May 2017 – Paper 1 – Text C and D

Both text C and text D illustrate the idea of happiness and present their ideas on what happiness is. Text C is an editorial taken from The Japan Times called “Happiest people in the world”. The editorial presents the opinion that material gains and a well-developed economy do not lead to a happy country. It is important to note that the editorial was published online on the 6^th of January 2013, so it is referring to contemporary society. Text D is an extract taken down from Jack London’s book “The people of the Abyss”, which is a documentation of his first-hand experience in the poor part of London. The date the book was published is 1903, which means that there is a very large gap between the times of both texts. Unlike text C, text D illustrates the meaningless dull lifestyle of those that do not have money or success and laments the slow descend to the ‘abyss’. Although both texts elucidate the concept of happiness and what it entails, the difference in context, style, audience and tone of the two texts is used to convey each writer’s own view on happiness.

Firstly, the difference in context of the two texts has to be considered in order to understand the texts. While text C is written in contemporary society, text D is a book published in the 1900s. Therefore, it is important to address the different expectations at the times. Text C is trying to convince the readers that the government should stop ‘focusing on numerical economic growth’ and should focus on issues like ‘enrichment of community’. This illustrates the writer’s goal of convincing others that people should shift down from an economical perspective and focus on the welfare and happiness aspect.

On the other hand, in text D the author aims to inform the reader that the shallow happiness of the less economically well off individuals in London is mundane and materialistic. Since 1903, the world has become much more connected and it is much easier to spread the word. The shift in concepts of happiness may be able to account for the differing views of the 2 writers. In line 28 of text C, the writer states that happiness ‘has become an important new way of finding economic priorities’. This conveys the idea that there should be a focus placed on happiness. However, text D complains about the endless cycle of the ‘broken moral and physical stamina’ of people who are poor but happy. Jack London supports the idea that instead of focusing on happiness, people need to demand more in their lives. The difference in the time the two texts were published portray a difference in priorities at the time with text C placing an emphasis on happiness and text D showing the significance of growth.

Furthermore, the different text types of the two texts create completely different responses from the audience. The audience of text C are most likely intelligent individuals in society that are interested in happiness. To match this, the editorial contains many facts and statistics to support and convince the reader. The editorial starts by saying that Japan ‘does not have the happiest people’. Logos is used here to try and persuade readers through facts. Furthermore, the writer adds that ‘taking pleasure in friends, family, nature and religion has been neglected in many economically developed countries’. This appeals to pathos, since readers may be feeling the same thing and connect emotionally to what is written. The layout of the website is also simple and easy to navigate, so readers may find it easier to access. There is also a share button available for readers to spread the editorial on social media, which can help in achieving the goal of convincing readers. Text D is taken from a book, so it is much harder to access and get recognition. Unlike text C, text D does not present logos, but uses personal anecdotes to draw the reader in. Through this, the audience is able to see through the eyes of the writer and understand their perspective. The use of the personal pronoun ‘I’ further allows the reader to emphasize the writer. The two text types create different levels of intellectual and emotional proximity, with each text serving to work towards the writer’s purpose of convincing or informing.

Moreover, the tone of text C is quite serious and optimistic, while text D presents a gloomy view on the happiness that writer experiences. In text C, the writer is very formal and gives evidence to back up the argument. Even when presenting their view with the modal verb ‘should’, they remain optimistic and hopeful of the changes that can happen if a focus is placed on happiness. This is further exaggerated by the use of clusters related to growth when describing happiness. The adjectives such as ‘meaningful’ and ‘deeply felt’ help to reinforce the idea that economic levels are not the main factor of happiness. Compared to text C, text D presents a much darker tone around the happiness presented in the personal experience of the writer. The first paragraph illustrates source of happiness that stood out in the ‘chaos of misery’ that ‘encompasses them’. The descriptions of the ‘children on their knees’ and ‘laughter and fun’ are used to portray the benefits of happiness the writer is able to experience. However, the ‘but’ of the next paragraph sets a change in tone from hopeful to pessimistic. The author writes that the happiness that the people he sees are experiencing is ‘at the best, a dull, animal happiness’. The metaphor illustrates the author’s view that their happiness is meaningless since it stems from a sea of ignorance and low economic activity. At the end of the text, the writer presents the cynical view that those who are stuck with the mentality of being too satisfied to develop will continue ‘to the shambles at the bottom of the abyss’. Even though text D starts off with a hopeful outlook like text C, the tone of text D changes to convey the writers eye opening experience with the urban poor of London. The optimistic tone of text C and the gloomy tone of text D are used to portray the writer’s view on happiness as either essential or unnecessary.

While both texts focus on presenting ideas of happiness to an educated audience, the difference in text types, contexts and tone work to elucidate each writer’s focus and purpose. The editorial successfully works in raising awareness and increasing accessibility, while also convincing the reader’s through the use of features such as logos. On the other hand, the writer of text D uses the personal anecdotes in his book to spread the idea that happiness if felt is shallow, and that some greater aspiration is required for people to be living meaningful lives.