Review of Waiting for the Weekend
In the opening chapter of Waiting for the Weekend, Witold Rybczynski analyzes free time. He explains the notion of five and two, and how the weekend is the most coveted time of the week. He explains how the weekend is more of a break from the regular week than free time. The five and two structure has affected leisure in the sense that we have a designated time to pursue whatever we wish. Leisure is vital to growth and development, and as Aristotle wrote, "Happiness depends on leisure". In his second chapter, Rybczynski researches how the seven-day week came about. As early as the third millennium, the Babylonians felt seven was a magical number. This is how it came to be prevalent in their calendar. This form then spread to Greece, Egypt, and Rome. Astrology played a major part in the naming of the days even though the week's order did not follow the planetary order. As Rybcznski stated, "There is an air of mystery surrounding the week". It is basically a way to measure everyday, ordinary life. In the chapter A Meaningful Day, Sunday is analyzed. It has been identified as everything from a tabooed day to a holy day to a day of rest. Sunday is the first day of the week althoug
Leisure became private and personal in the nineteenth century. People indulged in pastimes such as collecting, reading, gardening, and in modern leisure, television. People came to enjoy their solitude and with a personal hobby, people had the time and interest to do as they wished. Pastimes are a part of everyone's everyday life. With technology the way it is now, people have the freedom to enjoy several types of leisure and enjoy their free time in many ways. With the weekend available, it became common for people to retreat to the countryside. With a couple days off in a row, people began to travel and use their free time to experience leisure away from their homes. Another reason for people seeking leisure outside of the their cities was the rapid growth within the city. People became aware of the natural beauties of nature and began to leave the city to enjoy nature in its pure state. As bustling city life grew, people used the weekend retreat to escape and enjoy themselves. h people often mistake Monday to be the corner of the week. Sunday is traditionally a day free from labor. In early times, it was forbidden to work on Sunday. In early America, blue laws were introduced. This puritan notion banned all commerce and labor as well as restricted ce
Some common words found in the essay are:
Keeping Saint, Meaningful Day, Witold Rybczynski, Georges Seurat's, Rome Astrology, Waiting Weekend, rybczynski analyzes, waiting weekend, feel leisure,
Approximate Word count = 862
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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