Paper 1 ananlysis

The above text is the cover page from the Time magazine. The image seen in the text is of a large
yellow silhouette head of a woman, with a lot of text written in black inside. At the centre of the
page, the main title of the cover, “The Pursuit of Happiness” can be seen. The above text tries to
convey the importance of happiness among Americans and how they strive to find happiness in their
lives. The images and texts inside the large yellow head narrate a story through doodles and
represent a very deep and perhaps horrifying reality of the American psyche. The author uses a lot
of imagery and smart choice of curt and strong words to deliver a very impactful and powerful
message to the readers. There is a good contrast of the colours of yellow and black which blend well
along with the rest of the components of the text.

Beginning with the title of the page, “The Pursuit of Happiness”, the title is rather interesting as it
immediately tells the reader about what is happening in the text. The word ‘pursuit’ most directly
means the action of seeking out to achieve or acquire something. This is followed by the word
‘happiness’, indicating that happiness is being desired by the people of the US. This title is very
strong and important as it reaches a very deep meaning of the true meaning of happiness and what
it means to be happy. Happiness can be termed as very subjective but the title gives the emotion a
new perspective, one which can be sought after and achieved.

Further in the text, the reader can see multiple doodles and small texts. A small help given to the
reader on how to interpret the doodles can be seen by the “Start Here” message on the top left of
the head. The first doodle is of the map of the US with nothing but the word “PLENTY” written across
it. This could be a reference to the massive population or also the massive size of the nation. It could
also be a way to identify the various diversity and cultural differences in the country. Below this
doodle, the reader sees perhaps a big basket filled with all kinds of fruits and vegetables, followed by
a doodle of a farmer discovering gold or some other precious material from the ground. It slowly
becomes clear to the reader that the author is trying to show a rough timeline of the evolution of life
in the US and how it has progressed over time. In the next few doodles, the reader notices the
common lifestyle of an American, activities such as a woodcutter chopping trees, a shepherd
travelling with their sheep, all reaching to the doodle where the wood being cut is used to make the
first communicating device.

The next few doodles narrate the story of the innovations which have taken place, such as the
invention of the lightbulb, the building of massive structures like the Washington Tower, the
invention of the first telephone and perhaps one of the greatest achievements of humankind, the
discovery of air travel and invention of the airplane by the Wright Brothers. The story further
continues with the achievements of human kind telling the reader that these inventions and
discoveries were all significant into shaping the world we see around us today. These prior
inventions play a major role in how we define happiness today. The making of films and use of the
video camera, making travel much easier by the invention of the automobile, all the way to
conquering the world beyond our planet earth and sending rovers to the Moon. All these activities
have now become the source of happiness for us and what we relate happiness to. All these
inventions however, in the end, connect to money and wealth. The author tries to demonstrate how
important money has become in our lives and what role money and wealth plays in defining our
happiness. The last few doodles are especially important as they narrate the story of the present.
They capture the reality of the current times and make the reader aware of the world they are living
in. Money, social media presence, the number of likes or followers a person has becomes the
elements we use to define a person and identify with them accordingly. These things become the
reason behind how happy we are. A google search for happiness, a message saying LOL, all are
showing happiness in a superficial manner. A photo of a smile disintegrating is a very powerful
illustration of how we have lost the true meaning on happiness and acquired for ourselves a fake
and very materialistic definition. The last doodle shows pills, it is very important as it says that we
are resorting to pills and other substances to keep ourselves happy and merry. We are no longer
able to sustain ourselves and keep ourselves happy from the things around us. The author is trying
to these doodles as a wake-up call for everyone in the US and to tell them to not let such superficial
things destroy their lives.

In conclusion, the author uses strong imagery and textual features to convey a very deep meaning
which applies to everyone present. We need to let ourselves be free from the constraints of such
materialistic things and be open and enjoy ourselves in the things we have. Hence the reader is able
to understand the message being conveyed by the convention used in the text very clearly and the
message is successfully delivered.