Understanding the Writer's Ideas
2. How much does Ackerman seem to know about nature?
All of the extra detail Ackerman uses in this story leads me to believe she knows more than the average person when it comes to nature. One example of her showing her knowledge is when she mentions the three hummingbirds lining up, she actually seems to be able to distinguish between the male and female which is definitely not something the average person can do. Although Ackerman seems to know what she's talking about, I'm not sure how in-depth her knowledge is because most of what she writes could just be observations.
3. Why does Ackerman move from morning to nightfall, from the present to the past, and back to the present? What is her purpose?
I think one of her goals with the “time play” was to add more information where it fit best, with a somewhat similar paragraph. For instance, when she switched to nightfall I believe it may have been to sort of compare the hummingbird's day activity to their night activity. In my opinion, the time changing helps the journal-like writing come together better and helps keep the reader's attention.
Understanding the Writer's Technique
1. What is this essay's thesis? Is it stated or implied?
I believe the thesis of the essay is that summer is too short, but there wasn't a stated thesis that I know of so this is just what I got out of it. Most of the essay was based around hummingbirds so it could also be related to how fascinating they are, but I think she seems to enjoy the summer time in general. At the end she talks about how they'll return next summer and says they leave too soon which would mean she probably looks forward to the summer and wishes it was longer.
2. How does the window that Ackerman sits by at the start of the day serve as an organizational or framing device for the essay?
I believe the window Ackerman sits by in the beginning is the point