In Pursuit of Unhappiness by Darrin Mcmahon

In Pursuit of Unhappiness by Darrin McMahon

Word and definition / Synonym / Antonym / New sentence with context about meaning.
pursuit –
N. an effort to secure or attain / Chase / Let go / Gatsby was in pursuit of the American Dream, but failed to be truly happy.
rite –
n. a formal ceremonial act
stagnancy –
n. inactive, sluggish,
undermine –
v. to injure or destroy, work against
resign (oneself) to –
v. to submit, to give up

1.  Prediction: What does the title “In Pursuit of Unhappiness” tell you about McMahon’s position on what makes a person happy?

2.  Occasion, the time and place of the piece, the current situation.

The events which led up to the writing of this piece include ______.

3.  Audience: Based on his choice of words such as ______and ______, we can assume the author’s intended audience is ______.

4.  Purpose: What is the main purpose of this article? (Persuade, analyze, inform, compare, describe, evaluate, define, argue?) Why?

5.  Speaker (the voice and persona he uses to tell his story).

From the words ______and ______, we can assume that the author is ______.

6.  Tone refers to the emotional attitude a writer expresses toward the subject. The writer’s “voice” can be sarcastic, humble, humorous, bitter, or reverent. What is the writer’s tone? What made you think so?

7.  What is the article’s main idea or thesis? (full sentence; complex or compound= subject +opinion)

8.  How is the article organized (main parts and sequence)?

9.  How does Carlyle view happiness? (Integrate quote and discuss.) How does this support McMahon’s thesis?

10.  How does Mill view happiness? (Integrate quote and discuss). How does this support McMahon’s thesis?

11.  Select the 4 most important words of the article. After comparing and discussing, revise and finalize your list of words. Justify each one.

12.  Use the 4 final words to type a paragraph summary of the article (200-250 words). Include the title and author in your topic sentence. Use your own words and paraphrase. Quote sparingly. If you quote, be selective and integrate with discussion .