Dulce, Alyssa O.

BSA112 Section 21

Thinking as a hobby

Thinking as a hobby, written by the author William Golding is an essay about his past
experiences. In his essay, Golding stated that he has made thinking as a hobby, to the
point that he categorized thinking into three levels; grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3. The
first part of the essay was Golding, in his headmaster’s study, staring at the three
statuettes placed in a cupboard that in my opinion, was the representation of the three
grades of thinking. The first statuette, a crouched statuette of a leopard ready to spring
down anytime, is the representation of the 1st grade thinking. I assume this because this
level of thinking is like of a leopard, it only feels. It attacks whoever gets in his sight,
feeling that it is a prey. The second statuette is Venus de Milo, a woman without arms,
in panic while her bath towel slowly falls. 2nd grade thinking is represented by this.
According to Golding, this thinking is “the power to destroy but not to create”. Our eyes
wide open to everything. Assuming by this statement, it is us, knowing what is wrong or
right but not doing anything to change it. The third statuette, The thinker, represents the
3rd grade. I conclude that this is the solution to what we lacked in 2 nd grade. Therefore,
all types of thinking must be used in order to rationalize every situation in our daily lives.