1987 AP English Exam: Essay Question 1

1987 AP English Exam:
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Every year that goes by seems faster and more efficient, with even menial tasks being carried out with mechanical precision.  According to George Eliot, this efficiency is the death of leisure.  By comparing society of her time with what she calls "old Leisure", she attempts to articulate her reasons for thinking that innovation is not necessarily to be sought.  On one hand, she presents an idyllic time of life before the rush of modernity, on the other is a stark appraisal of the world around her.

Eliot relies primarily on sentimentality and nostalgia to drive her vision of "old Leisure".  Her passing mentions of sunny afternoons and living in the country are carefully placed to evoke a feeling of longing in the reader.  She seeks to convince the audience that times have changed for the worse, and to do that she requires sympathy.  Even if the readers have no first-hand experience with the scene she describes, everybody is aware of the stereotypical quiet cottage existence.  In fact, ignorance on her readers' part may serve to create a more convincing argument.  After all, somebody who has never actually lived in this "old Leisure" time will have to take Eliot's word that it is truly as wonderful as it sounds.  In a time before innovation, life would most likely be harder, and Eliot cannot say with any certainty whether the simplicity of "old Leisure" outweighs the convenience of "post-time".  However, by presenting only the best aspects of a simple life, she can artificially  create nostalgia.  Naturally, in a side by side comparison of the readers' time to one before, the faults in modern life will be focused on, while potential difficulties of past society tend to be glossed over.

The salesman approach Eliot takes when describing "old Leisure" is only one element of her persuasive argument.  The other is to expose all the worst aspects and contradictions of modern life ("post-time").  She begins by pointing out the undeniable fact that the pace of living has increased.  It is, apparently, human nature to keep busy.  Having more efficient technology like the steam-engine frees up more time, but that free time is generally used to be busy at something else.  Only when there is nothing left to do can leisure take place, such as in Eliot's model of "old Leisure".  However, this is not the limit of her argument.  More subtle wording is used to communicate her views on modern leisure.  From the first three words, "Leisure is gone," she attempts to establish a feeling of loss.  Other words such as "vacuum", "rush", and "scientific theorising" are specifically chosen because they are steely, cold words that contrast heavily with the warm and welcoming description of "old Leisure".

Eliot's argument in favor of a pleasantly lazy existence can be broken down into two parts.  First she characterizes the past as a tranquil oasis, safe from the relentlessness of modern life.  Then, she focuses on the ironically counterproductive nature of efficiency.  By comparing the absurdity of "post-time" with the appealing ease of "old Leisure", she garners support in favor of simple living.