XI-English Poem 1 Ms Ammara

The Character of a Happy Life

Ex:5
Question and Answers

Q1. What does the poet mean when he says a happy man does not serve another’s will?

The poet says that a happy man is the one who is independent in his thinking and action. He is not a
slave of other man. He does not act as other wants him to. He is honest in his conduct and dealings
with others.

Q2. Explain briefly how Sir Henry Wotton’s happy man is having nothing yet hath all?

In the last stanza of ‘The Character of a Happy Life,’ the poet returns to the themes of servitude and
freedom. Because this man is free he does not have to worry about the disappearance or
reemergence of fear or hope. These things do not bother him. All he needs is God and his own life to
make him happy. He is “Lord of himself” and in control of all that he feels. The man has nothing, “yet
hath all,” or everything. He is content with what he has and has no wish for more so though he may
not have a lot but the contentment makes him happy and satisfied with his life.

Q3. What a happy man is taught from his birth?

He uses the word taught to suggest this process is a lifelong lesson that one should begin almost as
soon as one is born. He warns: serveth not another’s will, implying that people who have
independence of thought and control over their own decision-making tend to be happier people.

Q. 4 Write the centra idea of the poem “The character of a happy life”

In this poem, ‘The Character of Happy’ Henry Wotton highlighted the finest attributes and traits of a
person who leads a happy life.This poem focuses on the person who is free from all evil characters
and who leads a life in a balanced way. He has high thinking with simple living.

That man is happy and contented from his life. there’s a great message for all folks during this poem
that we should always obey God and that we should be good with others in order that we will be
happy and contented with our life.

Q.5 Write the rhyming scheme of the poem?

The Character of a Happy Life’ by Sir Henry Wotton is a six stanza poem that is divided into sets of
four lines, known as quatrains. These quatrains follow a simple rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD, and
so on, changing end sounds as the poet saw fit
Q.6 What are the sources of happiness other than those mentioned in the poem?

There are three distinct sources of happiness: Pleasure, Challenge and Meaning. These are the
ingredients of all things that make us happy and they can be combined in different ways. Ideally we
would spend most of our time doing things that include one, two or even all three sources.

Q 7) Who wrote the poem "The Character of Happy Life"? Write few lines about him.

Ans. “The Character of Happy life" is composed by Sir Henry Wotton. He was born in 1568 at
Bacton Hall, Kent. He was an English author, diplomat, and politician. He worked with Earl Essex
as his trusted agent under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.

He’s better known as a diplomat than a poet. He wrote little poetry but some of them are most
remarkable including 'Queen of Bohemia’, ‘On his Mistress ‘ and ‘The Character of Happy life'.

Q 8) What is the central idea of the poem?

Ans. The central idea is that a happy life is obtained only when a person develops qualities of a good
character to lead a peaceful life. He doesn’t commit sin, speaks truth at all cost, prays to God,
doesn’t envy others. His armour is his honest thoughts and he doesn’t fulfill other’s will.

Q 9) What are the qualities of a happy man?

Ans. There are many qualities described in the poems which are written below:

❑ He is his own master and does not to serve another human being.

❑ He has an armour or “protection” of “honest thought”.

❑ His mind must be pure and the man must have a willingness to follow truth at all costs.

❑ His passions shouldn’t control him and He’s away from the world of “public fame.

❑ He prays to God every day in the morning as well as in the evening.

❑ He spends his spare time by reading good books or in the company of a good friend.

Q10) What is meant by “rules of state” and “rules of good”?

Ans. Every state follows some rules that are in its interests. These rules may be harmful to others but a
happy man does not follow such rules.” Rules of Good” means rules of an honest life. For example, a
happy man always speaks the truth, hates flattery and prays to God for His blessings.
Q 11) What is the greatest skill of the person who leads a happy life?

Ans. According to poet, Sir Henry Wotton the greatest skill of the person who leads a happy life is
that he always accepts the simple truth and follows it all cost. The truth saves him from any fake
and artificial statement and that is the art of his living.

Q 12) What is the armor of the person who leads a happy life? Or What does a happy man use for his
defence?

Ans. According to the poem, The Character of a happy life, the person who leads a happy life
always prefers to select his honest thinking as his armor and defends himself by his honest thinking
from every type of sin that can destroy and spoil his character.

Q13. What is meant by “of public fame, or private breath “?

Ans. In the poem, “The character of a happy life” the phrase of public fame, or private breath
meant that a happy man is not attached to this world. He has no desire to win public fame, nor
does he care what people say about him in private. The poet means to say that a happy man lives a
very simple, happy honest and peaceful life. He does not care for cheap popularity or public
opinion.

Q 14 Who is free from servile bands? Or explain the line “the man is free from servile bands”?

Ans. A happy man is free from any bonds that could make him a slave in any sense. He thinks and
acts in a free manner. He is free from the effects that demean his character. He has no hopes to rise
to higher position, nor does he fear of his downfall. Such a person is master of his own will.

Q 15 What does a happy man pray for?

Ans. A happy prays to God regularly both in morning and at night. He does not pray for any wealth
or for high position. In fact he prays to thank God more for His grace rather than for the worldly
gifts that He has given him.

Q16. Explain these lines in your own words “who envies none that chance doth raise, Nor vice”?

Ans. In these lines the poet says that a happy man is one who does not envy anybody and who has
risen to high position either by chance or through some wicked means. Above all, a happy man
does not expect to rise to a higher position, nor he fear of his downfall. He leads a very simple,
happy, and honest life.

Q17. What is strong retreat of a happy man?

Ans. A man’s conscience is his strong retreat because he always follows the dictates of his
conscience and relies for support on it alone.

Q18. Explain the lines ” Whose state can neither flatterers feed, Nor ruin make oppressors great
“

Ans. In These lines the poet says that a happy man’s state is not so great that it can feed flatterers
or tempt people to accuse him so that they may plunder when he is ruined. His poor state keeps
them away.

Q19. Explain what is meant by “Lord of himself”?

Ans ” Lord of himself ” means a person who is the master of his own will. He thinks and acts in a
free manner. He follows the directions of his conscience. Though he is poor from worldly point of
view with no luxuries yet he is rich spiritually.

Q20. Who has freed his life from rumours and how?
Ans. A happy man has freed himself from rumours because he doesn’t core for the opinion of
other people. He follows the dictates of his conscience and relies for support on it alone. Above all,
his state is not so great that it can feed flatterers or tempt people to accuse him so that they may
plunder when he is ruined. His poor state keeps them away.

Q21. What kind of freedom does he enjoy according to these lines “untied unto the world by
care of public fame, or private breath”?

Ans. According to the said lines a happy man is not attached to this world to win public fame, nor
does he care he what people say about his in private. The poet means to say that a happy man lives
a very simple, happy, honest and peaceful life.
Q 22) How does the praise give the deepest wounds?

In the poem “The Character of a Happy Life False” the poet says that praise can be a powerful cause
to destroy the character of kindness and to build a character of happy life it is a must to stay away
from all sort of false praises because they all are given by some cause or personal benefits and that’s
why they are all misguided and pretended.

Q.23) Contentment makes a man happy prove this statement with reference to the poem ‘The
character of a Happy Life”?

Ans. A contented man does not desire more than what he has got. He is not very ambitious. He is
free from jealousy and he is not scared of anything. It is enough for him as he doesn’t desire for
more. So, he has everything.

Q 24) What is the theme of the poem?

The theme of the poem is about the characteristics and etiquettes of a person who wants to live a
happy and peaceful life. To live a happy life one must live with the principles of honesty, piety, and
truth. The poem addresses themes of happiness, joy, simplicity, and religion.

Q 25) How does a man become really happy?

Ans. A man can be really happy if he decides to be free from passion, no matter what. He should
be honest, truthful, sincere, hard-working and free from jealousy and fear. He’s supposed to be
his own master. This is the secret of happiness.

Q 26)How does ‘a religious book or a friend’ give happiness?

Ans. A religious book teaches a lot of useful lessons. The book teaches us to avoid evil and follow the
path of good. It keeps us on the right track. The same is true of a friend’s company. You get the same
peace of mind and happiness from the company of a true friend that a religious book gives you. They
give us the purest kind of happiness.

Q 27) Why is a happy person’s soul prepared to meet death?

Ans. According to the poem, “The character of a happy life” the soul of a happy man is prepared
to meet death happily because a happy man has spent a very simple, happy, honest,
honourable, peaceful and chaste life. He follows truth at all cost, never gets jealous envious of
others, prays to God and rules over goodness of heart.
XI-English Poem 3 Ms Ammara

The Character of a Happy Life

Summary
The poem takes the reader through the different attributes of a good and beneficial life. The speaker also addresses the
things that one should avoid if they’re seeking to maintain happiness beyond the immediate. Some of the things to avoid
include servitude, passion, and flatterers. In the end, it is only God and one’s own self that is needed to live purely and
blissfully.

● …simple truth his utmost skill!

● …Whose soul is still prepared for death
● ..Nor rules of state, but rules of good;
● …Who hath his life from rumours freed;
● …And entertains the harmless day
● …With a religious book or friend;
● …And having nothing, yet hath all

EX: 5
Poetic Devices in the Poem

Poetic Devices Example

alliteration flatterers/feed”, fear/fall

repetition rules
anaphora Whose
Metaphor Armour of honest thoughts , truth is his skill,
Personification Passions are not his masters
Oxymoron Having nothing yet hath all
XI-English Poem 3 Ms Ammara

The character of a Happy Life

EX: 7

Poetic Diction
The poem belongs to the 17th century so the diction and vocabulary does sound a bit old and a little complex to
understand. But the poem is written more like an instruction to the people so it's pretty much straightforward and free
from fluff.

Theme
The Character of a Happy Life' is a simple, straightforward poem in which Sir Henry Wotton sets out the principles of a good
life and what a man should avoid at all costs. The poem addresses themes of happiness, joy, simplicity, and religion.

Structure
‘The Character of a Happy Life’ by Sir Henry Wotton is a six stanza poem that is divided into sets of four lines, known as
quatrains. These quatrains follow a simple rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD, and so on, changing end sounds as the poet saw fit.

Language
Wotton utilizes several poetic techniques in ‘The Character of a Happy Life’. These include alliteration, repetition and
anaphora. The first, alliteration, occurs when words are used in succession, or at least appear close together, and begin with
the same letter. For example, “flatterers feed” in the third line of the fourth stanza and “fear” and “fall” in line two of the sixth
stanza.

Message
The Character of a Happy Life" is 17th-century English poet Sir Henry Wotton's careful advice to men trying to make
their way in a corrupt world. The truly happy man, Wotton advises, is he who turns away from the desires, and a
gossipy, power-hungry world to follow his truth and his own conscience.
 XI-English Poem 1 Ms Ammara

The Character of a happy life EX: 9

]

Stanza 1 How happy ………… utmost skill.

Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Character of Happy life” composed
by Sir Henry Wotton!

Context: In the given lines, the poet points out the essential qualities of a Happy Man.

Explanation
The poet says that a happy man is the one who is independent in his thinking and action. He
is not a slave of other man. He does not act as other wants him to. He is honest in his conduct
and deal with someone ever.

Honesty is the only weapon with which a happy man protect himself. He is truthful and lives a
happy and honorable life.Truthfulness is his greatest quality for which he is honoured. Due to
such qualities he leads a happy life free from any kinds of negativity.

Stanza 2 Whose passions………. Breath

Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Character of Happy life” composed
by Sir Henry Wotton!

Context: In the given lines, the poet points out the essential qualities of a happy man
according to the poet a happy man is one who possesses self-control.
Explanation the poet says that the man who is not affected by his passion is a happy man.
He is not moved by a strong desire such as anger and hatred and love. He has a balanced
temper. His sound is not filled by death.
A truly happy man does not aspire for the love of a prince nor does he care for the criticism of
the common man. In other words, he does not care for the worldly pleasures of our sorrows.
Nothing affects his goal of life. Such qualities help him lead a happy life forever.

Stanza 3 Who envies ………… good.

Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Character of Happy life” composed
by Sir Henry Wotton!

Context: The poet in these given lines, describes that a happy man is never envious of other
people. He is straight forward and confident.

Explanation
The poet says that a happy man is never jealous of those who have risen to eminence by
sheer chance and not by their merit or hard work.
Nor does he envy those who achieve success by adopting unfair or wicked means. A happy
man is free from bad habits. The world is full of deceitful people, who praise in our face and
stab us in the back.

He knows that false praise always brings deep wounds that are very difficult to heal. Moreover,
he does not carry for the so-called rules formed by the autocratic government which are not in
the interest of the people. A happy man observes the rules that are based on goodness and
righteousness and promote the well-being of mankind.

Stanza 4 Who hath………… great.

Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Character of Happy life” composed
by Sir Henry Wotton!

Context: In the given lines, the poet, points out that a man who does not pay attention to
rumours and always follows what his soul says with always be happy.

Explanation
The poet says that a happy man is free from rumours. Neither he believes in them nor is he
influenced by them. He always listen to the voice of his conscience and is guided by it.
He possesses a well-balanced mind that is free from worldly anxieties and worries. He is very
careful about flatters. He is not influenced by false praise and flattery does not feel him with
pride.

Even cruel and unjust people cannot cause him any harm because he does not believe in
them. Such a man is, does, always a happy man.

Stanza 5 Who God………… friend.

Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Character of Happy life” composed
by Sir Henry Wotton!

Context: The poet in this given lines describes a happy man as a true devotee of God. He
passes his free time with a good book or friend.

Explanation
The poet says that in order to lead a happy life, a man should pray to God everyday in the
morning as well as in the evening.

He should do so not to seek worldly things about to obtain God’s blessings and mercy. He
should not harm anybody, at any time in the whole day.

Instead, he should indulge in entertaining himself for bypassing his time in reading good books
or in the company of good friend such a man can lead a happy life.

Stanza 6 The man ………… hath all.

Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Character of Happy life” composed
by Sir Henry Wotton!

Context: In this given lines the poet describe that a happy man does not wish the success and
is not afraid of any failure.

Explanation
In this stanza, the poet says that in order to lead a happy life, a man should be free from the
chance of slavery. He should be independent in his thought and action.
A happy man is free from all kinds of hopes and fears. He does not feel overjoyed by his
achievement, nor does he get disheartened by failure.

He will possess self-control, though, he does not have any property in his position. He may not
be the master of wealth or land, but he is always self-contented. Though he may be poor, he
has self-respect and freedom.