Free Time Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Free time is a privilege of those wealthy enough not to work. The author of this passage berates people who do diligently work for their lot in life. They devote their time to spoiling nature, not for scientific advancement, but for pure entertainment. The author uses denunciatory diction to create a sardonic one that accentuates his abhorrence of the people he describes. The author mocks the curiosity of those he describes with sarcastic, jeering words. he attacks their waste of free time. He describes their spoiling of a flower mocks their curiosity. He writes, “ Is its colour any prettier, or its scent any sweeter?” in lines twenty-five and twenty-six. The author comments that there is no educational value in dissecting a flower. He believes that knowing what the flower is made of will not enhance anyone’s appreciation for its natural appeal. He contends that idleness is the true evil as he says that he sees them occupied for hours …show more content…
The author describes “nasty science” in line thirty and “spoiling canvas with paints” in line thirty-five. One might believe that his real problem is with the pursuit of of science or art. However, his real problem is with the idleness that results in such pursuit for no real purpose other than to kill time. The author writes, “In one case and in the other, the secret of it is, that you have got nothing to think of in your poor empty head, and nothing to do with your poor idle hands.” in lines thirty-one through thirty-four. The author’s pervasive, sardonic tone accentuates his rancor over idleness. He is not against the arts and science, rather, he is against the people who pursue them. He believes that those who entertain themselves with art and science do not do so because they are truly dedicated to the advancements of those fields, but just to fill time, and he does so in the most cynical, vindictive way he