Analysis : In Praise Of Margins By Ian Frazier

While imagination is necessary in order to develop creativity and growth, too much escapism can blur one’s perception between reality and make-believe, and arguably more important, between right and wrong. After discovering a missing plane, most would report it to the authorities and not be in close proximity to dead people for hours on end. Instead, Jared uses the plane as a place to escape from the reality of his isolation, which is clearly a very disturbing and unethical action. Rash uses these images of isolation and character development to demonstrate that emotional instability is a potential danger of escapism.

In the beginning, the island has a happy, holiday feel, like a trip to the Bahamas. The boys explore the island feeling like adventurers and trailblazers instead of lost children. When scouting the island for the first time, Ralph, Simon, and Jack talked of making maps and a“kind of glamour was spread over them and the scene and they were conscious of the glamour and made happy by it” (Golding 25). But the island does not retain its pleasant and benign atmosphere for long- soon an aura of fear steals over the jungle. Hunting goes from an adrenaline fueled excursion to source a mild anxiety for all but Jack, and when he tells his hunters to follow him, they “spread out, nervously, in the forest” (Golding 133). The jungle has changed from a place full of fruit and joyous exploration, to one full of shadows and beasts. It is easier to revert back to savagery when lost within its trees. As early as the third chapter, Jack gets startled and “for a minute became less a hunter than a furtive thing, ape-like among the tangle of trees” (Golding 49). When one is alone or afraid, the jungle starts to feel like a hunt-or-be-hunted scenario. Jack, the character perhaps most acclimated to the jungle through his long hunting trips, describes being afraid and feeling vulnerable in the jungle, as if something is always behind him. When everything has deteriorated into chaos, perhaps the most telling

Imagine the many dangers of being stranded on a desolate island. There is a chance of starvation, severe sunburn or sicknesses, and strange animals. The idea of being a danger to yourself does not usually cross a person's mind when thinking about this unimaginable situation. Being in such horrible conditions would make anyone start to go a little crazy, especially if they were young and immature. The little boys in Lord of The Flies show the true nature in humanity when times become desperate and cut throat. The main topic of this essay is to focus on similarities and differences of how two groups of boys, Piggy & Ralph and Jack & Roger, behave when they become stranded on an island and how they act to survive.

The Power of Place makes me realize how influential my surroundings create my persona; however, I

American writer and humorist, Ian Frazier in “In Praise of Margins” reflects on his childhood life. While also realizing how “margins” helped cope with his daily life. When Frazier and his friends would escape to the woods, they were able to enjoy doing insignificant activities without any consequences. In addition, "marginal” places and activities are valuable to humankind because it allows adults to use their imaginations like during childhood. The purpose is to influence adults to taste the joy these “marginal” places and activities bring which serves as an incentive to continue to contribute to society. Contributing to society typically meaning to be constantly employed which then allows an individual to purchase goods and services. While this may be true to contribute to society may likely mean to have new and innovative ideas that further improve people’s conceptual skills. Frazier’s attitude towards the value of “marginal” places and activities is relatable because he himself had forgotten the importance of margins until reminded of them. “Margins” often seen as the space around the paper that is there as a guide to not write beyond that point. However, Economists say, “thinking at the margin” which simply means to let go of the past which cannot be changed and take a step forward. “Marginal” places and activities are key for people to be themselves and grow as a person. Marginal spaces and activities are needed to help escape daily routinely responsibilities that are present in everyone’s life. A marginal place or activity is important because it allows people to be imaginative, innovative, unstressed and themselves but in the economic world, it is being lost.

In the essay “In Praise of Margins” Ian Fraizer upholds the importance of margins as “a higher sort of unpurpose” (Fraizer 45) defined by his time in “the woods” (44). Fraizer and his friends spent most of their time in their margins also known as stomping ice in “the woods”. Fraizer says that marginal place and activities are “the most important kind” (46) because they are “where you can try out odd ideas”. Margins could be visiting a park, a friend’s house, a dance studio or even a football field, also doing things such as swinging on a tire, reading, watching movies, dancing or playing a sport. He argues that margins- whether places or activities- are valuable because they allow a person to be themselves, have fun and use their

The life as a coast guard living in a lighthouse on a desolate coast, seems simple and easy, maybe even taskless, but for a man with a troubled mind, and an incurable fixation, existence seems like an unavoidable entropy. He gazed into the divided scene in front of him, the horizon splitting the

The author's description of the island allows for me, the reader, to take a short step away from the island with a bunch of children trapped on it and enjoy what seems to be representing a perfect utopia.

The essay “In Praise of Margins” by Ian Frazier is about the value of marginal activities and places. When something is considered marginal, it means that it doesn’t generally work out or have a purpose. However, to Frazier, marginal places or activities are seen as purposeless to others, but are valuable to the person taking part in the marginal behavior. Frazier says “the margin is where you can try out odd ideas that you might be afraid to admit to with people looking on” and that “marginal behavior can be the most important kind” (Frazier 305). This means that they can be considered strange, crazy, or something you may not want to try in public. He thinks they are important because they are considered full of purpose at the time the place is visited or the behavior done. We need these places and activities in our lives. I agree with Frazier that marginal places and activities are valuable, for they can give us the opportunity to bring back fond memories, provide a space or hobby to release frustrations, and bring us happiness.

In the essay, “In Praise of Margins” Ian Frazier constantly mentions the importance of “marginal” behavior within places and activities as he interprets this concept as an aimless wonder that essentially does not provide anything for the economic world. I agree with Frazier’s claims as demonstrated through the potential of margins in discovering new ideas, assisting creativity, and helping others get out of their comfort zones. This is established throughout the essay as a way encourage the reader to pursue activities or places for the purpose of pure happiness.

When a person is taken out of their normal environment or comfort zone they are forced to adapt. This adaptation may arouse conflict and bring forth a lot of emotion from a person. The use of characterization and setting in Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods and Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea shows the effects of what taking a person out of their comfort zone can have on their character. The theme man vs the natural world was developed in the plot of both books as the main characters had their encounters with the natural world.

According to Frazier “In Praise of Margins”, “marginal” places and activities are valuable because they help people use their imagination, allowing them to free themselves. Margins could be anything from playing basketball, hanging out with friends, spending time alone, reading books, travelling, to anything that makes a person happy. Frazier gives a flashback to the place where he spent his childhood time and participated in foolish activity on “The woods” just for sake of doing them. He used to spend a lot of time on the woods with his friends and he found his freedom by exploring the forest. In his words they (him and

We started to build a treehouse with our supplies. After working on the tree house we were starved. I told the guys “ we can use the net to try and catch some fish” they were in favor of the idea. As we pulled the net in there was all different kinds of fish. When we woke we saw crabs all over the beach we were all over the beach trying to catch as many crabs as possible. Once we collected some crabs we needed to make a fire. Leonard said, “I am good at making fires”. Once Leonard had a fire going we cooked the crab and fish then finished the tree house and our own houses. When in the tree house you could see the island consisted of huge mountains, beautiful waterfalls, and many abandoned buildings. The island was rich of fruits, vegetables, animals, and all of God's beautiful gifts. It wasn’t always like this when we first came to the island. When we first got here we argued a lot about the stuff we found what we would do with them and it wasn’t always rich of fruits and vegetables we said when we got to the island that “for every one vegetable we eat we would plant one and for every fruit we ate we would put the seeds in the ground to grow more”. Right before our eyes we didn't realize everything we need for our utopia lay

In the Table __ and Fig __, you can see how the company has been performing. The overall profitability of the company has increased. Profitability ratios have increased since 2010. In particular, Harvey Norman’s Gross Profit Margin saw a significant growth, it grew 44.7% since 2010. Operating Profit Margin saw a similar result, finishing with a ratio of 10.5 in Financial Year 2015. Harvey Norman’s Net Profit Margin (when positive), have been at best maximum and are further illustrative of the paper-thin margins typically associated with the retail sector. Investments of Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) were also substantial, comparing 2010 and 2015 there was a relative decrease in ROA and ROE which doesn’t make much of a difference if the Gross Profit Margin has a strong game. Thus, on the basis of the financial results over the last 6 years, shareholders would definitely be confident about investing in Harvey Norman, unless there is a decline in current asset and equity returns.

My Wooded World Sheila Visingardi tells a story about how nature plays a huge part in her life. As a child she would sit in the beautiful, relaxing, woods and let her mind wander. It was as if the branches would call to her. (Lines 2-4) As the speaker grows older the woods have become an escape for her. The woods represent a sanctuary. This is where she feels inspired and creative, and also safe and at home. It is “a world full of imagination, creativity, resourcefulness, as well as inspiration.” (Lines 7-8)