Activity 1: Happiness Journal

1. List two to three ways that people can achieve true happiness. Explain how these two or
three things can help you achieve true happiness.

2. Share your journal with your group members and write down any new ideas your group
members mention.

3. Copy down the list we compile as a class.

4. Reflect on the discussion you had with your group members and the class discussion and
then complete this sentence:
Happiness can be achieved by_______________________________________________.
 Activity 2: Happiness Survey

Directions: Rank the items below on a scale of 1 to 16. 1 is the item that makes, or would make,
you the happiest and 16 is the item that makes, or would make, you the least happy.

1. Appearance

2. Athletics

3. Dream Fulfillment

4. Fame

5. Family

6. Friends

7. Games

8. Grades

9. Hobbies

10. Money

11. Movies and TV

12. Music

13. Parties

14. Popularity

15. Religion

16. Volunteer Work

Write one sentence explaining your number 1 choice. Why does it make you the happiest?

Write one sentence explaining your number 16 choice. Why does it make you the least happy?

Share your rankings with your group members. Write one sentence explaining if your rankings
were similar or different than your group members rankings.
 Activity 3: Comparing Survey Results

A total of 66 youth (35 males and 31 females), aged 11-19, were surveyed using questionnaires.
Below are the results. Remember, 1 is the item that made them the most happy and 16 is the item
that made them the least happy.

1. Family

2. Friends

3. Grades

4. Dream Fulfillment

5. Athletics

6. Music

7. Appearance

8. Money

9. Religion

10. Hobbies

11. Parties

12. Games

13. Movies and TV

14. Fame

15. Volunteer Work

16. Popularity

Compare your rankings to the survey results. Are your rankings similar to the survey results?
Explain why or why not. Can people determine their own happiness? Explain why or why not.
 Activity 4: Happiness Definition

Write down your definition of the word happiness. What does it mean to be happy? Explain your
definition as clearly as possible.

Dictionary definitions:

1. Merriam-Webster: a state of well-being or contentment; a pleasurable or satisfying

experience

2. Dictionary.com: the quality or state of being happy; good fortune; pleasure; contentment;
joy

3. Cambridge Dictionary: the feeling of being pleased or happy

4. English Oxford Dictionary: the state of being happy

Is your definition similar to any of these dictionary definitions? Explain why or why not.
 Activity 5: Predictions

The article we will read is called The Pursuit of Unhappiness. Answer the following questions
just based on the title of the article.

1. What do you think the title means? How do you think the author will feel about
happiness? Explain.

2. What do you think the author will have to say about the American goal to be happy?
Explain.

3. What do you think is the authors purpose? Why did they write the article? To inform, to
entertain, to persuade?
 Activity 6: Understanding Key Vocabulary

Directions: Copy down the chart and then use the examples and other resources to help you fill
in the whole chart.

Word Synonym Description of Picture of the Sentence using

what the word word the word
is not

Rite- a formal ritual a tailgate party My friend is

ceremonial act planning her
conformation, a
Catholic rite of
passage.

Right- that
which is due to
anyone

Stagnancy-
inactive,
sluggish, dull

Undermine- to
injure or
destroy, to
attack by
indirect means

Resign (oneself)
to- to submit, to
give up

Pursuit- an
effort to secure
or attain
 Activity 7: Reading for Understanding

Directions: Answer the following questions after we read the article as a class. As we read the
article, think about your predictions from Activity 5.

1. How accurate were your predictions from Activity 5? Explain.

2. When you read the whole article, did anything surprise you? Explain.

3. Are there any parts of the article you found confusing? Explain.
 Activity 8: Chunking the Text

Directions: Reread the article and then divide the article into sections. Each section you identify
should focus on one main idea. If the main idea changes between paragraphs, then you need a
new section. Use the paragraph numbers to identify which paragraphs fit in each section.

Use this format to chunk the article:

Section 1 (Introduction):
Section 2:
Section 3:
Section 4: (you may identify more sections for the body paragraphs)
Section 5 (Conclusion):

After you have chunked the article, answer the following questions based on your chunking.

1. How does each section you identified affect the reader? What is the author trying to
accomplish?

2. What does each section say? What is the content?

3. Which section is the most developed? Explain.

4. Which section is the least developed? Explain.

5. Which section is most persuasive? Least persuasive? Explain.

6. From your chunking of the text, what do you think is the texts main argument?
 Activity 9: SOAPSTone

Directions: Reread the article and fill out the following chart. Write your answers in complete
sentences.

S (Subject) What is the general topic, content, and idea contained in the text?

O (Occasion) What is the time and place of the piece, the current situation?

A (Audience) Who are the group of readers to whom this piece is directed?

P (Purpose) What is the authors reason for writing the text?

S (Speaker) Who is the voice that tells the story?

Tone What is the emotional attitude the writer expresses towards the subject?
 Activity 10: Annotating the Text

McMahon does not use explicit details to support his argument. Instead, he replies on the voices
of Carlyle and Mills to support his argument.

Directions: Reread the article and look for quotes from Thomas Carlyle and John Stuart Mills.
Answer the following questions.

1. Write down the quotes from Thomas Carlyle. Explain how these quotes support
McMahons argument.

2. Write down the quotes from John Stuart Mills. Explain how these quotes support
McMahons argument.
 Activity 11: Analyzing Stylistic Choices

Authors make very specific stylistic choices when they write. This activity will help you analyze
some of the stylistic choices made by McMahon. You will need to reread the article to answer
the questions.

Words:

1. What synonyms for happy does the author use in this article?
2. What synonyms for unhappy does the author use in this article?
3. Does the author make more mention of happiness or unhappiness in this article? Why do
you think he mentions one more than the other?

Sentences:

The author makes a handful of statements that are surprising. The title The Pursuit of
Unhappiness is an example of that.

4. Why does the author use this contradictory statement as his title?
5. What is the effect on the reader of that contradiction?

Paragraphs:

In the introductory paragraphs, the author uses a distinct tone of voice. Look at the first two
paragraphs to answer the questions.

6. Why did the author choose to write the first word in capital letters?
7. How many times is the word happy repeated throughout the introduction? What is the
effect of that repetition?
8. Why did the author choose to open the second paragraph with two rhetorical questions?
9. What is McMahon trying to do in writing this way?
 Activity 12: Thinking Critically

Using your notes on Logos, Pathos, and Ethos, reread the article and find examples of these
persuasive techniques in the article. You need to find five examples of McMahon using either
logos, pathos, or ethos and explain why they are examples of these persuasive techniques.