How does odyssey sense of curiosity affect the progress of the plot in the odyssey

Which two sentences in this excerpt from theodore dreiser my brother paul are examples of characterization that suggest paul is a superstitious person?

Laugh and be merry, remember, better the world with a song,    better the world with a blow in the teeth of a wrong.    laugh, for the time is brief, a thread the length of a span.    laugh and be proud to belong to the old proud pageant of man. (laugh and be merry/john masefield/public domain) which of these is the main idea of the poem?

According to the author, where can we find the answer to our nation’s “most pressing problem”? does that seem logical?