An Analysis of On Laziness In the essay “On Laziness”, the author Christopher Morley points out lazy helps avoid a lot of problems. Morley’s aimed at laziness appeals to nous and temperament in several by giving out explanations and personal thoughts Morley appeals to his audience by linguistic .He indicated that indolence is something that everyone should think about and practiceMorley assumed the analogy of rhetoric to begin his persuasive essay .He assert that he appreciated laziness and he regarded it as a benign factor in human affairs..
Take a example, Through quoting the words of O. Henry, “One should be careful to distinguish laziness from dignified repose.Morley further establishes ethos, He connected his own notion in a shared persuasion with the famous and talented writer. His object was to speak of sorrow in the most desirable objects of society, the edification, the happiness, the relaxation, which any human soul capable of guaranteeing these qualities could attain.Morey’s narrative is smart and friendly, like a wise mentor spreading his wisdom for the benefit of his students. Morley’s use of precise vocabulary in his essays and different rhetorical devices in his speeches convinced the audience that his subjects were as clear and intelligent as his language.In addition, Murray also used the rhetorical skills of imagery to clearly point out that laziness can bring good results and should be praised and ennobled.
For example, “the bustling man… who is asked to solve the problems of other people and neglect his own.” “People respect laziness.” .
These quotes bear this out well .He consider that people who respect others are independent, but independent people it can make a big voice, the most important is to listen to people’s voice. If you can do that you will find what you think you want.It dispels the traditional vague purpose of boredom and shows the audience how laziness can ease the stress and annoyance of life by simply expanding what we naturally experience and desire. Laziness is such an attractive way to go that it becomes attractive without any action. “Learned laziness” may sound counterintuitive to the way we think about it, but Molly defines it as a determined lifestyle in which laziness is not a lack of strength or determination, but a deliberate choice.
Last but not least, moley adds credibility to his argument by comparing historical evidence and at the same time paints a picture of laziness as a good thing to support. For example, he mentioned a war launched by Germany. He believed that “if germans were as lazy, indifferent and natural as their neighbors, the world would survive.
” He believed that the germans went to war because they were hard-working and that this affected the chaos of the whole world. Morley clearly showed the audience the positive impact of laziness, pointing out that laziness can avoid many unnecessary problems. He made full use of the historical event that Germany launched the war to enhance the credibility of the article. He thinks that the audience benefits from laziness, which history can attest to, and he goes on to give the example of “Dr. Johnson, who was one of the greatest philosophers of all time, who was lazy, but laziness didn’t stop him from succeeding, which is a very good example of what Murray was saying.
In conclusion, Christopher Morley’s article on laziness first USES rhetorical analogies to begin his persuasive article by appreciating laziness and recognizing that it is a benign factor in human affairs. Morley then USES imagery rhetoric to articulate the benefits of laziness, and finally makes the important point of comparing historical events and juxtaposition of two examples to make his argument more plausible. He portrays laziness as a good thing to get support for and gives vivid examples that make his essay more convincing.
