"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury

DO NOW: How do you spend your free time?

What is meant by the expression, "Free time?"  Time for Freedom?  Explain to an extraterrestrial what humans mean by "Free Time" and whether free time is as free as it could be?

Here's a little conversation between two friends to help illustrate the idea:

John called his best friend Harry.  "Hey, Harry.  Do you have any plans for the afternoon?"
      "No, John, I don't.  What do you want to do?"
      "How about we just start walking from your place and take life as it comes.  What do you say?"
      "No thanks man, I need to know what we're going to do.  How about tennis or watch the cheerleaders at practice?"
      "That's not 'Free-Time' Harry, that's choosing how to take the freedom out of free time by deciding, in advance what you're going to do.  It's like, tennis becomes the boss and you have to do things "tennis's" way.   I mean let's just not have any boss and see where life takes us.  Play it by ear, as the saying goes.  Life is too wild and precious to plan, don't you think?"

What do you think?  Are you comfortable with life or do you have to have something boss your time around?

AIM: What crime does Leonard Mead commit?  Why is it a crime?  Is he guilty?

What is "Free Time" in today's society? - Don't we all need to just get away from the world, get off the merry-go-round of daily living from time to time?  

Is walking, when you don't have to be anywhere in particular, a proper use of one's free time?

Homework: Make a list things people do in their free time and label whether it is an ACTIVITY,  (such as doing art, music, exploring,  being creative, volunteer work, etc. ) or whether it is more PASSIVE (such as watching sports, films, observing, Internet, Facebook, etc.)

The grey-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night,
Chequering the eastern clouds with streaks of light,
And flecked darkness like a drunkard reels
From forth day's path and Titan's fiery wheels:
Now, ere the sun advance his burning eye,
The day to cheer and night's dank dew to dry,
I must up-fill this osier cage of ours
With baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers. - From Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

sordid 

adjective

involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt: the story paints a sordid picture of bribes and scams.

dirty or squalid: the overcrowded housing conditions were sordid and degrading.

forlorn - pitifully sad and lonely

Pagan - someone who follows a religion before the advent of monotheism (Ancient Greeks, with their polytheism, were considered Pagans 

Proteus - a minor sea god of Greek mythology who had the power of prophecy but who would assume different shapes to avoid answering questions.

Triton - Greek Mythology a minor sea god usually represented as a man with a fish's tail and carrying a trident and shell trumpet.

The World Is Too Much With Us

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! [sordid boon, meaning a disgusting benefit]

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;

The winds that will be howling at all hours,

And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;

For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be

A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;

Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.