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sSubject/Class Paper was submitted for  [AP English lit and comp]
SSubject/Topic of paper (Please Be As Descriptive As Possible)   
a[AP English Section II Question 1 essay: Re: Leisure           ]3 Letter
YYear of exam: 1987                                            Abbrev.
 [                                                              ]for
S       Grade Level (For High School Students):      9 [ ] 11 [ ]Major
u                                                   10 [ ] 12 [X]Education
B                                       (for Ont., Canada) 13 [ ]Areas,
m       Year (For University/College Students)       1 [ ]  3 [ ]MARK one:
I                                                    2 [ ]  4 [ ]
s                                                           5 [ ]English
SSchool/University/College/Institution [St. Joseph's Collegiate ][ENG] [X]
iCity & State (Province) of Inst.      [Buffalo, NY             ]History
OName of Teacher/Prof. submitted to    [Mr. Zabawa              ][HST] [ ]
nGrade Received (If Received Yet)                           [100]Science
 Date Paper was submitted (mm/dd/yy)   [        12/11/92        ][SCI] [ ]
FName of Author (Real or Alias)        [The Saint               ]Health &
oHigh School Avg./College GPA of Author                 [95.6   ]Sports
RIf used, Textbook/Novel/Classic Translator/Editor and Version/  [HTH] [ ]
m Edition Info [                                                ] -
 Additional Comments [                                          ]The
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Paper 5: Leisure                            Due date: 12/7/92

     George Eliot, in her thoughts on leisure, views the

leisure of her day as a thing of little value, corrupted by

the influences of science, religion, and philosophy. She

seems to view "old Leisure" nostalgically, admiring its

innocence and simplicity. Her view of leisure is presented

using stylistic devices such as diction, choice of detail and

organization of thoughts.

     The diction in the passage is quite pleasant in

describing "old Leisure" as Eliot sees it, and is quite

biting in describing the leisure of her own time. For

example, Eliot says, "Ingenious philosophers tell you,

perhaps, that the great work of the steam-engine is to create

leisure for mankind." The use of the word 'ingenious' here

has a negative effect on the reader's view of philosophers

because Eliot soon goes on to order the reader not to believe

these "ingenious philosophers." The word 'ingenious' is thus

used to raise skepticism of the worth of these people.

Another example is that of the words 'prone even' when Eliot

says that "Even idleness is eager now- eager for amusement...

prone even to scientific theorising." The use of the words

'prone even' suggests Eliot's view that "scientific

theorising" is a wasteful thing to occupy idleness with since

the word 'prone' connotes a negative habit and the word






'even' connotes her skepticism of "scientific theorising" as

an activity for leisure-time.  One example of words which

reflect Eliot's pleasant view of "old Leisure" are 'rather

stout' used in describing the persona of "old Leisure." The

word 'stout,' even though in meaning it describes a bulky

figure, has quite pleasant connotations which reflect Eliot's

view. The word 'rather' attached to this has the effect of

expressing Eliot's fondness for this stoutness and combined,

the words have the effect of giving a pleasant taste to the

persona of "old Leisure." Other combinations of words with

such pleasant connotations that are used are 'excellent

digestion' and 'quiet perceptions.' Another significant word

in the passage is the word 'sauntering,' used when Eliot says

"('old Leisure') was fond of sauntering." The word 'saunter'

means to stroll or walk in a leisurely manner. When Eliot

uses the word to describe the activity of "old Leisure" the

effect is pleasant because the image of strolling and

leisurely walking in one's idle time are pleasant images.

Through the use of such diction the reader realizes Eliot's

views on the leisure of her time and "old Leisure."

     The detail Eliot uses in the passage is selectively

attached to the concept of "old Leisure" to express her

admiration for it. For instance, in the first sentence Eliot

mentions several things of the past, namely the "spinning-







wheel," "pack-horses," "slow waggons," and "pedlars" who did

their business on "sunny afternoons." All the things named

are things of the past which are often admired in nostalgia

and, although they have been replaced by more efficient

things, are still admired by Eliot as things with some

intangible and sentimental value. It is notable that Eliot
mentions these things as "gone" when she says that "Leisure

is gone" and thus places leisure in the category of those

valuable things lost to the past. It is also notable that

Eliot says, that "Leisure" itself is "gone" and not just "old

Leisure," it seems that she is saying that the leisure of her

time is not real leisure but a second-rate replacement,

although more efficient and intellectual it is not valuable.

Two details which add pleasantness and warmth to the persona

of "old Leisure" are incorporated when "old Leisure" is said

to have sheltered "himself under the orchard boughs at noon,

when the summer pears were falling." The overall image is no

doubt pleasant but the details of the time, i.e. "at noon"

and the details of the type of pears, i.e. "summer pears" are

quite effective in establishing the warmth of the image

because both attribute qualities of warmth to the time as

well as to the fruit involved. Also, in the statement where

Eliot says that "old Leisure" was "undiseased by hypothesis:

happy in his inability to know the causes of things,

preferring the things themselves,"  Eliot takes a jab at






science by saying that the admirable "old Leisure" was

"undiseased by hypothesis" and didn't care to know the inner

workings of things. She also successfully establishes "old

Leisure" as a simple and innocent character, simple because

he preferred to know only about the things not why or how

they worked, and innocent because a person "undiseased" by

scientific intelligence is ignorant and thus innocent in a

way. Eliot uses these types of details to establish the

activities of "old Leisure" as sunny, simple, and innocent.

     The organization of the passage is also extremely

influential on the image that Eliot portrays of "old

Leisure." At the beginning of the passage she begins with an

almost emotional statement that "Leisure is gone" and lost to

the past with all those other things of sentimental value,

thus the central theme of the passage as well as Eliot's

viewpoint are clearly established. Next she launches an

attack on the schools of science, religion and philosophy by

ordering the reader not to believe them and thus attempts to

discredit modern thought as an activity worthy of leisure-

time. The transition from this attack to the nostalgic and

admiring view of "old Leisure" begins at the sentence where

Eliot starts "Old Leisure was quite a different personage..."

This is also the point where an individual attack on science

begins, not a very strong attack but an attack consisting of







slight jabs such as "old Leisure" was "undiseased by

hypothesis." A slight attack on religious thought begins when

Eliot says that the admirable "old Leisure" "knew nothing of

weekday services..." and Eliot emphasizes the easy and

innocently simple conscience of "old Leisure." The final

paragraph begins with, "Fine old Leisure!" a statement which

can be understood as a cry of something valuable lost. This

statement represents Eliot's overall feelings of regret over

the sentimental loss of "old Leisure." Overall, the

organization of the passage is effective in presenting "old

Leisure" as an admirable and worthy concept, something of a

higher order than the modern thought concepts of science,

religion and philosophy which Eliot feels fill the leisure of

her time. This is done by starting and ending with strong

statements and establishing the qualities of "old Leisure" as

superior in comparison to the qualities of modern leisure, in

the main body of the passage.

     In conclusion, it should be said that Eliot views "old

Leisure" as a thing of high worth because of its innocence,

simplicity, and generally admirable qualities and she views

the leisure of her time as something of little value, too

much corrupted by the influences of modern thought. Her views

are effectively presented to the reader using the stylistic

devices of diction, detail, and organization.
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