Peach Blossom Spring

            The general argument made by T’ao Ch’ien in his work “The Peach Blossom Spring” is that nature is the element missing in people’s lives that will make them truly happy. More specifically, Ch’ien suggests that with embracing nature comes pure happiness rather that the artificial happiness this is encountered with money or possessions. He writes, “The wild flowers growing under them were fresh and lovely, and fallen petals covered the ground—it made a great impression on the fisherman.” (pg. 444) Ch’ien later describes the happy and prosperous lives of the villagers without wealth or power. In his passage Ch’ien suggests that nature is the true source of happiness. In Conclusion, it is Ch’ien’s belief that nature is the only element in life that provides true and pure happiness.

In my view, Ch’ien is wrong because nature for some people is not a source of happiness. For example there is a poem that I read in my English class that was about a man who didn’t like nature and enjoyed literature much more. Although Ch’ien might object that he is not truly happy, I maintain that everyone has different paths to happiness and not everyone should be happy in nature. Therefore, I conclude that nature is great for some people but for others they hate to be in it and would much rather spend time inside.