Marriage is a Private Affair: Analysis Question

Please post a question that asks about inferences or asks to break down or explain why something occurs.

Marriage is a Private Affair: Evaluation Question

Ask an evaluation question that asks for a judgment about a character, a decision, a culture, etc.

Marriage is a Private Affair: Creation Question

Come up with a creation question that predicts what will happen after the story, thinks about how the story could have gone differently, or asks about something not shown in the story.

Debate: Doing Nothing is Something

Please comment with a short paragraph which contains a piece of factual support, an emotional appeal, and an appeal to ethics.

Debate: Doing Nothing is Nothing

Please comment with a short paragraph which contains a piece of factual support, an emotional appeal, and an appeal to ethics.

Doing Nothing is Something

"Perhaps it is not too late for American kids to be given the gift of enforced boredom for at least a week or two, staring into space, bored out of their gourds, exploring the inside of their own heads. 'To contemplate is to toil, to think is to do,' said Victor Hugo. 'Go outside and play,' said Prudence Quindlen. Both of them were right."

The article "Doing Nothing is Something" ends strongly with two quotes that describes to us completely what the author believes that we should do. After reading the article and contemplating all her arguments, we invariably realize that she is right about the busy schedules and the lack of family time. By ending with the quotes, she basically summarizes her points for the entire article and puts them in actions. Also, the sentence before the two quotes states what the author believes the kids should get instead of studying or going to some class for college or talent preparations. It is important to be just a kid every now and then, and after reading her article, you can clearly see why she believes this. In conclusion, she ends a persuasive essay well by giving two quotes summarizing what we should do, and therefore, giving the article a goal, which is to change our ways. 

Quotes from Doing Nothing is Something

"I don’t believe you can write poetry, or compose music, or become an actor without downtime, and plenty of it, a hiatus that passes for boredom but is really the quiet moving of the wheels inside that fuel creativity." I strongly agree with this quote. Unlike other families, my parents don't really strictly set standard for my grade and academic in school that much (well, as long as I pass the subject at the end of the semester). Conversely, they support what I like to do more than academic and schoolwork since they know that's what I am going to do and want to do in the future. My parents give me time to learn, play and write music, also buy and upgrade the instruments and musical device I am using just to help create a better environment for me to play music and accomplish my goal in future. I have a band in Taipei, and my band members are not that lucky. Their parents send them to cram school after school although daily school time is already 8 hours long, and different from junior high, homework and academic in local high school is way heavier than one in junior high, my band members won't really have time to play music and accomplish our common goal until they go to college in Taiwan. Therefore I strongly agree with this quote: the downtime is the time to develop and stimulate your creativity; the more you miss the more creativity you bury.

Quote from Doing Nothing is Something

"It is not simply that it is pathetic to consider the lives of children who don’t have a moment between piano and dance and homework to talk about their day or just search for split ends, an enormously satisfying leisure-time activity of my youth. There is also ample psychological research suggesting that what we might call “doing nothing” is when human beings actually do their best thinking, and when creativity comes to call."

I really like this part of the essay, because it's very clear and straight forward about her idea, and the best part is that it is exactly what a teenager might argue with their strict parents. There are many students that are just spending all their time on studying and practicing instruments that they don't actually have the time to think, dream, and love. Also, she supported her argument with a scientific sounding evidence, yet it is still very understandable, because most people would agree that one can think better in their lalaland than anywhere else.

Doing Nothing is Something

"Let me make a suggestion for the kids involved: how about nothing? It is not simply that it is pathetic to consider the lives of children who don’t have a moment between piano and dance and homework to talk about their day or just search for split ends, an enormously satisfying leisure-time activity of my youth."

Doing Nothing Is Something Quotation

I don't believe you can write poetry, or compose music, or become an actor without downtime, and plenty of it, a hiatus that passes for boredom but is really the quiet moving of the wheels inside that fuel creativity.

The quotation is suggesting us to give ourselves some free time for improving our imgination and creativity skills. I agree with this quotation, because overcrowded schedule can indeed demage your brain, hence your ability to think actually degrades.

Doing Nothing is Something Quotation

"It is not simply that it is pathetic to consider the lives of children who don’t have a moment between piano and dance and homework to talk about their day or just search for split ends, an enormously satisfying leisure-time activity of my youth."

This sentence by the author is telling people that it is pathetic not to have any free time. This is a strong judgment on the part of the author, and also may evoke strong reactions from readers. Also, the author subsequently relates to her own childhood, and how leisure time is satisfying. 

Doing Nothing is Something Quotation

     "There is also ample psychological research suggesting that what we might call "doing nothing" is when human beings actually do their best thinking, and when creativity comes to call. Perhaps we are crating an entire generation of people whose ability to think outside of the box as the current parlance of business has it, is being systematically stunted by scheduling.

     This quote is persuading our generation to think outside the box by "doing nothing", not by always "doing something". It is effective because it is backed up by a concrete detail of psychological research.

Doing Nothing is Something Quotation

"There is also ample psychological research suggesting that what we might call "doing nothing” is when human beings actually do their best thinking, and when creativity comes to call. "

Doing Nothing is Something

Quotation: There is also ample psychological research suggesting that what we might call “doing nothing” is when human beings actually do their best thinking, and when creativity comes to call. 

"Doing Nothing is Something" Quotes

 I don't believe you can write poetry, or compose music, or become an actor without downtime, and plenty of it, a hiatus that passes for boredom but is really the quiet moving of the wheels inside that fuel creativity.

Doing Nothing is Something Quote

"Stories about the resignation of presidential aide Karen Hughes unfailingly reported her dedication to family time by noting that she arranged to get home at 5:30 one night a week to have dinner with her son. If one weekday dinner out of five is considered laudable, what does that say about what's become commonplace?"(Doing Nothing is Something).

Doing Nothing is Something quote

"Downtime is where we become ourselves, looking into the middle distance, kicking at the curb, lying on the grass or sitting on the stoop and staring at the tedious blue of the summer sky."

doing nothing is something

Summer is coming  It used to be a time part for kids, a respite from the clock and the copybook, the organized day. ( Doing nothing is something)