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English Literature / Unit 6   ENL 0507 short lesson, about 20 seconds

"The Means to Attain Happy Life"

Captions available

The idea

The exam's sample questions print this Surrey poem whole. It lists what makes a happy life: "the quiet mind," "the equal friend," "the mean diet, no dainty fare." "Mean" here means basic, and the theme, the board's key says, is that happiness comes from simple living.

In practice

A list of plain goods.

Where people slip

"Mean" means modest, not cruel.

Your place on the trail

Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.

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