Precis (Summary) Writing – 8

Creative Writing – 39

Write a precis of the following write-up. You should reduce its word count to one third without omitting important points.

Write-up [171 words]

One of our most difficult problems is what we call discipline and it is really very complex. You see, society feels that it must control or discipline the citizen, shape his mind according to certain religious, social, moral and economic patterns.

Now, is discipline necessary at all? Please listen carefully. Don’t immediately say YES or NO. Most of us feel, especially while we are young, that there should be no discipline, that we should be allowed to do whatever we like and we think that is freedom. But merely to say that we should be free and so on has very little meaning without understanding the whole problem of discipline.

The keen athlete is disciplining himself the whole time, isn’t he? His joy in playing games and the very necessity to keep fit makes him go to bed early, refrain from smoking, eat the right food and generally observe the rules of good health. His discipline and punctuality is not an imposition but a natural outcome of his enjoyment of athletics.

Precis

The word ‘discipline’ has an intriguing connotation. Society intends to ensure that all its members conform to certain religious, moral, and economic norms.
The perception about discipline changes with age. For the energetic, playful youngster, discipline is an undesirable fetter. But, for a grown-up competing to excel in the profession such as in athletics, self-imposed discipline becomes the key to success. [61 words]