Old Leisure - Literary Devices :: essays research papers

History has seen advancements in technology, philosophy, and application, all of which radically changed the lives of those witnessing such developments. Slower, more relaxed life storystyles have given way to lifestyles of a closeer paced nature. George Eliot describes her preference for the leisure of the past, conveying the message that the rushed leisure of her time is barely leisure at all. She accomplishes this by using several stylistic devices, including mortalification, imagery, and diction.The almost obvious stylistic device used by Eliot is that of personification. She uses this device to pee-pee two people from her thoughts on old and new leisure. The fist person is sunrise(prenominal) unemployed, who we can infer to be p trick of the growth of industry in the 19th century. He is eager and interested in science, politics, and philosophy. He reads exciting novels and leads a hurried life, attempting to do many things at once. much(prenominal) characteristics help us to create an image of New untenanted as Eliot sees him. Old Leisure is quite contrasting to New Leisure. Being a stout country squire of the 18th century, he is laid back, round-eyed minded, well fed, and financially well off. He reads but one theme and favors Sunday services that "allow him to quiescence." "He never went to Exeter Hall, or comprehend a popular preacher, or read Tracts for the Times or seamster Resartus." He is not bothered by his "inability to know the causes of things" and sleeps "the sleep of the irresponsible." Eliot describes Old Leisure more than New Leisure because todays readers are familiar enough with living a life as hurried and fast paced as New Leisures. Her description of Old Leisure is nostalgic of a slower paced way of life.While Eliot uses human characteristics and actions to describe Old and New Leisure, she also creates images of both personages to further depict their contrasting lifestyles. The image s of Old Leisure include him "scenting the apricots when they were warmed by the morning sunshine." They also depict portraits of life in Old Leisures era as "slow waggons," "spinning wheels," and "pedlars, who brought bargains to the introduction on a sunny afternoon." They also tell of how Old Leisure "fingered the guineas in his pocket" and was "fond of sauntering by the fruit-tree wall."New Leisure, on the other hand, does not live in a world where such images are present. He is ""prone to cursory peeps through microscopes" and is "prone to excursion- trains, art museums, periodical literature, and exciting novels.