1987 AP exam Free response 1

            When it comes to modern “conveniences”, people often have mixed emotions on their usefulness. A vast majority of people see them for what they help people to do. There are however a select few, who see modern “conveniences” as an obstruction from “living life.” Amongst these few is George Eliot, who notes in her piece that modern advances in terms of technology have impeded on what she views as leisure. Through various stylistic devices Eliot shows her longing for “old leisure,” giving a feeling of distaste towards the pace of life she is forced to live in.

            Eliot demonstrates such a fondness for the “old leisure” that she uses the majority of her piece describing it. “Old leisure” is something hardly anybody has time for today; true relaxation. Eliot describes a care free man, with no worries or responsibilities. Leisure was doing what you want to do, relaxing under a tree or reading a newspaper. She describes leisure as what people today do only when they take a relaxing vacation, not every day in their spare time. Leisure is detaching oneself from the world to get the largest sense of human self fulfilment. She notes that without all the advances of her time people could truly be worry free, no pondering of the universe or reading the latest philosophy, just relaxation. Getting from place to place was slow with horse and buggy. This slow paced life is what Eliot feels has been lost. She sees it as lost to the modern industrial era of her time. She sees that technological advances designed to make people’s lives easier has just made people eager and impatient, and that life its self has been thrust into overdrive with an unnecessarily fast pace. It is because of this fast pace that Eliot misses the old. She sees the technological progress as doing nothing but making people eager for things they managed to live without for thousands of years. She feels it removed people’s ability to detach themselves and truly have leisure time.

            To show her longing for the old and distaste for the new leisure, Eliot uses a variety of stylistic devices to bring across her point. A large portion of the piece is an anecdote, telling of a man who had the pleasure of enjoying “old leisure.” It is through this anecdote that Eliot establishes a reminiscent tone. Throughout the piece Eliot states many unconnected details to give examples of the activities of those who practiced old and new leisure, going into great depth on “old leisure,” only looking at “new leisure” with an uninterested distaste.

            George Eliot demonstrates her distaste for modern life in her piece by longingly reflecting on “old leisure.” Eliot feels that modern technology has done nothing but make life to fast paced and make people to eager for material things disabling them from detaching themselves in order to truly experience leisure. Through a variety of stylistic devices including a reminiscent tone Eliot demonstrates her distaste for modern life by reminiscing on “old leisure.”