Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Just a refresher (more for me than anything), my big question is "How do we, as humans, manufacture our own happiness merely through our thoughts?" Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man fits perfectly with this question. Stephen personifies the idea of "manufactured happiness". However, his manufactured happiness is not meant to seem fake or superficial, but it is merely his honest happiness that we see through his soul.
His "portrait" is his soul and he is an artist because through his life, he is painting the portrait of his soul. With each experience and new endeavor, Stephen adds a little more paint to the canvas and carves a little more of his sculpture. He manufactures his happiness through his constant artistry. Through Stephen's story, Joyce shows that each person in and of themselves is an artist. Whether we have any talent to draw, sculpt, sing, or dance doesn't matter. Each person has a soul and each soul must be created piece by piece. Joyce is showing that it doesn't require natural artistic talent to be an artist, because every person is born with an innate talent for art and a medium through which to express that art.

Happiness and Rivers and Tides.

While watching Rivers and Tides, I found a lot of connections to my big question. Andrew Goldsworthy literally created his own happiness-- and has spent his entire life in the pursuit of his own happiness. This film really touched me, because it showed me just how much perseverance you must have sometimes in the pursuit of your dreams. Especially when he was building the rock sculptures and they kept falling over, he amazed me with who he just kept starting over. He had such a vision in mind and was not going to quit until it was captured and created for the world.

What I found so interesting about his work is how temporary it was. He knew that the icicles would melt, that the red clay dye would wash away with the river, and that the sticks would eventually break. However, he created all of these things for the pure purpose of necessity. He believed that he owed it to the earth to showcase its beauty and unleash its potential. Andrew Goldsworthy really knew how to create his own happiness and how to create his own beauty and purpose in the world. There was something truly magical about watching him work in nature.

King Lear Post

In Shakespeare's play, King Lear, Lear constantly tries to achieve happiness, but he fails in the pursuit. He gives his land kingdom away to his daughters to make them happy and live the rest of his life with them, however, when they turn him away, he seeks his other daughter's hospitality. He goes to her to find happiness from the one daughter who ever truly loved him. Although he is happy with Cordelia, she dies and he is left again unhappy. Lear challenges the idea that it is possible to create your own happiness, or at least to maintain that happiness. He worked so diligently to be happy and to live a good life, yet fate and other circumstances continually challenged his ability to create his happiness. He also presents a new idea: Even if we can create our own happiness, is there any possible way to sustain it, or must it be constantly renewed?

Big Question, Summer Reading, and Oedipus

Though somewhat a work in progress, my big question is: "How do we, as humans, manufacture our own happiness merely through our thoughts?" This question has been prominent in my life for four or five years now. Do we have the capacity to just wake up one morning and decide to be happy? Granted, I understand that conditions such as depression may lessen one's ability to choose happiness, yet I believe that, to an extent, it is possible for everyone. For a long time, my shyness and often self-conscious outlook prevented me from feeling completely happy. Sophomore year, I became a section leader for the marching band and was forced to break out of my shell in order to lead others. Through this, I attended a leadership workshop hosted by Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, a band director, motivational speaker, and so much more. Among dozens of others, one thing he said really had an impact on me. He said, "Act like you want to be, and you'll be like you want to act." Since I wanted to be happy, I began to act that way, which began a phase of my life full of happiness. This transformation, however, did not occur over a day or even a short period of time, which is where I think a lot of people get hung up. People try to be happy, yet when they don't get immediate results, they give up.

This question appeared in my summer reading book as well. I read Atonement, and the main character, Briony, was stuck in a constant prison of guilt for a rash decision she made early in her life. She strives for atonement her entire life, yet she never atones herself. Since she cannot forgive herself, there is no way for her to reach atonement. Briony never had happy thoughts because she was so burdened with guilt. I believe that as humans, we can not only manufacture our own happiness but also, our own unhappiness. The power to be happy lies within our own minds.

I discovered this question while reading Oedipus Rex also. When Oedipus discovers the atrocities of his marriage and children, he destroys his own happiness by gouging out his own eyes, thus condemning himself to a life of blindness. The discovery of his paternal murder and marriage to his mother presents the opposite side of this question. Oedipus demonstrates that under some circumstances, it may be impossible to create your own happiness, for sometimes, the unhappiness is too great.