Rhetorical Analysis On Laziness

The “On Laziness” essay, written by Christopher Morley argues that philosophical laziness is a beneficial trait to possess. He illustrates this by using techniques such as humor, formal diction, and irony to convince his audience that is made up of lazy and industrious people. Throughout the passage, humor is used as an attempt to persuade the audience that philosophical laziness is valuable. The author, Christopher Morley, begins this essay by stating “To-day we rather intended to write an essay on laziness, but were too indolent to do so.” By opening with this sentence, the writer is applying humor. He jokes that he has become lazy while writing about laziness. This allows the audience understand what the piece will be about and are able

An example of the author’s use of formal diction is when he includes the word indolent in a sentence. By using intelligent words such as this one, the author appears to be highly educated making him an exceptional source of information. An audience is more likely to listen and agree with an author that sounds perspicacious and credible. The author continues to establish formal diction by including the words demure, languid, disillusioned, indolent, and bumptious. All of these words allow the audience to understand how educated the author is, persuading them to agree with the author’s claims about laziness and its benefits. In addition, this word choice strengthens the author's argument and emphasizes its importance. When the author demonstrates words such as these, he appeals to the audience by sounding informed on the topic making his claims stronger. This passage relied strongly on diction to support the author’s main claim about how it’s better to be lazy. As the essay goes on, Morley continues to use strong diction throughout the paragraphs. For example, in the fifth paragraph, the author includes the words, perplexities, quibble, dignified, repose, and keem. These words improve the quality of Morley’s essay and make it much more compelling to readers. The audience is more likely to agree with the author’s statement when he uses words

Morley uses irony when he says, “It is our observation that every time we get into trouble it is due to not having been lazy enough.” This sentence is ironic because laziness is often the cause of getting into trouble but the author believes the opposite. By expressing irony, the writer created a more powerful argument that will cause the audience to agree with the claim. Irony strengthens this piece and makes the readers enjoy it more and be more likely to agree with the passage’s content. As the essay comes to an end, Morley uses irony once again when he includes, “Writing on this congenial topic has roused us up to quite a pitch of enthusiasm and energy.” This finishing sentence is ironic because the essay is about the benefits of being lazy but, the author has become energized by the end of writing the essay. While this sentence contradicts the topic, it does it in a positive, almost humorous way that gives the audience an understanding of the purpose of the passage and summarizes the main point, ending the essay on a vigorous