Hour 3: The Essence of Solitude

Academic Summary:

Paragraph 1- The first paragraph says that the modern person has a need to be recognized in some way. What this does is it sets up both sides of the argument allowing the reader to see what a modern person does want and does not want.

Paragraph 2- This paragraph says that our need to not be lonely has driven us to live in constant contact by any means through any portion of the day. What this paragraph does is structure the main part of what is wrong with losing the value of solitude.

Paragraph 3- This paragraph says that people really do find solitude to be a bad thing. What this does structurally is reinforce the notion of how a modern person views the threat of isolation.

Paragraph 4- This says that Solitude is essential to ones spiritual and religious growth and tells the reader about the woes of city life. What this does is set up the first contradiction to the original statement and provide some evidence as to why these things may or may not be true.

Paragraph 5- This paragraph says that Solitude is obtained through different methods like reading and it was essential in Biblical times and what this does is further the argument that great leaders in History have advocated for solitude.

Paragraph 6- Paragraph 6 says that Solitude is finally achievable in two different ways, literarily through reading and literally by going out and encountering nature. What this does is validate the need for solitude.

Paragraph 7- This talks about how solitude becomes something that is feared in modern society. What this does is support the first paragraph about how the contemporary self views solitude.

Paragraph 8- This paragraph explains the terrors of the modern city and how it has affected the modern person and made the idea of solitude something attractive that can't be obtained. This sets up an argument about how and why the modern person feels the way they do about solitude.

Paragraph 9- Paragraph 9 talks about the shift in the public opinion about their fears. This just further emphasizes the points made in the previous paragraph.

Paragraph 10- This paragraph talks about the arrival of the internet and how it affected solitude. This sets up a new argument about the internet and relates this topic to a more modern crowd like readers in 2017 for instance.

Paragraph 11- This paragraph talks about the internet changing how you are viewed when it comes to popularity. This contradicts the prior paragraph about how the internet was mostly a blessing when it does have some downsides.

Paragraph 12- This says that we use computers to fight off the constant threat of solitude and we still do desire real friendships for now but solitude becomes more and more daunting the more we put it off. This foreshadows to the future paper about the threat of solitude.

Paragraph 13- This paragraph talks about the the ideas of boredom and loneliness and how they helped to shape the modern opinion of solitude. What this does is offer insight and evidence to the past.

Paragraph 14- In this paragraph, the author discusses the idea of the a market being formed around the idea of boredom. This just reinforces the paragraph prior about the idea of solitude being a negative concept.

Paragraph 15- This paragraph talks about the television and its role in the authors life because of how it made him feel and what it conditioned him to do. This furthers the argument about a predestined purpose that these machines create.

Paragraph 16- This talks about what a person is actually losing when they are not embracing the benefits of solitude. This persuades the reader to consider solitude as a real thing that they should include in their lives.

Paragraph 17- Paragraph 17 talks about how our mind is influenced by social networks. This paragraph sets up the future arguments about social networks.

Paragraph 18- This paragraph talks about the negative effects of social media. What this does is speak to a more modern audience because of the influence social media has on this crowd.

Paragraph 19- This paragraph is a metaphor for how nuns are in solitude by choice and the benefits it has for them and can have for people. This provides an extreme example for relating to the importance of solitude.

Paragraph 20- In this paragraph the message is about isolating oneself so that they can remain unbiased and have their own thoughts instead of a hive mind mentality. This paragraph also begins to wrap up the authors final thoughts.

Paragraph 21- This paragraph discusses how solitude is a tougher concept for some than others but its value will remain as something that all should embrace. This paragraph is cementing the ideas in place for the next concluding paragraph.

Paragraph 22- This paragraph says that just because solitude is an important value and something that a person should experience it doesn't necessarily have to be pleasant. This is the final concluding paragraph that drives home the importance of solitude to the reader.

Thesis: The concept of solitude has been something that has been cherished for generations but in modern times it is suddenly revered as perhaps the greatest threat facing an individual today, but this fear is not necessary because solitude has many benefits that can help an individual succeed in life whether its finding a person's own values or being able to think about and process information.

Major Divisions and Chunks:

1. The contemporary self

2. The concept of solitude

3. The origins of solitude

4. The benefits of solitude

5. Why the contemporary self fears solitude

6. Why you should embrace solitude

Summary:

The contemporary self or modern person has a evolved to be drastically different than our ancestors in every way due to many new advances in every field but when it comes to the idea of solitude, no field has had a greater influence than technology. Technology has changed the modern person in a way that instead of trying to be different, they wouldn't dare stray from the herd in a hyperconnected world.

Solitude is described as a way of getting in touch with oneself and finding out your values because you can't know yourself if you are constantly hearing other peoples' opinion about you. The concept of solitude also came about as a means to distinguish oneself from others and this also lends itself to the creation of solitude.

Solitude was created first literarily and was achieved through reading. Reading became the prominent form to achieve solitude because there were simply no other ways that a person could find solitude until the idea of separating yourself in nature came about. This was known as literally achieving solitude and was created by monks and religious figures who sought to isolate themselves from society.

The benefits of solitude are vast especially in today's modern society because so few people have actually experienced them. The idea of withholding thoughts from people can help you establish values and find where you really stand on certain matters instead of putting them up for debate on social media.

This idea of solitude can be a daunting thought for some people at first because of how we have embrace this hyperconnected world. The idea of not being in contact with everyone at any point in our day scares us because it is a step outside our comfort zone and sometimes we may not want to be alone with ourselves because we are scared about what we will discover about ourselves.

To experience solitude in this modern day and age is something that is almost necessary in order to truly understand yourself. This is why the benefits of solitude can not be forgotten no matter what because it will change this world for the worse if it is lost.

Précis

William Deresiewicz, Academic Journal, The End of Solitude (January 30, 2009), stresses the importance of the concept of solitude in a modern world. Deresiewicz formulates his argument by using important quotes and examples of people from the past who have valued solitude to support his claims. The author's purpose in this piece was to warn the reader about the disappearing concept of solitude and the importance of it in todays world. The intended audience for this piece is anyone in today's modern society who are completely enveloped and immersed with their phones.