Summary Of Ian Frazier's In Praise Of Margins

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“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living; it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.” Dr. Seuss, a American author and illustrator of children’s books, points out the importance of having an imagination. He indicates that by changing how we view things, it can lead to great results. This quote connects to Ian Frazier’s short article, “In Praise of Margins” because he talks about the difference between the mentality as a child versus his adult self. He indicates that one should get away from civilization temporarily and explore the outdoors in order to enjoy life. For Frazier and his friends, “exploring” the woods and doing various things such as climbing trees, shooting frogs, and breaking ice was their marginal…show more content…
The intention of marginal activity or place is to allows oneself to relax and be themselves without having to fulfill society’s requirements. Although, technically, watching television or playing a sport is marginal play, it does not correlate with Frazier’s definition. Watching television does not allow one’s mind to have a imagination. It just pulls in the person’s mind from reality rather than actually escaping physically. Same applies with playing a sport. Although it can involve being outdoors it cannot be a marginal activity because it involves a goal: winning or obtaining a prize. Frazier had not stopped his children from playing in the mud when he went back to the woods as an adult because he understood the importance to fantasize as a child. Looking back at my younger self, I can comprehend why it is valuable to have marginal activities. Marginal play may seem like it only occurs in our childhood, but it is possible to have it in our adulthood. For example, the birth of hip hop came from a teenager who was messing around with a record. The story goes that in August of 1973, a boy named Clive Campbell, also known as DJ Kool Herc was at his sister’s birthday party entertaining guests. At that moment, he decided to it was a good idea to try something new in order to get people to dance longer (Laurence). Before long, hip hop spread like wildfire. After that, everything else is history. For this reason, I agree completely with Frazier about marginal play and how it must take place in the great outdoors. It is necessary to have a sense of freedom in order to live properly. Being a grown-up, we forget to de-stress and therefore interferes with our creativity and productivity. It is critical to understand that in order to be marginal, one must get rid of all distractions and that it is not possible in an urban

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