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Hamilton Salsich
Mr. Salsich
English 9
16 October 2008
The Good Side of Idleness:
An Appreciation of “An Apology for Idlers” by William Stevenson
1) Finally I found a writer who justifies idleness 2. William Stevenson not only justifies it, he praises it. 3. According to Stevenson, idleness is an absolute necessity if we are going to live a healthful and dignified life. 4. Using vibrant imagery and graceful sentences structures, he raises idleness from the pit of disrepute to the high level of a distinguished virtue.
1st Body Paragraph
TS The essay is structured somewhat like a tower. SD In the beginning, the author offers a solid definition of idleness, which will serve as a sort of foundation for the entire essay. CM He describes idleness as “the willingness to enjoy exactly what’s happening right now.” CM Idleness, Stevenson says, is not a complicated virtue, but simply the ability to live in the present instead of the future or the past. SD In the second half of the essay, he describes the pleasures that he has gained from his devotion to, as he calls it, “creative laziness.” CM He takes us on a tour of his own daily habits, including expeditions to the river for a day of indolent fishing and “tranquil afternoons beneath an apple tree with a fine book in [his] hands.” CM Stevenson fondly dotes on the many hours he’s spent doing “absolutely nothing that’s helpfulk or productive”, praising the fact that idleness offers him, day after day, the opportunity to grow as a full human being. CS He ends the essay the way all essays should end, with a bang: He tells us that “being indolent is a far greater accomplishment than being successful.”
2nd body paragraph
TS In order to get his point across, Mr. Stevenson uses a variety of graceful and strong sentence structures. SD One of his favorites is the appositive in a loose sentence, as in: “It was a gorgeous day, a day of lounging in the grass, skimming stones on the river’s surface, and strolling as slowly as a free-and-easy cow.” CM His many loose sentences seem to add to the feeling of idleness in the essay. CM using sentences that string phrases out at the end, he amplifies the sense of long, endless, and lazy days. SD Stevenson also uses purposeful repetition to build up power in his sentences. CM In one forceful sentence he writes, “There is no reason, no logic, no sense, no sanity in spending your days doing endless chores.” CM Reading a potent sentence like that can’t help but draw the reader into some kind of agreement with the author’s point. CS Stevenson praises idleness, but his beautiful sentences could move a reader’s thoughts to be anything but idle.
Concluding paragraph
1) I enjoy being idle, and I enjoy reading essays that make idleness seem like exactly the right way to live. 2) I felt like I should have read James Stevenson’s essay under and apple tree on a lazy summer day, or in a canoe as I drifted down a lethargic river. 3) As soon as I finish this essay, I’m going to do absolutely nothing for a few hours. 4) Stevenson says it’s exactly what a good doctor would order.
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