Summary

JBS Haldane, a British-Indian scientist, penned the personal essay "What I Need From Life." This essay was first published in the journal "The Daily Worker" in 1940. This article has covered a wide range of political and philosophical perspectives on the demands of people's life. It has mostly concentrated on socialistic beliefs that necessitate democratic workplace activities. This article has examined the many demands of working-class individuals who live in a variety of situations while striving to make ends meet.

The writer has used extremely plain and obvious language in his writing style to express his wants and life experiences in this essay. His life requirements are identical to the bulk of the world's working-class citizens. The author starts with his thoughts on his acceptance of the world as it is. He feels that in his life, he should not expect the unattainable. He claims that visualizing ideal humans in a perfect world will force him to harm others more than help them. According to the author, he was born during a time of tranquility. Throughout his childhood, he wished to live a quiet existence, but the advent of terrible World War I in 1914 put him into a heroic age without his consent.

The carnage of World War I changed his perspective on peaceful existence. He wanted to make the most of his time in that dangerous position by responding to his fundamental necessities such as food, drink, clothes, and shelter. In this article, the author has outlined four general human wants that are very significant. The writer and others require four general needs: freedom, health, job, and companionship.

His second necessity is freedom. He wants more freedom of expression since the legislation prevents him from speaking frequently. As a socialist, he must speak more than others, urge equality, and critique the shortcomings of the current state. The writer must be able to operate alone. Everyone requires liberty. The writer places the greatest emphasis on freedom of expression. He desires to speak and write on several harmful features, but the law of libel prevents him from doing so.

The third need is health, because he feels that a healthy citizen can make a significant difference in society. Therefore he wants to be healthy enough to work, which is only feasible if everyone's food, housing, and medical needs are met. The writer must be in excellent health in order to work in his life. Those who are in good health can attain all of life's requirements. Happiness and achievement in life are brought about by good health.

The writer need job that pays well, which is necessary for everyone. He feels himself lucky to have had a significant degree of freedom in choosing his chosen career. Apart from his scientific profession, he thinks that he could easily be a war journalist, write children's novels, or make political speeches.

That is Haldane's first demand. He wants every healthy person in the world to work for a respectable pay. In times of downturn, capitalism gives jobs. In this case, he represents the time frame of war when there are economic issues and people need job and money. Similarly, he wants employees to manage industries so that they may see the results of their labor rather than profit for others.

The writer then needs his coworkers' and comrades' friendship. He prefers equality in society and the freedom to criticize. His friendship must be devoid of the idea of blindly obeying and ordering. Friendship should be made with persons of comparable status. Apart from these essential requirements, the writer has other desires in his life. He yearns for adventure in his life, even if it means taking risks. He believes that the satisfaction of adventure is significantly greater than that of a thrill. He want his own room, a car, a daily bath, and easy access to a beach or a river. He desires all of these things but makes no demands for them.

The writer feels himself lucky to be able to satisfy his fundamental wants, yet his joys become ineffectual if his companions do not find delight in these necessities. He want to see healthy people working on Earth. Every employees must select fruits that are fit for their skills. They should work hard for their personal benefit as well as the welfare of their friends, not for the benefit of others. The author wants workers to be able to regulate their working circumstances. As a socialist, he desires to see workers play crucial roles and control the industry.

The writer considers himself fortunate to be able to meet his basic needs, yet his joys are rendered ineffective if his companions do not find pleasure in these necessities. He wishes to see healthy individuals working on the planet. Every employee must choose fruits that are appropriate for their abilities. People should work hard for their own gain and the wellbeing of their friends, rather than for the benefit of others. The author wishes for workers to be allowed to control their working conditions. As a socialist, he wants employees to play important roles and control the industry.

Other necessities and aspirations, according to him, is adventure but without the risk. He believes that public people like him should not risk life because if people like him die, it will be great setback for the society. Peace and security are also among his criteria, which are lacking in today's world. World War II annihilated peace, harmony, and security. Hitler and Mussolini's fascism destroyed everything. Without peace and security, there can be no brotherhood, equality, or growth. Thus, by giving all of these needs, he finally intends to die as Socrates. Socrates dies at the age of 70 as a result of his convictions. He eagerly drank the poisoned cup and died cheerfully.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

a. How is it distinguished between peaceful age and heroic age by the writer?

The writer differentiates by talking about the years when he was born which was before the commencement of First World War in 1914. He claims that it was a peaceful age before that year while after that it turned suddenly into heroic age because everyone was concerned about showing heroism in the name of patriotism and nationalism.

b. Why does the writer require more freedom of speech than other people?

He is a writer and his most important job is to say the truth about the society and teach and inform people about what exactly happens in the society which could be against the regime. Therefore, he needs more freedom of speech.

c. What are the four needs of human as per the writer?

Jobs, freedom of speech, health and friendship are the most essential human needs which he believes that every human should have.

d. How the write distinguish desire and demand?

As per the writer, demands are those needs of people that everybody should have such as work, health, friendship and freedom of speech. However, desires are those nonessential needs of people such as the luxury that people wish such as pool, beaches, gardens and cars.

e. Writer demands security, why?

He lived through the atrocities of war. He saw many crimes, death, medical emergencies, and robbery at that time. Therefore, he believes that government should ensure security for its people and demands it.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

Explain the following lines with reference to the context:

a. “The satisfaction of adventure is something much more solid than a thrill.”

He says this because he believes that a shot term joy received from an adventure is not satisfying if it does not bring about change for the society and individually. The writer also likes to do adventure and he wants those adventures to yield the fruit of greater good. He gives an example of reading Rimbaud’s poetry. He received more satisfaction of by reading the poetry than participating in war. He also says that he gets more joy in doing experiments than risking his life by mountaineering or motor racing and also believes that people like him should not risk his life. Therefore, he thinks that when the end result of doing an adventure has some benefit for the society the satisfaction gained from such is more than by participating in risky sports.

b. “I want the workers to see the fruit of their own work not in profits for others, but in their own and their friends’ well-being.”

The writer is a socialist. He wants the working class to enjoy the fruit of their hard work. He believes that laborers are the people who earn profits for the company and without them a company cannot function. Therefore, he wants the workers to earn more, get better facilities than being a receiver of negligible part of profit that company earns. He believes that they should have share in the company and be treated as the owners.

c. Why do you think the essayist has taken reference from the ancient philosophers?

He takes the reference from the ancient philosophers in order to validate his claims and wants to prove that his thinking is in line of great philosophers. He uses this reference to convince the readers.

d. Discuss the essay in terms of its language, purpose, subject, point of view and mode of writing.

The language of the essay is simple and easy to understand although he uses certain sentences that are philosophical and vast. The subject of the essay is clear owing to his ideology of socialism that every human being is created equal and there should be the end of inequality that is prevalent in the society. He presents a clear point of view as a social critic and put forward the discrepancies of the world as examples. Finally he mixes descriptive, argumentative and persuasive mode of writing.

REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT

a. What do you require from your life to be happy and satisfied?

Just like JBS Haldane, I also require job, security, good health, freedom, friends, wealth, and peace of mind and in society to be happy and satisfied.

b. What is socialism? How is it different from capitalism?

The primary distinction between socialism and capitalism is the system of ownership. Private people or firms own the production resources in capitalism: land, factories, money, capital, and so on, but in socialism, these resources are collectively held by society as a whole and distributed either equally or according to necessity. Capitalism allows people to make their own decisions and stimulates entrepreneurial innovation; nevertheless, it also exacerbates inequality and can lead to exploitation. Socialism, on the other hand, aims to minimize wealth disparity by distributing the results of labor evenly across society, independent of individual entrepreneurial efforts or talent. Nonetheless, each system has its own set of pros and downsides.

c. Write an essay about your dream house.

My Dream House

As I think about what I want to accomplish in life, visions of my ideal house frequently enter my mind. Growing up, I never had an actual home, so owning a fantasy house has always given me hope and inspiration. A two-story cottage with hardwood flooring, a huge veranda facing a lake, and a tall brick fireplace would be my ideal home.

The primary living and entertainment section of my dream home would be located downstairs. In the middle of the house would be a huge kitchen with sparkling granite worktops and stainless steel appliances. A comfortable nook on one side of the kitchen would be ideal for unwinding after a hard day at work. A bank of floor-to-ceiling windows would flood the area with natural light, brightening up the living space.

The house's exterior would be enclosed by a towering picket fence that wrapped around the whole structure. A large cobblestone driveway would lead up to the enormous veranda. I'd be able to gaze out over the lake and appreciate the natural beauty of the region from the covered porch. I would have enough of seats on the veranda to accommodate all of my friends and family.

There would be four spacious bedrooms upstairs, each with its own balcony. The master suite would include a luxury en-suite bathroom that included a spacious walk-in shower and a deep soaking tub for relaxation. There would be enough closet space for all of my clothing, shoes, and jewelry.

My dream home is a location where I can exchange memories and create new ones. I see dazzling lights lighting the area for Tihar, meeting with friends and family for backyard barbecues, and resting on the veranda with a mug of hot cocoa on a chilly winter night. A dream house is more than simply a physical structure; it is a haven of shelter, joy, and security that I want to have one day.