First Year English Notes Sindh Board THE CHARACTER OF HAPPY LIFE

THE CHARACTER OF HAPPY LIFE

                 

Q 1)    Who wrote the poem "The Character of Happy Life"? Write few lines about him.

The poem “The Character of Happy life" was composed by Sir Henry Wotton. He was born at Bacton Hall in England. He was an English author, diplomat, and politician. From 1589 to 1594 he traveled Europe to complete his education as to prepare himself for a Diplomat’s career. He wrote little poetry but some of them are most remarkable including 'The Character of Happy life'.

Q 2) What is the wealth of the person having a good life?

The most striking and attractive quality of the character of happy life is that he conquers and controls his emotions and feelings easily and has not any desire for worldly possession and that is the quality which makes him the owner of himself rather than the owner of the land. It is true that the character of a happy life has not any material wealth but he gets immeasurable eternal and spiritual wealth because of his pious and simple nature.

Q 3)    Why does Sir Henry Wotton’s happy man pray God and how does he pass his days?

Sir Henry Wotton’s happy man completely dedicates his life to pray god and loves to pray to Him every time. He not only says thanks to God for every blessing and kindness that have been bestowed upon him but also seeks His mercy. He prefers to pass his time with the company of wisely selected people and enjoys a peaceful religiously company with a spiritual pious person and religious books.

Q 4)    What are the armor and the greatest skill of the person who leads a happy life?

The person who leads a happy life always prefers to select his honest thinking as his armor and defends himself y by his honest thinking from every type of sin that can destroy and spoil his character.

The greatest skill that the character of happy life adopts is the simple truth that always saves him from any forged and artificial statement and that is the art of his living.

“Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom”.

Thomas Jefferson

“If you tell the truth. You don’t have to remember anything”

Mark Twain

Q 5)    How does the praise give the deepest wounds?

False praise can be the source to destroy the character of humanity and for the character of happy life is to stay away from all sort of false praises because they all are given by some cause or personal benefits and they all misguided and bluffed.

Q 6)    What is the importance of conscience in a happy man's life?

Conscience plays an important role in the character building of everyone either he is an upright or not because it plays a major part in the selection of vice and virtue. If going on the good path your conscience is satisfied so you must not fear the consequences and do freely. The character of a happy life has no other shelter but his strong conscience.

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience this is the ideal life”.

Mark Twain

Q 7)    What are the qualities of a happy man are as described in the poem “the Character of Happy life"?

Sir Henry Wotton describes in his poem "The character of Happy life" the qualities of a person who doesn't bind himself with this mortal world. This man has not any servile band; he just leads his life rightly. He never thinks about the materialistic thing and never envy anyone. He doesn't need any armor for his defense. He has only things that his honest thought and power to speak the truth in any condition of life. He doesn't pay ahead to what people think about him, he just follows his conscience. He always prays to God for His blessing and thanks to God, he doesn't keep any false hopes and hence doesn't have any feat to fall. He rules on his and apparently, he had nothing but he has everything.

Q 8)    Explain briefly how Sir Henry Wotton’s happy man 'having nothing yet hath all’.

Sir Henry Wotton presented an idea of a happy man in his poem "The Character of Happy Life" that a happy man does not need any sort of armor for his defense because he does not give the importance of material source which needs defense. He has no public fame, desire to go upward and secret vaults to save something for a rainy day. He has only a heart which is totally free from any guilt and envy. So Henry Wotton says that He has nothing but he has everything.

Q 9)    Enlist few qualities of the man leading a happy life.

Sir Henry Wotton’s happy man has so many righteous qualities. Some of them are listed below:

1.         He is the man of his own will and wishes.

2.         He selects the honesty as his armor defends himself and makes the truth his art of living.

3.         He conquers and controls his emotions and feelings and ever ready to meet the moment of mortality

4.         He consciously keeps away from the damages of fame and prefers the rules of goodness over the rules of State

5.         Has no other shelter but his strong conscience.

6.         He regularly prays to God seeks His mercy

7.         He does not desire any worldly possessions

8.         He enjoys a peaceful and religiously contended company with a pious person and religious books

9.         He has got immeasurable eternal and spiritual wealth.