Summaries 'Work and Play' written by Herbert Read
What are Herbert Read's suggestions regarding work and Play?
Explain the views of Herbert Read as expressed in the essay 'Work and Play'?
Or
Long answer work and play written by Herbert Read?
'Work and Play' is a famous essay by Herbert Read. In this essay he has expressed his views on the right approach to work and play. He describes at length how we should use our time properly in various activities in of life. Both, work and play are essential for life.
According to the writer, there has been a great change in people's attitude towards leisure in our times. In the past, or to be more accurate before the industrial revolution leisure meant an opportunity which people secured with great difficulty against the pressure of events. In those days, people were busy in creating art, which was a craft concerned with making necessary things. Now-a-days, people think the leisure is a disappointing period, which must be fulfilled with some entertainment. For the modern man leisure is not an opportunity but "a desperate state of vacancy-a vacancy of mind and body". Sociologist and psychologist consider it to be a problem, because such an attitude is leading man to a wrong path.
People, these days, divide their daily activities in two different categories-work and play. They work many hours a day and spend the necessary minimum time in eating and shopping. They use the rest of time in various activities, which are called recreation. Unfortunately, what they consider recreation, is in fact, "passive enjoyment or recreation". If they just watch football matches, go to theatres and ride in a motor couch, they are not actively engaged in active recreation. Spending time in activities like watching T.V. or going to theatres will create many physical and psychological problems. The lack of physical exercise will affect health and physique and the prolonged watching of sensational and sentimental scene will leave a bed effect on the mind. Passive entertainment is not doubt different from work but it is, no means, a from of play. Only active entertainment can be regarded as play, as it is a natural use of leisure.
Work is generally regarded as a source of earning livelihood. It includes various physical activities like ploughing, digging and controlling machines. It also includes mental activities like and accounting, teaching, managing and governing. All these activities keep us busy all the time and leave very little leisure for us in life. Every often, one man's work becomes recreation for another man. At the week-end the merchant may be seen working as a hunter and the clerk, as a gardener. These changes are very useful for mental and physical health as they are source of relief from the monotony of routine work.
Work and active recreation also keep people away from antisocial activities. They not only provide us muscular co-ordination and mental integration but also keep us busy in constructive and useful activities. Human body needs endless work in one or other way, and it cannot enjoy emptiness. The street corner society of listless hooligans and the Nazi party are an example of the fact that crime and gangsterdam develop only through such people as are always unemployed and free.
Thus, work and play, both are essential for our civilized society. There is no basic difference between the two, except the fact that we get money for work while we play a subscription for play. Our life need occupation, so our time must be spent in one activity or another.
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