GROUP_8

=Samuel Johnson's = ="The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia" =

Welcome to our Wiki Cite! Here we will explore Samuel Johnson''s " The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abbysinia", and the important aspects of the eighteenth-century. Join us as we embark on Rasselas' journey to find happiness. Our happiness is learning from his passage. **Summary of Plot:** The //History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia// discusses the journey of a young man who, though born into royalty and raised in a paradise is still unsatisfied with his life. After consulting his mentor, the poet Imlac, Rasselas realizes that he is not the only one who feels discontent in “Happy Valley” in which they live. The two have the problem however, of leaving Abyssinia; no one has ever been able to leave before them.

The two eventually discover the means of escape by digging a tunnel out of Happy Valley, and secretly begin to excavate their way out bit by bit, day after day. However, they are caught by Rasselas’ sister, Princess Nekayah, who asks them to take her with them. The siblings, Imlac and the Princess’s maid, Pekuah, eventually make their escape and enter the city of Cairo.

Once in the outside world, the adventurers attempt to find the object of their quest, the source of true happiness. They seek it in many different sources – in the wise, in the young, in the old, the rich, the poor – only to find that no one was completely and utterly content with their lives. By the stories end, the travelers decide to once again return to Abyssinia.

 Adversity has ever been considred the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself. Samuel Johnson
 * Ciera Heimbigner: Author Identity **

Samuel Johnson was a man who lived through great adversity, trials, and challenges during his life. **“**Often referred to as Dr Johnson, he was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer” (Wikipedia.org). In one of his latest works, //A History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia// which he composed in 1759, Johnson displays an understanding that misery can lead to finding fulfillment or happiness. This idea that he is promoting rings true of his own life. He lived a miserable and disappointing life in many respects; however, he still managed to become a great literary success – so much so that the first half of the eighteenth century is known as “The Age of Johnson” (Lynch). Through all his own struggles, Johnson learned how to understand the differences and connections between happiness and misfortunes. Happiness is a key concern throughout most of Johnson’s book. His main character, Rasselas, has a life that is opposite to Johnson’s. Rasselas lives in “Happy Valley,” which is not the life that Samuel Johnson led. Johnson’s quest for knowledge and happiness, through living a challenging life, contrasts with his major character’s quest for knowledge, happiness, and contentment in //A History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia//.

Johnson was born in 1709, in Litchfield, England into a common family; he was the son of a bookseller. Johnson, in his early youth, was “marred by illnesses: he had a tubercular infection that affected both his sight and hearing; also his face was scarred by Scrofula” (Liukkonen). Aside from the previous physical ailments, Johnson suffered from “gout, testicular cancer, and a stroke in his final year that left him unable to speak” as well as “Tourette syndrome and depression” from many traumatic challenges in his life (Wikipedia.org). After attending Pembroke College, in Oxford for thirteen months, his father died in 1731, leaving the family in poverty (Liukkonen). With so many struggles throughout his life, it becomes evident why Samuel Johnson had conflicts with finding happiness. Even Johnson’s marriage wasn’t a very happy occasion. He married a widow named Elisabeth Porter who was twenty years older than him, after she assured him that she would take care of his financial needs. In his married life, Johnson and his wife sought to start a school. They initially accomplished this task, but their efforts ultimately resulted in failure. Johnson’s lack of credibility and formal education were the primary sources of his unsuccessful career as a teacher. His illnesses, poverty, and lack of education were the cause of struggles that Johnson dealt with, as well as numerous family members’ deaths during his lifetime (Wikipedia.org).

Although Johnson had all these struggles weighing down his successes, recall that he still managed to bequeath his name to the first half of the eighteenth century: “The Age of Johnson.” This is because Johnson completed numerous works in his lifetime that could easily outweigh the tragedies he experienced. Such works include: his first novel, //Irene;// small works, such as biographies, political satires, and reports, and a popular poem called “London”; his next major project was the ambitious one of writing an English dictionary, which he titled the //Dictionary of the English Language.// He also contributed to newspapers, and wrote a few more books. Near the end of his life, in order to pay for his mother’s funeral, Samuel Johnson composed //A History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia// (Lynch).

//A History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia,// focuses upon the main character, Prince Rasselas, who has been blessed with wealth and prosperity his whole life. He has no need of anything outside of “Happy Valley,” the place where he lives, and yet he seeks knowledge and happiness that he is certain cannot be found in the “Happy Valley.” In Johnson’s work, Prince Rasselas, his sister, Princess Nekayah, and a poet named Imlac, begin their journey to find happiness. Along the journey, Princess Nekayah states, “Yet what is to be expected from our pursuit of happiness, when we find the state of life to be such, that happiness itself is the cause of misery?” (Johnson 2724). This argument presented by Johnson’s fictional characters represents his own personal beliefs. He believes that life is a pursuit of happiness and yet it is cancelled out by the tragedies and miseries of life that are unavoidable. In the scholarly essay, “Lexicography and Biography in the Preface to Johnson’s Dictionary,” written by Leo Braudy, he states “…Johnson considers the attempt to achieve perfection and the knowledge of human fallibility to have almost equal importance” (533). In keeping with this, we recognize that Johnson’s life, full of tragic consequences, did not completely discourage him from attempting to achieve perfection. He still sought to accomplish perfection in his works; however, he knew that he would never fully be perfect.  Due to Johnson’s challenging life, he learned a great deal about “happiness” and “misfortunes.” Johnson once said "Every man is rich or poor according to the proportion between his desires and his enjoyments." To make such a claim requires wisdom. Johnson stresses that the fulfillment of life is dictated by how we view life rather than the obstacles that overwhelm us. In the conclusion of //A History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia//, Johnson asserts that each of his main characters all have endeavors they soon hope to fulfill, but he concludes with a pondering proposition. He writes: “Of these wishes” (referring to what each character hopes to fulfill during his or her lifetime) “that they had formed, they well knew that none could be obtained. They deliberated a while what was to be done, and resolved, when the inundation should cease, to return to Abyssinia,” thus realizing that life is full of uncertainties (2743). Johnson asserts that happiness is a measure of attitude; life is unpredictable, and happiness cannot be attained without the knowledge of misery.  "Lexicography and Biography in the Preface to Johsnon's Dictionary" by Leo Braudy Studies in English Literature 1500-1900, Vol. 10. No. 3, restoration and eighteenth Century (Summer 1970), pp. 51-556

Johnson, Samuel. "A History of Rasselas, Prince of Abysinia." __English Literature.__ 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: W.W. Norton & Company., 2006. Print. The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century. 2680-2743

Liukkonen, Petri, and Ari Pesonen. "Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) - Byname Dr. Johnson." //Books and Writers.// Creative Commons Nimea-Epakaupallinen-Ei Muutettuja Teoksia 1.0 Suomi (Finland) Lisenssilla, 2008. Web. 30 Mar. 2010 []

Lynch, Jack. "Who Is This Johnson Guy?" Web. 30 Mar. 2010. [|http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Johnson/Guide/who.html]

"Samuel Johnson." //Wikipedia.org//. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 5 May 2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2010 []


 * Laura Palosaari: Education, Childhood, Identity **

**The way a child is raised determines much of his or her future likes, dislikes, habits, morals and ideas.** Prince Rasselas, in Samuel Johnson’s “The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia”, grows up with his fellow brothers and sisters in an isolated landscape. Their home in the “Happy Valley” is one of luxury and peace, but also ignorance of the suffering of society outside the mountain walls. As Rasselas and his sister Nekayah age, they find themselves ironically unhappy in the Happy Valley because of the way they were sheltered from unhappiness in their childhood. Through their quest to find happiness, it becomes evident that childhood activities and education are two key elements in upbringing a child.

M.V. Wallbank’s “Eighteenth Century Public Schools and Education of the Governing Elite” discusses the education children of elite families received in eighteenth-century Britain. During this time, the time when Johnson wrote his story, some children of the governing elite did get tutored at home; however, many other children of high social status were sent to boarding school. There they learned how to get along with their peers and strive for excellence through competition. About twenty-two hours were spent of lessons per week; only twelve-percent of that schooling was set aside for non-classical subjects (Wallbank). To many historians, as Wallbank points out, the function of British public schools in the eighteenth-century was political. They were taught politics and political character at an early age. This was reinforced through the analysis of human behavior off of classic literature models. This political and social activity was a strong foundation for aristocratic work. Eighty-percent of the great men in Great Britain were once students at a public school (Wallbank). It can be concluded that because of the strong foundation in politics children received in their childhood, many became prominent figures in society.

Johnson got many of his ideas for “The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia” from the norm of the time. The palace in the Happy Valley could be viewed as similar entity to a boarding school. However, the princes and princesses are not taught much of politics. Instead, they are engaged in music and other forms of art. The royal children’s attendants are instructed to entertain them with all they desired and talk “nothing of the miseries of public life”(2682). The children are visited once a year by their father, the emperor. He brings with him “whatever might contribute to make seclusion pleasant, to fill up the vacancies of attention, and lesson the tediousness of time” (2681). To “heighten their opinion of their own felicity”(2682), the children are entertained daily with songs about the supposedly “happy” valley they live in. Thus, Rasselas becomes restless. He longs to escape his confinement. Although eighteenth-century public schools in Britain did “fairly thoroughly regularize” (Wallbank) society, the amount of diversity those children received was far greater than what the princes and princesses of Abyssinia received. It is no wonder Rasselas grows tired of the valley; there is no substance in his daily learning to stretch the other side of his brain.

There are many examples of how the experiences in one’s childhood affect that person’s adulthood. One crucial figure in Johnson’s story is an artist known for his knowledge and wisdom, by the name of Imlac. He was a bright child so his father sent him to school. When he had “once found the delight of knowledge, and felt the pleasure of intelligence, and the pride of invention, [he] began silently to despise riches, and determined to disappoint the purpose of [his] father, whose grossness of conception raised [his] pity”(2690-2691). His father then wanted to introduce him to commerce so gave him ten thousand pieces of gold in hopes that Imlac would invest and grow rich. Instead, Imlac took a ship to India to escape his father’s over-baring ways. Thus, it can be concluded that because Imlac’s childhood consisted of much pressure from his father, Imlac decided to pursue a different path.

Wallbank, M.V. (1979) ‘Eighteenth Century Public Schools and Education of the Governing Elite’, History of Education, 8: 1, 1-19  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 20px;">The context in which Samuel Johnson wrote //The History of Rasselas// was 18th century Britain: a time that revealed increasingly literate masses and sparked different styles of literature all across the continent. However, along with those different avenues of the written word, art and architecture in Europe moved toward different, distinctive styles as well. Those trends were often reflected in literature of the time, as in //Rasselas//, where two main interests are referenced – Orientalism and portraiture.
 * <span style="background-color: #fcef88; color: #040477; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">Shannon Clark: Art, Architecture and Identity **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia// is created within the mysterious walls of Eastern Culture, walls that intrigued 18th century readers, as well as other members of society such as artists and architects. The same places that are explored in Rasselas, such as Abyssinia, (modern day Ethiopia) and Egypt, where the rest of the plot takes place, are touched upon in the art work of the time as well. Amidst the flowery Rococo style of painting with its glorified romantic scenes in breathtaking landscapes, were alluring and exotic portraits of the Eastern civilizations of whom the British were so curious. Some of these most notable paintings are the portraits of alluring Oriental women, who displayed British gentlemen’s interest in the Harems found in Middle Eastern countries. The idea of having multiple wives to pick and choose from was a luxury that was fascinating to many Western men, despite being a wholly un-Christian practice.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Some artists of the time particularly drawn to the Oriental style were those fortunate enough to have traveled east to see life there for themselves. Swiss painter and engraver Jean-Etienne Liotard for instance, spent four years in Constantinople studying the life and inhabitance there – particularly the women, of whom he depicted in many portraits. Liotard was so drawn to the culture in fact that he continued to wear Turkish dress and a traditional Turkish beard even after he returned to Europe after being abroad. Artist Luigi Mayer also ventured abroad, traveling the Ottoman Empire and painting the beautiful landscapes and monuments he found there.

Eighteenth century architecture was also affected by the Eastern world. One of the first recorded instances of Orientalism in England is the façade of Guildhall in London, built from 1778-1779. The building has served as a town hall for several hundred years and offers viewers a taste of a culture quite out of place in London. Another, more obvious instance of Orientalism is the Sezincote House in Gloucestershire, England. An estate in the British countryside, the 1805 manor has the familiar pointed roofing that looks as if it belongs on a Sultan’s palace.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">At the same time that Orientalism was beginning to intrigue westerners, a debate was sparked among the intellectual elite of the time as to the literary merit of portrait painting. Many asserted <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">rather uniformly, that among other things portraits promoted narcissism, narrow-mindedness, and a corruption of society. These individuals insisted that the portrait were perpetuated by women, as they viewed women as easily amused by superficial goods and not intelligent enough to appreciate true art. Instead many scholars of the time insisted that true art was found only in forms such as historical or Greek and Roman classical paintings. However, these views were not held by the majority of England’s population. In fact, portraits were very popular among the British in the 18th century and the low opinions of a few scholars did not do much to hinder that popularity. Many other scholars (such as Samuel Johnson himself) felt that portraits were legitimate pieces of art because they focused on very real, personal aspects of life that history paintings could not touch upon. Those same ideals are reflected in his own works; the tale of Prince Rasselas does not impart its morals and lessons to readers through history, but instead through the trials of one man and the close friends who travel with him.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">"History of Art: Orientalism". Art, Commerce and Industry. April 27, 2010 <http://www.all-art.org>.

“Private Interests: The Portrait and the Novel in Eighteeth-Century England” by Alison Conway <span class="wiki_link_new">Eighteenth-Century Life ; Nov97, Vol. 21 Issue 3, p1, 15p <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">written by Samuel Johnson, is the story of a young prince named Rasselas. He becomes disenchanted with his life and longs to find that which will bring him lasting happiness. Rasselas resides in the Happy Valley, a place of leisure, indulgence, and extravagance. He decides to leave this place of comfort to set out on a journey hoping to find the way to lasting happiness. Despite the many people he comes across and their outward appearance of happiness, he finds that none are truly happy at all times.
 * <span style="background-color: #fcef88; color: #040477; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">Patricia Cole: Religious beliefs, practices, and festivals and identity **

This state of unhappiness and the constant search and struggle to find that which can make one truly happy is a theme that the people of Johnson’s time understood well. They were, for the most part, a Christian people with Christian ideals and morals. This search that Rasselas had embarked upon was a search with which many were familiar. The book in the Bible, Ecclesiastes, addresses the joys and pleasures this world has to offer but points out that the things that are offered by the world cannot and will not bring lasting happiness. The author Thomas Preston addresses this topic in the article, “The Biblical Context of Johnson’s Rasselas”, and concluded that while the pleasures of this world cannot bring lasting happiness, one should not reject them entirely (274). Instead one should enjoy the worldly offerings but maintain virtue and holiness, so when one passes on to the next life eternal happiness can and will be achieved since pleasure was only achieved in a way that was pleasing to one’s maker (Preston 279).

Though Johnson may not have intended for //The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia//, to have any sort of biblical context, it did mirror a struggle the people of that time understood and the book of Ecclesiastes addressed. Although Johnson does not give an answer as to what choice in life would bring eternal happiness, he did point out that the ways in which happiness was sought all lacked something thus rendering them unable to provide true and lasting happiness. The book of Ecclesiastes gave an answer to the people of Johnson’s time. According to Ecclesiastes true and lasting happiness would only be found through God (Preston). Johnson’s work exposed the fleeting happiness of pleasures, and man’s desire to find lasting happiness. Whether or not he intended his work to have biblical undertones, it did share many similarities with the book of Ecclesiastes which would have been familiar to his audience.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"The Biblical Context of Johnson's //Rasselas//" by Thomas R. Preston in __PMLA__, Vol. 84, No. 2 (Mar., 1969), pp. 274-281.


 * <span style="background-color: #fcef88; color: #040477; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">Pamela Monroy: Clothing and Identity **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Samuel Johnson Wrote “The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia” in the eighteenth century. The story main concept was the struggle to find true happiness. Although the Prince had everything in the economic aspect, he felt a lack of happiness. He thought that by traveling to other places this hole in his happiness was going to be filled. He searched and searched, but found out that no matter what the circumstances there was always somewhat of discontent among the people he observed. He traveled only to discover that like him many people sought in their lives a missing part, and that the part missing was their true happiness.

The setting of this story is called “Happy valley” where the prince lives. At the beginning of the story it is said that Rasselas valley is close to the Nile River. Although the English culture and the Oriental culture are greatly distinct, Johnson showed an enormous capacity by writing about a place where he is not so familiar. One of the major distinctions on these two cultures is there clothing. In the oriental culture two pieces of clothing among men were the most likely to be used, those were the turban and the robe. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Depending on there social classes determined the clothing that they would wear under or on top of the robe. If the person was on a higher class then they could wear a shirt underneath the robe and a vest. The vest is called a “sidari” and on top of this the robe called a “kuftan” would be worn. The material of the robes would also influence on who would wear it because of the hierarchy of classes (Rugh).

Brooke’s book emphasizes on the English Culture specifically on clothing. Chapter nine emphasizes the clothing of men and women from the 18th century in London. One of the first things to emerge at that time was the hooped skirt. This clothing was captured around 1711 at the time of Queen Anne’s reign. A specific garment could not be established until the queen gave her consent by wearing it herself. The hooped skirt, however, had already been worn before the queen gave her approval. Although many women were using this garment it was not establish at court until the queen reinforce it. After Queen Anne’s death, a new type of clothing accessory emerged. This was the “contouche”. The countache was initially worn as a morning gown, but later became a popular article of clothing that was no longer limited to mornings, and it could be worn in many different ways. Out of this garment, endorsed by Watteau, the sacque-back was out in about 1740. The saque-back was almost exactly as the coutouche, but now it was explicitly for special occasions (Brooke). In relation to men’s fashion that century did not change dramatically. If they were changes then those changes were minimal. Most of their changes were on their shirts or in there ties, but far from it everything stayed the same for some years (Brooke).

Johnson’s story reflects mainly on what life is about and how the outcome of one’s actions can reflect on their lives forever. Although clothing seems as an irrelevant factor in Rasselas it does affect in his search for happiness. Rasselas in order to search for that lost happiness he has to observe everybody in any circumstance and in any position. While observing them he has to look at everyone as they are and that includes there clothing. Clothing can emphasize ones happiness and ones confidence. They apply to the social classes and they geographically emphasize a culture. Clothing is an identity that every culture has and further more classifies genders, ages, races, and cultural destinations.

Brooke, Iris. A History Of English Custome. Great Britain: Butler and Tanner Ltd, Frome and London, 1968.Chapter: James II to George III-1685-1760

Rugh, Andrea B. //Reveal and Conceal: Dress in Contemporary Egypt//. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse UP, 1986. Print "Coloring Page Hoop Skirt 18th Century. Free, Printable, Realistic. Coloring Book Pictures, Sheets. - 3012." //Coloring Pages and Crafts. Free Printable Coloring Book Pictures and Photos.// Web. 07 May 2010. <http://www.edupics.com/en-coloring-pictures-pages-photo-hoop-skirt-18th-century-i3012.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The increase in capital crimes between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries has become known today as The Bloody Code. By the nineteenth century, crimes punishable by the death penalty increased dramatically to around three hundred from the original fifty in the sixteenth century. These crimes mainly included theft of goods and livestock, destruction of public and private property, intentionally breaking machinery, and even cutting down trees and stealing bricks from bridges (scribd.com).
 * <span style="background-color: #fcef88; color: #040477; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">Adam Schingle: Law, Crime, Punishment, and Identity **

The growing gap between the wealthy and the poor was mostly to blame. With the poor having no political rights, and the wealthy owning much of the land, laws that protected the interests of the wealthy were being implemented. With no police force to combat crime, The Bloody Code instilled fear in law breakers. Making these punishments viewable to the public became a way to send the message that crime would be dealt with seriously and without mercy (scribd.com).

There were three different ways to be executed during this time. The main form of capital punishment was death by hanging for crimes including murder, arson, counterfeiting, and sometimes theft--if the item was worth more than five shillings (about 30 euros or 37 dollars)--and damaging property. A serious religious offender would be burned at the stake. Beheading was less common and was reserved for those who committed treason and crimes against the monarchy (scribd.com).



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Less serious offenders were submitted to corporal punishment, which included paying fines and imprisonment. This was widely used for crimes including swearing, trouble-making, drunkenness, sexual crimes, and vagrancy. Offenders would be subjected to humiliation and injury by either being pelted in the pillory, subjected to the ducking stool, or whipped (scribd.com). A less painful and more humiliating punishment would be to be locked in the stocks. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Criminals could also avoid death by joining the military or by being transported to the American, Canadian, and Australian <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">colonies.

However, juries were becoming reluctant to send those responsible for some of these crimes to death, and judges began letting many criminals go.

In the seventeenth century, moral literature depicted drunkenness as a sin that signaled a criminal fate, threatened the social order, and demanded the most severe punishment. By the eighteenth century, commentators described stages of responsibility for drunkenness. Still, drunkenness was commonly associated with sin, although accounts also began to acknowledge varying mental states. Both associations worked together to interpret the crime. The law long recognized that many different mental states could clear a person from a charge. Drunkenness provided a convenient and almost universal excuse for a lesser punishment or pardon, resulting in less death sentences that some courts were reluctant to make. The law continued to make room for outcomes that were not dictated by the legal code, but by the defendant's character and the nature of the offense.

Discussion of alcohol in the seventeenth century focused mainly on the individual and their sins. The eighteenth century conversely externalized alcohol as a source of that sin. The plea of drunkenness suggested notions of partial responsibility instead of absolute guilt. Courts often accepted this explanation; even though it did not serve as grounds for acquittal, it justified a less severe punishment based on a hindered mental state.

"Drunkenness and Responsibility for Crime in the Eighteenth Century" by Dana Rabin //Journal of British Studies// ; Jul2005, Vol. 44 Issue 3, p457-477, 21p

"The Bloody Code." //Scribd//. Web. 1 May 2010. <http://www.scribd.com/doc/17724/The-Bloody-Code>.

"Untitled Document." //Durham University//. Web. 1 May 2010. <http://www.dur.ac.uk/4schools/Crime/Bloodycode.htm>.

(Begins Between Chapters 17 and 18) ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;">After once again recovering the composure he had lost to the unruly and dishonorable youths he had endeavored to learn from, Rasselas was still resolved to continue his search. In the midst of such resolve, he sat quietly and pondered more legitimate sources of happiness.
 * <span style="background-color: #fcef88; color: #040477; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">A "Missing Passage" We "Stumbled" Upon **
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">

“Surely the youths I traveled with were far too crude to be happy,” thought he. “They had already been corrupted and distorted by the ways of the world and by the pressures of their own peers. Perhaps it would do to find those who have not yet been depraved of their natural goodness. Perhaps it is children I should endeavor to understand.”

Thus young Rasselas began to seek enlightenment in the houses of young mothers, those with children who were still of an age of simplicity. While the prince did find the babes to have genuine delight in the simplest of matters, he also discovered them to have a natural selfishness as well, which could impede their joy at any time.

The elation they felt, Rasselas concluded, was due only to the freshness of their experiences and therefore could not apply to one who has seen again and again the ways and parts of the world. The children also thought only of their own needs and wants, demanding attention of their mother time and time again.

“I do not have their advantage of innocence,” Rasselas said to Imlac afterword. “The sky and trees are no longer new to me and so I can take no happiness in discovering them. I also found the children to think only of their own wants and nothing of the wishes of others. Surely true happiness must involve seeking contentment in one’s fellow man.”

“My dear Rasselas,” Imlac replied, “about the children’s selfishness you are correct. Due to their innocence and lack of knowledge in the ways of the world, they are forced to depend solely on their mothers for survival. As a result of this dependence they must focus only on their own wants and wishes if they are ever to be fulfilled.

“However,” continued the wise poet, “in your assumption that you have complete knowledge of the earth and its bounty you are misled. No man knows all of Nature’s secrets and only a fool would claim that knowledge for his own.”

“Then there are many fools who walk the earth,” said Rasselas, “believing they have found happiness. But many of their gratifications are only temporary. This is not the happiness I seek. In my //choice of life//, I wish to arrive at a permanent happiness. There must be a figure in enough acquaintance with nature to be a lesser fool than the rest. ”

Imlac pondered his companion’s words for a moment before replying. “As you concluded,” said he, “‘true happiness must involve seeking contentment in one’s fellow man’. Find a man who does just that”.

“Why then,” said Rasselas, “did I study not the ways of the young mothers whose children I watched? God gave them the gift to naturally bring precious lives into the world. Mothers must find happiness in the vital duty of giving life to man!” So he ventured again to the houses of young mothers, this time seeking answers from they with children newly born. This time he took the mother’s perspective. At first, Rasselas saw mothers with pure smiles on their faces, while gently calming their little kin, giving these new lives everything they want. They appeared to find happiness in the art of helping a new life find its purpose. “Bringing a new life into the world,” thought the prince, contended for the moment, “must be the happiest //choice of life//.”

Yet, in the joy of his enlightenment, Rasselas found he did not want to leave the happy sight. Upon watching longer, he found that the mothers were not always happy. They grew frustrated when there was scarce food on the table, or fatigued late in the night with baby cries. Husbands sometimes came home drunk and hurt their wives. Rasselas grew afraid at his spoiled findings and related them to Imlac.

“Imlac,” spoke Rasselas curiously, “how is it when I sought happiness among the youth, I found it not, when I sought it among the newly born, there it also was not, and when I searched it in the heart of the delivers of new life, the mothers, it still was not?”

“It appears,” pondered the poet, “that you may have forgotten the definition of true happiness.” “Surely,” stated the Prince, “I recall that true happiness is falling upon true contentment in one’s fellow man, but I also do wonder how one comes upon true contentment?”

“Seldom,” proceeded Imlac after a minute’s pause, “seek happiness as you have done, Prince. Many have been inhibited by their own deceptions. Envy being the most cunning of their wit infested feats.”

“Even I have seen wealth, and have been granted every felicitous desire, but know not the comprehension of true happiness. I sought happiness in youth, new babes, and in life-givers. I saw not what I had sought to find.”

Rasselas felt discouraged in his virtuous attempts to understand true contentment through the lives of others that seemed to express such happiness. His curiosity was more than ever present. Princess Nekayah had been listening to her brother and the poet engage in quiet conversation, and she then posed an idea Rasselas had not yet mentioned.

“Perhaps,” spoke she, “True happiness and contentment can be found within friendships.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Rasselas face blossom with the words that princess Nakayah spoke.

“Princess Nakayah,” spoke Rasselas intrigued, “ where has the self seen friendship as the key to find true happiness”

While figuring an explanation to the questioning of his brother the princess recall in her memory the vision of two friends engage in a conversation. Her memories ponder on the words that they once said. “Rasselas” spoke she “friendship in humans is a state that is seen everywhere”

Lost in thought on what the princess said, a smile erupted on Rasselas face. His passion felt encourage with her words to keep finding true happiness. While she was deliberating her idea to Rasselas he thought of what the poet had told him earlier. “True happiness” spoke Rosselas in a mellow tone ”must involve seeking contentment in one’s fellow man”

“Why then” said Rasselas “did I not focus my attention on them before” So he venture once again into the life of others to seek his answer. He was startled to see that in every house he looked there was friendship being evolved within the members of family’s. Hoping that his answer was friendship Rasselas decided to remain in the same place and study friendship as true happiness.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Rasselas composed himself and began pondering again about the true nature of happiness. Every house that he had found himself in contained those families and friends that had seemed to be happy. “These faces I see before me seem content with one another,” Rasselas spoke, “But are they truly happy? Every man, woman, and child I have encountered, all have I concluded could not have found true happiness.”

He surveyed each house, and found them to be of humble nature. Laughter rang throughout each room. The joy of friendship was all around him, yet still he found his mind restless and uneasy.

“Surely not all of these that claim friendship are content with one another,” Rasselas thought. “Maybe I have found it. Maybe friendship leads to the path of true happiness.” Rasselas found himself certain that friendship was the answer he sought.

And it was then he came upon a one room, and in it found two men quarreling over what seemed to be the most trivial of matters. He would not have noticed this at first, for the gaiety and mirth he had witnessed had acted as a curtain to hide these men from him.

A dreadful uncertainty overcame Rasselas. “If these men set before me are not happy among the company of friends, then perhaps I must consider a different course of life. Friendship cannot be solid and permanent. There is always the possibility that even the greatest of friends may drift apart from each other because of even the most tedious uncertainties.” The prince pondered a long while before again seeking the wisdom of Imlac.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Rasselas thought it best to ponder all of the choices in life that could lead one to finding eternal happiness before he set out on any more endeavors. But his thoughts were overshadowed by doubt and a looming sense of sadness. He was quite disturbed and fairly disappointed due to his lack of finding that which is certain to bring lasting happiness.

“Is there no one,” Rasselas muttered, “that can provide this prince with the answers necessary to bring peace of mind and a close to this daunting journey? How long must I toil and suffer before finding that which I seek so desperately?”

The prince thought it best to avoid Imlac during his time of despair. Never did the prince conceive that the answer which he so desired would elude and taunt him for such the time as it had. The prince yearned for peace and knowledge yet felt that all that had been achieved thus far only lead him further from his ultimate aspiration.

With a heavy heart and no hope within sight, Rasselas wandered aimlessly, looking but not fully seeing that which his eyes gazed upon. The prince walked for quite some time, never having direction or intention. Much to his surprise it was the sound of laughter that brought the prince back to his present state. Suddenly, his hope was renewed and his intentions clear.

“I must continue on my quest in the pursuit of lasting happiness,” thought Rasselas. “There is nothing that can deter me from assuring that an answer be found. I must be stout of heart and mind, fearing nothing and understanding that what I have to gain is far greater than the trials I may face upon the way.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">With a restored sense of ambition and a renewed love for finding the choice in life that will bring him lasting happiness, the prince decided to return to his mentor and sister. He would share his despair and his newfound sense of purpose with those who understood him above all others. He would receive from them wisdom and kindness, friendship and support thus ensuring that his journey would endure.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">After finally getting over being humiliated by a bunch of teenagers, Rasselas once again went about finding happiness. Determined as he was, he didn’t do anything at all for a good long while except try and figure out where next to look.
 * <span style="background-color: #fcef88; color: #040477; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">Translation **

“Those teenagers were definitely way too old to know what true happiness is,” he thought. “They had already found the wild and crazy ways of the world and been corrupted by them. They’ve been stained too many times by alcohol and long nights. If I want to find what really happiness is, I had better try someone much younger, who hasn’t gotten in to all that stuff yet.”

So Rasselas began to hang out with friends of his who were also young mothers with children running about their homes. However, while the prince found out that the kids were delighted with simple things, they were really demanding and needy as well, stopping to cry whenever the slightest thing bothered them. Rasselas realized then that the kids were only happy because everything was new to them. When it wasn’t new any longer, they wouldn’t care. The children were also very selfish as well, demanding the attention of their moms constantly.

“I’m old,” Rasselas said to Imlac afterword. “I’ve seen the world already and so I can’t learn anything from these kids. Plus they cried all of the time, over any little problem. I can’t stand those brats.”

“You’re right about the whole crying thing,” Imlac replied. “Those kids need their mothers for everything while their young. But you’re dead wrong if you think you’ve seen the whole world already. There is so much that nature hasn’t shown you yet. Don’t assume that the world has nothing left to teach you.”

"Lots of people think they're happy when they're not," Rasselas said. "That's bull. I want the real thing. I want genuine happiness."

Imlac thought about his friend’s words for a moment before replying. “Hmmm,” Imac said. "You gotta a point there."

“Like how come,” said Rasselas, “I don't check out their moms instead? They're the ones dealing with these brats all day without killing themselves. They must have some secret to keeping happy.”

So Rasselas went to visit the happy mothers. He watched them taking care of their kids, playing with them, watching them grow. But he soon found out it wasn't all just fun and games. Mothers had to punish their children when they were bad. They grew tired after watching the kids all day. Sometimes their husbands got angry and hit them.

These discoveries really bothered Rasselas so he came once again to his good friend Imlac and asked for his advice.

"What the heck?" Rasselas vented. "These mothers aren't happy about it either! I can't seem to find anyone who is actually happy in this place! I know you said that happiness can only come through contentment, but I can't find anyone who's content."

"Well honestly, I don't know what to tell you," Imlac said. "That's quite a question. I can't tell you exactly what will make people content, but I can tell you a big issue that gets in the way."

"Ooh what is it?" Rasselas asked eagerly. "Tell me."

"Its envy." Imlac replied. "That's what gets in the way of true happiness."

“Envy?” wondered Rasselas. “But Imlac, I'm rich. I have everything I want already. Why would I envy anyone else? People envy me."

Imac was quiet and an awkward silence followed. Rasselas sat there, beginning to think that he had sounded kind of like a jerk for blowing Imlac off like that.

All the while, his sister, Princess Nekayah had been listening to their conversation. She couldn't help but blurt out her own idea.

“Maybe true contentment and happiness comes from friendships?” she said. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;"> After Princess Nakayah finish talking, Rasselas face illuminated by the idea that her sister had given him.

A few minutes passed and Rasselas ask his sister “where can I find this friendship that leads to happiness.”

Even thou Princess Nakayah tried to concentrate on the question that her brother asks, she could not helped it and she started to day dream. She remembers how she once saw a conversation between two friends. Finally she responded to Rasselas saying, “ Friendship is everywhere”.

He smiled at the moment of her response to his question. Rasselas then felt the urge to start observing friendships to find true happiness. Princess Nakayah started to ramble more ideas to him, while he without noticing was thinking on what the poet had told him earlier. The poet told Rasselas “ true happiness can only be found in others expressions.

He thought of all the time he wasted by not studied them before. After pointing out his next area he went to the houses of friends and stayed there to see if they had true happiness. He was shocked to see that they were happy, but Rasselas decided to stay more time to see if changes in friendship could happen.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Rasselas pulled himself together and again started to think about the true nature of happiness. Every house that he had wound up in contained different families and friends that all seemed to be happy. “Everyone I see here seems to be happy,” Rasselas spoke, “But are they really happy? Every man, woman, and child I've encountered... there's no way that they could have actually found true happiness.”

He looked around each house, and found them to be of a quaint nature. Laughter rang throughout each room. The joy of friendship was all around him, but his mind still felt restless and uneasy.

“There's no way all of these people get along with each other,” Rasselas thought. “Maybe I have found it. Maybe friendship leads to the path of true happiness.” Rasselas was certain that friendship was the answer that he was looking for.

And then he came upon a room, and in it found two men arguing over one of the most pointless things he had heard in his life. He would not have noticed this at first, for the laughter and joy he had witnessed had only hidden these men from him.

A wave of uneasiness and fear overcame Rasselas. “If these men I'm looking at aren't happy hanging out among friends, then maybe I should consider a different course of life. Friendship isn't permanent. There's always the possibility that even the best of friends may go their separate ways because of even the most meaningless things.” The prince took a moment to think before once again going to Imlac for advice.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Rasselas needed to be certain that he had considered every possible choice that could bring happiness before beginning another search. He could not focus or think because he found himself depressed due to his lack of answers.

“Is there anyone who can show me what lasting happiness is? How long will it take before I get an answer?” thought the prince.

He decided it was best to avoid Imlac, and everyone for that matter, while he was so sad. He never thought it would take so long to find lasting happiness. Rasselas desperately wanted an answer and felt that all he had done had only led him further into unhappiness.

Depressed and alone, Rasselas wandered without direction. He did not know where he was going or whom or what he had even seen. That is, until he heard the pleasant sound of laughter. It was this sound that once again made his journey clear.

“How can I so easily give up on my desire for happiness? I must buck-up and stop feeling sorry for myself. I have to continue until I have found the answer!” thought Rasselas.

With his spirits high and his mood lifted the prince decided it was best to return to Imlac and his sister. He would tell them how sad he had been and how he overcame it. He would let them know that he did not see his journey as a waste of time and that he had a sense of commitment to it. They would lend him a sympathetic ear, share their own thoughts, and continue to support the prince along his journey.