Question #1: "Old Leisure" George E. Essay

            Leisure defies against the growth of technology as it continues to partake in society. George Eliot dominates the field in defense of what she calls “old leisure”. Her view on the term “old leisure” is that of a simpler time way back from when she was living in the mid eighteen hundreds. It all boils down to everyone wanting to continue to create more efficient ways to make things easier while the author complains about the times losing its leisure.

            The way George Eliot conveys her message on leisure is through personification during her long descripted rant on how the term “Old Leisure” is properly interpreted. There is literally a WALL between her portrayal of leisure and ours today. She also seems very biased when it came to expressing the positive effects of leisure instead of explaining in detail why having growth in society is such an undesirable thing to have. She hardly gave room for any argument and was straight to the point with the subject at hand. Her descripted ways was very much detailed and gave the reader a sense of having that leisure of scenting the apricots and lying under fruit trees with the caress of nature across your skin. With that, she is able to convince the reader that relaxation is a healthy way to live. Now, this may not be the case for everyone for even most know how ridiculous that sounds.

            Eliot's leisure customs back in her time has intensified a thousand percent in modern day society. Leisure to most is taking a coffee break at a Starbucks to and from work. It just doesn’t have the same meaning as it did back in her time period, and even then was the term leisure deteriorating. The cultural view on the topic has completely morphed into that of just being “what one does at a retirement home”. Though society back then might have been sitting under apple trees and snoozing away any discomfort, towns will burgeon into cities with more technology and more devices to use to pass the time. Eliot merely is clinging onto false hope with her arguments.

            All in all, Eliot’s portrayal on “Old Leisure” is clarified through her use of personification, descriptive diction, and biased characterization by stating her opinion strongly on the subject. Many may not agree to her arguments, but having an understanding of her past and the time period she was in underlines the true meaning of what leisure was like back then. 

Here is my first essay out of two. I'll be working on the next one soon enough once I am caught up with my other homework.