Naps Barbara Holland Analysis

“Naps” by Barbara Holland provides an argument detailing why naps should become more integrated into American culture like they are in European culture. The essay begins with an anecdote where the author and a few friends being locked out of a gate in France. They had just missed the keeper who had left to take her daily nap and were forced to wait outside. This use of an anecdote is helpful because it starts off with a clear example of how different European and American culture is when it comes to napping. Holland and her friends were shocked when they found the keeper had left because to Americans, the idea of leaving work halfway through to take a nap is preposterous. The author furthermore paints a picture for the reader as to why American

Many see taking naps as a sign of laziness or unhealthiness but in fact, it could just be a way of rejuvenating and refreshing ourselves for the rest of the day. Holland further exemplifies her claim with the use of imagery and to show to positivity in napping. “There we lie, visible and vulnerable on our daylit bed, ready to cut the strings and sink into the dark, swirling, almost sexual currents of the impending doze.” (Holland 290) Here we see the author detailing what it is like to fall asleep in the middle of the day. It is cutting away from the stresses of the day for a moment in favor of something more pleasurable, almost to a sexual degree, upon a comfortable “daylit bed”. Holland also uses historical figures like Winston Churchill and John Milton to justify the act of napping and staying in bed. “Milton wrote Paradise Lost in bed. Winston Churchill, a prodigious producer, wrote all those large important histories in bed, brandy bottle at the ready.” (Holland 292) This shows that great things, like culturally significant books and other kinds of literature, can come from the comfort of one's