Life in today's world is a lot different than it was many years ago. With the numerous advances in technology and science now, one cannot help but feel delighted to live in such an era. Every technological innovation brings with it a surge of eagerness and curiosity that anxious consumers cannot wait to quench. In the midst of all of this modern day excitement, the more serene lifestyle of the past has been replaced and rendered obsolete. In this passage, George Eliot presents her views on "old leisure," pertaining to life many years ago, and new leisure, pertaining to life as it is in her time. Through her use of personification, diction and imagery, Eliot contrasts the simple lifestyle of the past with the complex lifestyle of the present, and reveals her nostalgia towards Old Leisure.

Eliot uses personification in this passage to distinguish between...