POEM -2

Happiness
- Carl Sandburg

Answer the following questions in about 100 words each. The first one has been
answered as a model. (pg 11)

a) Explain the narrator's experience in finding out what happiness is.

Answer: The poem Happiness, by Carl Sandburg, conveys a beautiful message. It is

extracted from his collection, Chicago Poems. The poem is an expression of the
narrator's search for what happiness is and his ultimate realization.

The narrator seeks to know what happiness is. He enquires with many professors but in
vain. Even the top executives are consulted, but to no avail. One Sunday afternoon, he
wanders along a river. He comes across a group of Hungarians, including women and
children. They are spending happy moments under a tree. He at once understands what
happiness is. Happiness is living in the present, feeling.... Happiness is not wealth or
success or fame.

b) Seeing helps one better in understanding than listening to. Justify the statement with
reference to the poem, Happiness.

Answer:- The poem Happiness is about the speaker's quest for the meaning of
happiness. He approaches learned people like professors and also top executives of
large businesses hoping to listen to their views on happiness. They seem to consider
his question irrelevant and think he is being silly. One Sunday afternoon, as the
speaker walks along the Desplaines river, he sees a group of Hungarian men, women,
and children sitting under a tree with a keg of beer and accordion. They are visibly
happy with whatever life offers them. This observation helps the speaker realize that it is
the little things of everyday life that contribute to real happiness.