...The Happiest Days of Your Life by Penelope Lively Still a boy, your whole life in front of you, and your parents have already figured out the rest of your childhood. Your parents are blind, blinded of the successful monetary people, and their dream of having the same amount of money and life. You are a boy without courage and an option to stand up for yourself, and instead become involved in a life embossed of hierarchy. The main characters in the novel are the boy Charles, Mr and Mrs Manders. The way Penelope describes the boy’s behaviour, and the way he shows his lack of interest, makes me feel that he is a very shy, insecure and a low self-confidence boy. A boy afraid of the unknown and new. In the story the boy is very quiet. We noticed it, when Charles was in the back seat of the car. He doesn’t eat his chocolate or read his comics (p. 61, l. 1-2 “The boy sat on the back of the seat of the car, a box of chocolates, unopened, beside him, and a comic, folded”). I think it’s a sign of Charles being insecure and afraid. He knows this new school isn’t something for him. He knows that he is low in the hierarchy. But he can’t say no, he won’t disappoint his parents, especially his mom. His mom is giving him no choice to choose his own way, to take responsibility for him self, and his own actions. Charles mom has since he was a little boy held him close to her self, which might have made him introvert. She hasn’t given him a chance to flourish like a real boy. It’s unknown...
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...”The Happiest Days of your Life” Penelope Lively The story is taking place in Sussex, England. It’s a rich area in the UK. You can almost sense it’s a rich environment because the school is a giant mansion, with swimming pool. That isn’t common for a boarding school. Charles family is rich too, since they can afford it. I assume Charles is an only child because the parents are sending him to that boarding school. The parent’s ambitions for the son aren’t what you would call normal. The headmaster of the school says that Charles attendance will be an investment for his parents. Most parents would see their son at a school that he or she likes, and not the other way around. Charles is maybe 6 -10 years old, since he’s attending to a preparatory school. He is very nervous. It’s seen when he sits in the car. He doesn’t want to eat his chocolate and read his comics. He’s silent through out the visit and he just follows the adults around the hallways. The most strong signal that Charles doesn’t want to attend to the school is when (and i assume) an echo is running through his head with the voice of the boy that said he would mash him next term. The headmaster and his wife isn’t described with words or thoughts of the characters but of what I’ve read i assume that the headmaster and his wife is a bit snobbish, likeable and stylish people. The title reflects the story. I suspect that the reason it’s called “the Happiest Days of your Life” and not “The Happiest Days of my Life” is...
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...“The Happiest Days of Your Life” by Penelope Lively It is undoubtedly certain that a parent strives for the best for his child although all human beings put their own needs first, whether this is unknowingly or not, which sometimes leads to a very terrible mistake. Status, money and power can be very intriguing and Penelope Lively’s short story “The Happiest Days of Your Life”, 1978, is a great example on how one can outshine the other. The parents in the story clearly have the best intentions for their only child, Charles, but the lack of communication between them and their child will result in a bad choice. The short story “The Happiest Days of Your Life” is told by an omniscient author in 3rd person. The story’s point of departure is the protagonist Charles who is the child of the two other characters we meet, Charles’ parents; “He looks straight a head of him, at the road coiling beneath the bonnet of the car. His face is haggard with anticipation. 'Next term, we'll mash you...’” (p. 59, l. 5-7) is a great example of the omniscient author since the author tells us how the child feels and thinks. On the other hand the author does not know of Charles’ father’s thoughts or the other characters we meet throughout the story. We also get a bit of an expression of the mother’s thoughts and feelings, but not as much as we get to know Charles. We are introduced to two different environments in the story; the car and St. Edward’s Preparatory School. The environment in the...
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...The Happiest Days of Your Life By Penelope Lively, 1978 The story starts out with a boy named Charles sitting in a car with his parents. The family is on their way to a preparatory school. Charles’ parents will see if it would be a nice place for Charles to continue his education. The fees are much higher then his old school – Seaford. When they enter the school, they meet a woman who tells them to wait for the headmaster to be there. After talking a bit in the room where they were placed, the headmaster’s wife enters the room. Immediately she apologizes for her husband – the headmaster. After talking with the headmaster’s wife the headmaster comes in. the headmaster’s wife takes Charles away to meet the other students. They enters a room where some of the boys are playing, there are very noisy in there, but the boys become quit the second Charles and the woman enters. The woman leaves Charles in the room full of the boys, and the other boys gather around him in a circle. They ask him a lot of questions. He’s confused and forgets to listen to the boys – he looks at the clouds and he’s daydreaming, but suddenly he hear someone telling him, that when and if he starts at the school they will mash him and that they mash all of the new boys. After the parents are done talking with the headmaster, the headmaster’s wife comes in and brings him back to his parents, who are already in the car. The parents talks about the school on their way back and decides it’s a very pleasant...
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...The short story stretch over a day and it’s summer, because the boy called Charles Mandres there sits in the back seat, are wearing shorts. The short is taking place in Sussex, England. It’s a rich area in the UK, and the school sense like it and rich environment, because the school is a big building, with swimming pool and gym. At the end of the story is a dialogue between the parents, and Charles, and one of them said: “It’s pricey, of course” so the family are probably in middle class, and want they son to… Charles is the main character in the short story “The Happiest days of your life”. He probably the only child in the family, since his parents want to send him to an expensive school. Charles is a quiet boy, and probably 8-13 years old, since he is beginning at a preparatory school. He had smooth black hair, and his ears was big. His clothes was new and shine…. Charles parents Mr. and Mrs. Manders don’t think about Charles, because they decide that Charles has to go at St. Edwards’s Preparatory School, and they said: “Would you like to go there, Charles? Like Simon Wilcox? ... The child does not answer” so his parents know someone else who goes there, and they want Charles to go there to. And he didn’t answer his mother question, and it can maybe be an allusion to, that he doesn't like the school and maybe don't want to go there… “next term we’ll mash you” it says “We always mash new boys” Charles kept thinking about what the boys said to him at school. And he could...
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...The story I have read is called ”The happiest days of your life”. It is about a young boy who is visiting a boarding school with his parents. The parents are very interested in this boarding school, and believe that this school will be the best for their son. The boy is very quiet and doesn’t say anything. When they arrive at the school, they are welcomed by a nice looking maid. The headmaster’s wife is talking to them before her husbond arrives. The wife is very friendly and when the headmaster arrives she is showing the boy the prepschool. The headmaster is in the meantime talking to the parents. When the boy gets back from the tour he has been talking to some of the boys at the school. The boys were not very friendly, and have told him that they will mash him if he is going to this school. The parents on the other hand has already decided that the boy is going at the school. They talk about it in the car, and just after they have agreed to send the their son to the school, they ask the boy if he wants to go there. The boy still doesn’t reply. This story takes place in a very rich environment. The house for instance is a period house wich looks like an old mansion. The door is also opened by the maid and the magazines the headmaster couple read is also very typical for the upper middle class. The headmastercouple are actually very diffrent from each other. The wife is very kind and polite, and I believe that the children at the school is very fond of her. She...
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...We have all seen movies and read stories about a kid who does not feel like he is in a place where he belongs. It is often a decision, which is not made by themselves but by their parents, who almost always got the best intentions for their child. The reason for this kind of decision is often caused by lack of communication between the child and it is parents and more about the advantages for the parents than their child. ‘’The happiest day of live’’ is a good example of how parents’ decision may become a disaster for their child due to lack of communication between them and Charles. The story is taking place in Sussex, which is an upper class area in the south of England. The story also tells us that it is a rich environment; when they were going to the school, they drove through a road with highly priced period houses (p. 1 l. 3). The school applies to upper class families, as you can read about how good the facilities is in the school and some of the facilities are not that common for boarding schools. The school is called St. Edwards’s Preparatory School, which is running by the headmaster James Spokes. By the name of the school you can also tell that the school is applying for the families with a lot of money, as it is a preparatory school, which means that it is a fee-paying school. It is a 3rd person omniscient narrator who tells the story, from Charles’ point of view. The narrator is partially omniscient since some of Charles’ feelings are known;...
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...Happiest people on earth What is the purpose of life? It’s often to become happy. Whatever country or society people live in, they all have the same deep desire: to become happy. Happiness may appear to be a subjective and intangible quality that is hard to define and harder to measure. However, happiness remains one of the most meaningful and deeply felt life experiences and has become an important and growing field to study. The first ‘World Happiness Report’ commissioned for the UN conference on happiness was held in April 2012, and drew international attention as the first survey of the state of global happiness (Denmark.dk & WorldHappinessReport2013). Denmark has taken the top spot. Even though the weather can be dreary and in winter it’s dark most of the day, leaving some Danes as depressed, the Danish people is considered to be the world’s happiest. How come? To figure out why Denmark is the happiest country on earth we have to look closer into the definition of happiness and how to measure it. The idea that individuals have happiness as their ultimate goal in life is not undisputed. According to Michael Argyle, happiness is not a static goal that individuals are able to attain by aspiring it. Rather, happiness is a by-product of a “good life” producing satisfaction over the long run. Therefore happiness can be seen as the overall contentment with life, which is normally called “life satisfaction”. Next, happiness is the quality of life achieved by developing...
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...Essay: The Happiest Day of Your Life Life changing decisions isn’t easy, especially not when somebody wants to make them for you and not guide you. Your future is entirely decided by someone else. When silence seems like it couldn’t be any louder and nobody takes notice. This will be my interpretation of the novel named The Happiest Day of Your Life by Penelope Lively. The novel is written in third person narrative, an example of that would be in the beginnig when the narrator describes the setting the boy and his family are in. We hear about the characters different actions and feelings but the narrator doesn’t comment on them, which makes it omniscient without comments. The narrator describes Charlie directly in the beginning of the novel, where the mother is described through her comments and behavior. Modes that are used are direct and indirect conversations and descriptions of different settings. The novel takes place in St. Edward’s Preparatory School in the suburbs of London. The novel begins and ends in the car. The parents are very excited and the atmosphere in the car is quite tense. It differs from Charlie to the parents. Charles doesn’t seem to care much about the interview, since he doesn’t say a word. On the other hand his parents talk a lot about the headmaster and the school. The mother even says “I could do with a drink. Hope they lay something on” (p. 61, 10). It seems like she wants to relieve some of her nerves throughout the interview. The atmosphere...
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...“Denmark: The Happiest Place on Earth” and “Some more equal than others” from the book Aware of the World. First, though, I would like to briefly sum up the two texts. The first text, “Denmark: The Happiest Place on Earth”, is about some studies that shows that the people of Denmark consider themselves some of the happiest people on earth. Some of the main points in the text are, that it doesn’t matter whether you are a garbage man or a lawyer, just as long as you are happy. The second text, “Some more equal than others”, is about the fact that wealth doesn’t always go hand in hand with equality as US and UK are some of the richest countries in the world, but also some of the countries in the world with most inequality. So, here we are. The million-dollar question of the evening. Does equality and happiness go hand in hand? Do any of these aforementioned points go hand in hand at all? Some might say. Some even say, that happiness complements longevity and gives you a richer life. And of course it does – doesn’t it? I think that if you are happy, and like the way, your life has formed it self, you will live longer. You will have more energy every day to do the things you like, more energy to make everyone around you happier and more energy to make yourself happy. So, if you are happy, doesn’t that make you want to live longer? Doesn’t that give you the strength to work your own ass off to live longer? I definitely think it does. The text “Denmark: The happiest place on earth”...
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...meaning and purpose in your life have the most influence on your happiness. Brooks talks about how money, fame, and wealth shouldn’t make us happy. However, both Brooks and Colino express that happiness comes from your inner self, and what you surround yourself with, not materialistic things. First of all, Brooks views on happiness differs from Stacey Colino. Brooks feels happiness comes from relationships with people, and not money. He brought up a good example with the famous actress Sandra Bullock. She won the Academy Award for best actress in 2010. Then news reports came out that her and her husband had a divorce. He was an “adulterous jerk.” Brooks stated that if you have a unsuccessful marriage or relationship, it does not matter what career achievements you have, you will remain unhappy. According to Brooks, countries with high social trust have happier people, better health, and more efficient government. Furthermore, Stacey Colino states basically how to be happy and what steps to take. She gives different ideas on how to be happy, for example, develop an upbeat attitude, hang out with your favorite people, etc. Stacey views happiness with what you have around you, if you’re around negativity you’re most likely going to be a negative person and not happy. Lastly, both authors agreed on that money does not make you happy by any means. Colino stated that financial status, external circumstances, and life events only account up to 15 percent of your happiness, I find...
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... LEGO: “Make your world possible” * Explain the purpose: The purpose of this slogan is to allow people to believe that with the use of Lego, you have the ability to make everything possible in the sense of using the product. In simpler forms, this means that you can create a world you dream of with the simple use of the plastic connectable blocks. * What feelings and values are being conveyed?: Lego wants to convey positive feelings in reference to the product. They want to make children happy and believe that their world will now be possible with the help from lego. Their values refer to independence creativity and imagination as it is in the children’s hands to create a world of their dreams. * How effective is this slogan?: In my opinion, this particular slogan is not so effective as it doesn’t specifically refer to the product. In order for a slogan to be effective, I believe that you need to identify the purpose of the product. By saying “make your world possible”, it allows people to believe you can make anything out of lego, however it does not ultimately convince to people that the product is highly good. KODAK: “Share moments. Share life” * Explain the purpose: The purpose of Kodak’s slogan is quite basic and simple. It tells us that with the use of Kodak, you have the ability to share your moments and share your life. Kodak offers a wide range of cameras and films so with their help, they can make it easy for you to share your developed films...
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..."Love the life you have while you create the life of your dreams" by: Hal Elrod With inspiration, Liberation, and Determination, you can reach any destination. So this is the beginning of a sixteen years old teenager girl named Zerena Lorraine Arbo Relleve who was born on 22nd day of the month of october, year 1998 at Awayan libmanan, province of Camarines Sur, Youngest in the nine siblings, so I have six brothers and 2 sisters, daughter of mr. & mrs. Ernesto and Roselline Relleve. I came from a different family, I grow up with my siblings and they are the one who's taking care of me since my parents worked in the other place since I was two years old until I turn fourth year high school, both of my parents are not by my side while I'm growing up, and once a year till we've met again.I didn't study Pre-school and Kinder garden, When I was four years old, My ate zoey is bringing me in her school when she was only grade two because no one who will take care of me at house because my parents are not there and my ate and kuya are also studying as a high school student, so my ate zoey had no choice but go to school with me.When I turn 5 I started study grade 1 and I can say that it's so hard being a grade school student that you have no mother who's taking of you while your classmates is fully supportive by their mom, they have a mom who will brushed their hair, prepared their lunch, who will wipe their tears if they are crying and say,"tahan na anak, andito na c mama" and...
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...he sits in the car. He doesn’t want to eat his chocolate and read his comics. He’s silent through out the visit and he just follows the adults around the hallways. The most strong signal that Charles doesn’t want to attend to the school is when (and i assume) an echo is running through his head with the voice of the boy that said he would mash him next term. The headmaster and his wife isn’t described with words or thoughts of the characters but of what I’ve read i assume that the headmaster and his wife is a bit snobbish, likeable and stylish people. The title reflects the story. I suspect that the reason it’s called “the Happiest Days of your Life” and not “The Happiest Days of my Life” is the way Charles parents treat him. They don’t allow him to decide for him self. Even though he only is a youngster he is allowed to have a bit influence on his life. The themes in the story are: Charles problems – How hard it is to get used to new environments. Pacing – The parents want more of Charles that he want for himself, and they decide things for Charles that might not benefit him but comes as an advantage for the parents later...
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...then a noun. "When the personality comes to serve the energy of the soul. That is authentic empowerment." Gary Zukav An addiction is anything used to satisfy an emotional craving or to numb your pain. Underneath is the power of powerlessness. It is a spiritual calling. Anyone that has challenged a addiction has done holy work. "If you have a strong enough what, the how will follow." (Have a vision in life) Prayer: Please enter where u already abide Hover over me and protect me Sacred Contract: Your spirit is the part of you that is drawn to hope. Not give into despair. Our Sacred contract is a spiritual document that our "soul" recognizes. Problems: Relax and lean away from the noise the mind is making. Have the right to relax and lean away. Give it room to pass through. Create that space, discover smartest decision u ever made. Every moment of life is a spiritual experience. U have the right to choose, the mind over exagerrates...let go of he noisy mind and seek the seed of quiet, can look at reality and know what to feel and do. When ur watching or listening to the mind.. see if what the voice is saying is really giving good advice?? In life will always find a higher way to deal with probs/issues Train them to not touch those soft spots "thorns" in your life. Disturbance tells you when the thorn is ignited. Those events will show u. Choose right then what to do what about it. Difference is do I like being disturbed? Relax behind enough times that...
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