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Running Head: THE DESIDARTA OF HAPPINNES
The Desiderata of Happiness
Chase Hurlimann
Georgia College
Desiderata
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Running Head: THE DESIDARTA OF HAPPINNES
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"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far
as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and
clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud
and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you
may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however
humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business
affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many
persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do
not feign affection. Neither is cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the
things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress
yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a
wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the
trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the
universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him
to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with
your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be
cheerful. Strive to be happy"
~Max Ehrmann
Have you ever noticed how fast life passes by? It would seem almost frightening to know
that most people do. It is even more frightening to recall how easy it is to get caught up in life
and lose track of your time. Have you ever found it frustrating when it seems the people around
you are in the same slip of time? Those moments of autopilot turn from minutes to months and
before we know it, we are looking back as if the moment was merely but a dream. This occurs
when we get caught up in desiring the wrong things and therefor forget about the smaller more
important aspects of life. Fortunately for us, we have beautiful pieces of literature that can
periodically bring us down from the fast lane and back to the calm and peaceful mind we so
easily forget about. For me, that piece of literature comes from Max Ehrmann in his stunning
work of art entitled, The Desiderata of Happiness.
Max Ehrmann is a famous American writer and poet. Ehrmann, of German decent, was
born in 1872 from Bavarian immigrated parents. Although Ehrmann was talented in writing and
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poetry, his core profession was being an attorney located in India in which he spent two years as
a deputy’s states attorney in Vigo County, India. Ehrmann also worked a family owned
meatpacking store along side being a attorney until he decided to quite both his jobs in the spirit
of becoming a writer. He was forty years old at the time of his career change. Ehrmann achieved
future goals such as the Doctors of Letters honorary degree from DePauw University, but his
biggest accomplishment was yet to come. Ehrmann spent much time writing and never achieved
any famous recognition till after his death. His wife, Bertha Ehrmann, decided to publish more of
his work after his death, which eventually lead to his fame. It was not until 1948, three years
after his death, that Desiderata was released to the public and gained popularity.
Desiderata, meaning in Latin the desired things, were originally written by Ehrmann in
1927 and historically took some time before it gained its popular attention. In the early nineties
his work on the desired things was primarily found on billboards and even broke high rankings
on the billboard charts. This resulted in some controversy considering the Ehrmann family never
gave any authorization to the billboard charts and thus took the company to court and sued them.
There is speculation that modern day writers have used Ehrmann's Desiderata as inspiration in
their own writings such as Sunscreen by Chicago Tribune journalist Mary Schmich. I find
Ehrmann's misfortune of not seeing his own success to be sad and disheartening. The fact that his
work is now known today was just a matter of time. Ehrmann radiates brilliance in his
predominately spiritual writings and thus his eventual success is in no way surprising.
What exactly makes this specific piece of literature so remarkably beautiful and so vital
to spend time studying? Much of the brilliance stems from his ability to create harmony between
the struggles we as humans face throughout life and the peace in which can be found. Ehrmann
gives a very beautiful and poetic view to the way we as humans should perceive our life's
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purpose. It also sheds light on the importance of utilizing the precious and limited resource of
youth. It is easy to be jaded by time as a youth, and forget to cherish the importance of life. Life's
fragility is depicted perfectly throughout the text. The way Ehrmann creates such a tranquil
presence about life creates a great sense of optimism, opportunity, and hope.
Ehrmann makes a great case in highlighting the important issues in life and offers the
insight of how to slow down from life's highway. He creates a strong representation of rhetorical
effectiveness of a contemporary rhetorical text. Throughout the semester, and throughout the
course of a rhetoric major, it is highly evident that two types of rhetorical theory where used
effectively, Aristotle's artistic proofs and the five cannons of rhetoric. My analysis will show
how Ehrmann applies these rhetorical theories in his text. The uplifting and inspirational aspects
of the text will also be discussed.
Aristotle's Artistic Proofs
According to Readings from Classical Rhetoric (1990) the importance of Aristotle's proof
of conviction and persuasion are created through his three artistic proofs: ethos, pathos, and
logos. In order to be effective in persuading the opinions of your audience you must be able to
obtain these three essential qualities. We first are presented with ethos, which is commonly
referred to as the speakers’ character. In order to posses the potential to persuade, one must
represent a wholesome and truthful being. No on is going to listen to someone who lacks
character and a common good. That is why it is mandatory to posses a positive image of ethos
when persuading an audience. So how exactly does Ehrmann demonstrate ethos throughout the
Desiderata?
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The best case of ethos is displayed at the very beginning of the text when Ehrmann says,
"as far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly
and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story."
Remember what was said about ethos and how it reflects character and a common good? Well
that is exactly what is happening here. Notice how the attention is not on one person and instead
suggest listing to even those who are ignorant. It is being demonstrated that we must speak
quietly and truthfully to all. What better way to demonstrate solid character then to show
affection to everyone regardless of ignorance? You can tell right off the back that Ehrmann is
upholding to his spiritual writing style by stressing the importance of respecting all of those
around us. To speak quietly and clearly represents integrity within the author. On the opposite
end of quietly and clearly, we have loud and unclear which reflects that of an angry person which
displays character in a negative light. Thus Ehrmann reinforces his ethos and advices the reader
to choose company that is of a loving and understanding nature.
Just because ethos is the most important artistic proof it does not mean it is all you need.
Pathos, is also important when it comes to changing or helping others come to a decision on what
they are moved to do. Pathos is what the text refers to as the emotional reaction. Think of the last
movie you watched in which a certain scene motivated you by striking your emotions. It is
because of the power of your emotions that writers and speakers can motivate their audience to
their intended persuasive goal. This is why connecting to the audience’s emotions and thus
creating the effect of ethos is crucial in captivating your audience’s attention. So how exactly
does Ehrmann demonstrate pathos throughout The Desiderata?
Pathos is the most evident artistic proof in this entire poem. Remember how easy it is to
get caught up in life's fast lane? This poem gives the opportunity to realize how important it is to
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slow down. The best part of the entire text is when Ehrmann says, "and whether or not it is clear
to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever
you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life
keep peace with your soul." One of the primary difficulties we as humans face, is not being able
to find that peace we are looking for which then causes us to speed up in search. Ehrmann is
telling his readers that peace is within us. We posses the ability to slow life down by realizing
life is precious. We tend to get so wound up about things that in the end we waste time that could
have been spent in peace. Instead we should practice being cheerful and seek happiness. The
emotional appeal to this entire poem is that we are not alone in our struggles and that realizing
we all serve a purpose in life can attain peace. There is a reason that we are who we are and
everything that happens happened for a reason.
The last of the artistic proofs, logos, completes Aristotle's three artistic proofs. When the
word logos is used we are referring to what is known as intellectual content. How well informed
is your speaker on the matter at hand and how well does his intelligence reflect his message.
Does their logic support their claim? The best way to think about logos is how well the speaker,
or writer, use their intellect to reflect the nature of their invented argument. Now that we are
finishing up with our final artistic proof, the bigger question is how is logos reflected from this
poem?
Finding logos in this text was by far the most challenging. Being that this is a very
spiritual text, finding logic creates a tough proposal but nonetheless, still possible. "Exercise
caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what
virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be
yourself." The best logic presented in this specific passage lies with the world is full of trickery.
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Ehrmann strikes a key sense of logic by explaining the hardships of bushiness. This demonstrates
a keen sense of intellect and strongly reflects the nature of the business world, unreliable, unfair,
and at times uneasy.
The Five Canons of Rhetoric
Invention
In order to understand invention I will use the definitions from BYUs online rhetoric
page (Silva Rhetoricae). Invention is the first of five canons and represents finding what to say.
How well did Ehrmann brainstorm for his material? When finding the ideal orator and in this
case someone who represents good invention, Marcus Cato (Patricia P. Matsen, Philip Rollinson,
Marion Sausa) would agree that Ehrmann's intentions are good and thus is a skilled speaker (pg.
233). I would think if you have good intentions you can therefor count on having good invention.
The entire text is very well thought out and creative with great moral value behind it. Ehrmann
thus achieves a solid foundation by establishing good invention.
Arrangement
When we are dealing with the arrangement of this text what is being looked for is the
order of the writing. Does Ehrmann follow the standard procedure of an introduction followed by
statements of facts, division, proof refutation, and lastly conclusion? Ehrmann does a great job
introducing his poem. "Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there
may be in silence. Slowing down in life and finding that peace that so many have a hard time
reaching prepares the text for the remanding arrangements. Thus we continue on to his
effectiveness in his conclusion, "with all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a
beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy." Ehrmann starts off by stating the problem,
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trying to find peace and then concludes with maintaing a healthy attitude. In other words, here is
the problem and lastly how to apply his ideas throughout the text in your personal life.
Style
When any text is being produced or evaluated the key question involved is how are the
ideas embodied in the language and customized to communicate to the audiences interests.
Ehrmann's style in his text is highly personal and reflects a deeper look into the meaning of how
to live ones life. The way in which Ehrmann’s uses his style of language is yet another
immensely enticing structure. "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the
stars; you have a right to be here." His ability to use his style and make it sound as natural as
possible is the key to his effective language. You have the innocents of a child compared to the
simplicity and beauty of nature. It is soothing the way he relates life to such a basic structure
such as nature. It makes life sound more enjoyable because of its magnificent beauty along with
the simplicity it takes to notice how blessed we are to be apart of it.
Memory
As basic as memory can be explained it still has a complex nature. Other than the ability
to store large amounts of information we must also look at a much larger asset to memory when
delivering a speech or writing. How well can the audience depict the message? Towards the
middle of the year we spent time creating an emphasis, which is translated into description and
according to Matsen, Rollinson, and Sousa (1990) is a descriptive composition bringing things
set forth distinctly to view (pg. 281). When applying the five cannons and the effeteness of using
memory, it is a powerful tool if you can create strong imagery in your audience. One of the other
main reasons why I chose this piece was due to Ehrmann's use of creative and tactical emphasis.
"Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial
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as the grass." This is a great example of creating a descriptive expression that will thus be much
more effective in aiding your audiences memory and creates your impact.
Delivery
Delivery is the final component to Aristotle's five cannons of rhetoric. When we think of
delivery the key to success is creating a message that strongly upholds the use of ethos, pathos,
and logos. The best way to further describe delivery is through the application of a
progymnasmata and according to Matsen, Rollinson, and Sousa (1990) is a general practice of
moderate matters towards strengthening greater ones (pg. 265). There are many different types of
progymnasmata that may be used, fourteen total. In Ehrmann's Desiderata the closest description
would probably be thesis. The entire text is spent reaching the thesis that life should be lived
according to patients, love, and joy, and that must not forget that we all have a purpose in this
world.
Conclusion
Now that we understand more about the two selected rhetorical theories, Aristotle's
artistic proofs and the five cannons of rhetoric, we can better understand how Ehrmann's
Desiderata is such an effective contemporary rhetorical text. He demonstrates a strong case of
ethos by providing a text that is soul purpose is to help benefit the lives of those around us and is
done so according to his effective progymnasmata. This encourages joyfulness and peace to the
reader. It was also demonstrated that this text represents the fourth canon of memory effectively
by supplying a powerful emphasis and increasing the audience’s function of memory. Along side
the many other efficient uses of rhetorical theories, Ehrmann demonstrates why his Desiderata of
Happiness is still till this day widely known and greatly appreciated. This also explains why
other writers see the potential in his writing structure and have chosen to write further
Running Head: THE DESIDARTA OF HAPPINNES
inspirational texts based upon his profound influence demonstrated in this particular piece of
literature. This Rhetorical Analysis confirms not only Ehrmann's success in creating lasting art
but also the success that comes from effectively using rhetorical theories such as Aristotle's
artistic proofs as well as his five cannons.
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