit Of Happiness '

“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.” As you know these words come from the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, perhaps one of the greatest documents ever written. However, I do have a little problem with the last four words sentence, “the pursuit of Happiness” because I believe it actually sends an easily misinterpreted message.

In the quote from Thoreau it says “I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not…” (Krakauer 117). This quote lets the reader infer that Chris had been lied to by his parents. Chris found out that his father had had a previous marriage that he was not told about. Chris was denied the truth which led to the non-existent relationship between Chris and his parents.

What drives you? What keeps your motivation flowing? The gripping story of Chris Gardner will surely spark a fire to the success you desire. “The Pursuit of Happyness” is a book that also inspired the self-titled movie. These two works have the ultimate story of triumph and self-perseverance. With both works being released in 2006, both number one seller for their respective audiences; they did carry many similarities and differences. Discussing each work, I will compare and contrast both works with the theme, settings, and characters and navigate the overall message they provide.

Chris makes sure his son gets sleep and gets to eat. When he eats at the restaurants, his son is the only one eating. He wants to keep him happy, so he took him to a football game and got him a basketball. This shows that Chris cares for his son and he wants to keep him happy. This also shows that Chris wants to keep his son safe. Chris was able to take care of his son and to make him happy. Chris wanted him to have a better experience in life. Through perseverance, Chris achieves his goals by taking care of his son.

People travel through life with what seems like a single goal: to be happy. This may seem like a selfish way to live, however this lone objective is the motivation behind nearly all actions. Even seemingly selfless deeds make people feel better about themselves. That warm feeling experienced while doing charitable acts can be described as happiness. But what is authentic happiness? There is an endless possibility of answers to this question, and man seems to be always searching for the solution. Although one may reach his or her goals, there is always still something one strives for in order to be happy. In the book Stumbling on Happiness, Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert takes the reader through

Chris is a charismatic young man, but takes extensive measures to ensure he does not become too close with anyone. By going out into the wild without so much as a letter to his parents,

Another burden Christopher’s family laid on him was a massive amount of guilt. As mentioned above, Chris felt responsible for the ‘abandonment’ of Walt’s ex-wife and her children. Carine writes, “From the time we were small children, still unaware of how children come to be, I remember Chris being consistently told through our mother’s tears that the family struggles began with his birth, when she became ‘stuck’ with our dad. Chris carried this unfounded guilt with him until the wisdom that comes with age resulted in feelings of betrayal and eventually anger. This mislaid blame was never rescinded, only ignored.”3 Carine, Chris’s youngest and only natal sister, believed that the painful and unbearable family life that they endured provided Chris with a just reason to abandon his life. She respected this part of his motivation for leaving,

Supporting reason 1: In the story, he soon finds out his mother that he thought was dead, was alive and his father had lied to him about his mother's whole new life because of an affair that separated the two. Christopher, instead of jumping to conclusions decides to wait and keep him calm until he had all the pieces put together. Chris would often say things as “I didn't have enough information “ or “i decided not to think about it anymore that night...could easily leap to the wrong conclusion” (Haddon, pg.99) whereas most would have immediately gone ballistic. Or when he agreeing goes on the walk in the park with Mrs. Alexander even though he feels uncomfortable around unfamiliar faces. He does just as John Roush discusses in “college should be an adventure” Roush establishes one must keep an open mind to even while being faced with the struggles college kids will face. He explains “Adventure is an attitude” and, “be mindful that whatever the activity, you are preparing yourself for an opportunity yet to be discovered.” (Roush, pg. 1)

Throughout Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, we see the positive and negative effects of chasing the American Dream. Hansberry expresses her different views on the American Dream through the characters and she portrays the daily struggles of a 1950 black family throughout A Raisin in the Sun. In this play, she is able to effectively show the big impact that even small decisions can make on a family. Hansberry shows the many different attachments that come with the fulfillment of this American Dream. Throughout A Raisin in the Sun, each family member has their own pursuit of happiness, which is accompanied by their American Dream.

The Pursuit of Happyness is a factual film based on Chris Gardner's near one-year struggle with homelessness, fatherhood, divorce and a desire to achieve to fend for his son Christopher Junior. It is a story highlighting a man's ambition to achieve his goals and find a way of caring for his son. Set in San Francisco, the film starts with Gardner investing his life savings in Bone-Density scanners, a white elephant project which financially breaks the family; his wife separates from him leaving him with the custody of their son Christopher. Additional problems set in ranging from Gardner's eviction from his house, garnishment of his bank account as well as his credit cards. In line with this, he is forced to live in the streets but his meeting with Jay, the manager at Dean Witter places him on the path to success; his new-found

The Pursuit of Happiness is a story about Chris Gardner and his son Quincy that takes place in San Francisco, and its shows all the hardships they faced while chasing the American dream. For Chris Gardner the

The story of the movie The Pursuit of Happyness directed by Gabriele Muccino portrays a family who struggles with finding enough money to pay taxes and afford living expenses. The movie takes a place in San Francisco during the 80s. The two main characters are the father Chris Gardner and his son Christopher, Will Smith and Jaden Smith respectively. Gardner tries to support his family. But every time he attempts to make things better, they always end up worse. Gardner in the story wonders on "how to be happy?" He earns his money by selling the bone density

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.

The pursuit of happiness is critical in our lives. Oftentimes, we become confused as to what defines happiness. Happiness is an emotion, but it may also be the steps we take to feel said emotion. Happiness is using virtues and achieving your goal, while appreciating the little things in life.

The world seems to be a dark and unforgiving place, but happiness is hidden within. It is found in a beautiful view, an uplifting song, or a compliment from a friend. According to the Ted Talk video, The Habits of Happiness, Matthieu Ricard claims that everyone “has a deep, profound desire for well-being or happiness”(Ricard 2:39). Ricard uses the three techniques of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to captivate and move his audience. With the use of metaphors, personal experiences, and even graphs Matthieu explained to his audience the full force and perception of the bendable word that is happiness. This Ted Talk dove into philosophical meaning on just how to achieve well-being, without having everything in the world.