Preview

Living Like Weasels

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
252 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Living Like Weasels
In the essay Living Like Weasels, Annie Dillard argues that a person should live life with a purpose and with tenacity like the Weasel does. The essay begins with Dillard describing how a Weasel has a tenacity to hold on to a prey’s neck or when it feels in danger, and would accept death at the talons of an eagle to keep his tenacity alive. Dillard goes on to describe her walk to Murray’s pond her favorite place to be in nature to forget about the world as she is relaxing on a tree trunk a Weasel appears in front of her. The encounter left the two dumbfounded for a brief moment in time; furthermore, the encounter left Annie to wonder how a Weasel thinks. Dillard acquires a new insight on how a Weasel lives as he should, by necessity, and she suspects that is the answer to live by for her. Dillard states, “I missed my chance. I should have gone for the throat.” indicating her opportunity to change her live may have already passed; she uses this example to support her statement that people should live the way they want “yielding to their necessity”, rather than by choice. Dillard concludes with telling the reader to grasp to their necessity and live the way they want to, for not even death can tear you apart when you have chosen how you want to live, just like the eagle did not tear the Weasel a part from his
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Scarlet Ibis Expectation Vs Reality Analysis
    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Scarlet Ibis Expectation Vs Reality Analysis

    In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst the author illustrates the thematic tension of expectation versus reality ultimately favoring reality. In this story the narrator, Brother, and Doodle, his crippled-broken down-little brother, faces the dilemma of Doodle being disabled-- unable to walk, or do anything by himself-- and he finds himself in a mess of whether or not he wants to learn to become “normal.” From the beginning everybody, except Aunt Nicey, believes that Doodle is a goner. Daddy had even built Doodle a mahogany coffin, which would rest in the barn until the day came, that Doodle would die. But, Brother is determined to teach Doodle how to walk, and become a “normal” little brother. However, in the process all Brother…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Annie Dillard ' Living Like Weasels" Summary and Response
    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Annie Dillard ' Living Like Weasels" Summary and Response

    In the essay “Living like Weasels”, the author Annie Dillard wrote about her first encounter after she saw a real wild weasel for the first time in her life. The story began when she went to Hollins Pond which is a remarkable place of shallowness where she likes to go at sunset and sit on a tree trunk. Dillard traced the motorcycle path in all gratitude through the wild rose up in to high grassy fields and while she was looking down, a weasel caught her eyes attention; he was looking up at her too. The weasel was ten inches long, thin as a curve, a muscled ribbon, brown as fruitwood, soft-furred, and alert. His face was fierce, small, pointed as Lizard’s, and with two black eyes. They exchanged the glances as two lovers or deadly enemies. Dillard described the moment of seeing the weasel as “a sudden beating of brains, with all the charge and intimate grate of rubbed balloons”. But while all these ideas and thoughts were in Dillard’s mind, the weasel disappeared and Dillard felt like she was having a dream. But after one week she realized that she was not dreaming and she tried to memorize what she saw. She felt like she was in that weasel’s brain for sixty seconds and he was in her mind too. Dillard thought about the weasel’s behavior and the fact that weasels live in necessity and we live by choice, she felt that it would be interesting if she could live as weasels do and she missed her chance. She blamed herself “I should have gone for the throat. I should have lunged for the streak of white under the weasels chin and held on.” Finally, Dillard believed it would be well, proper, and obedient to grasp with your one necessity wherever it takes you as the weasels do.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tom Brennan Into The World Analysis
    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Tom Brennan Into The World Analysis

    Tom faces significant challenges and obstacles that he must overcome through determination and the help of others. These negative consequences enable Tom to learn and transition into a new phase of life with a more positive outlook. Tom realises the importance to move on despite the pain it causes him. This is shown through colloquial language ant the metaphor.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis The Weasel
    • 1665 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis The Weasel

    Paragraphs one to two contrasts the unpredictable weasel that acts according to instinct and necessity, while humans act according to their own will and pride. It establishes the bestiality and…

    • 1665 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Death of a Moth Comparison Between Dillard and Woolf
    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Death of a Moth Comparison Between Dillard and Woolf

    This essay was originally written in February of 1996 for a composition class that I took at a local community college while completing my third and final year of high school. The original text has been edited to correct spelling and grammar. In truth, this essay is more of a collaboration between Betsy and I. She had take the class from the same instructor the year before. Many of the concepts discussed are largely extrapolations and enhancements of ideas she expressed. She got a B+ on her version; I got an A on mine :).…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nature In Jack London's To Build A Fire
    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Nature In Jack London's To Build A Fire

    The grating cold and bleak surroundings “made no impression on the man” (6) while the dog became “depressed by the tremendous cold” (7), painting the man as a figure unaffected by the severe conditions, immortal and daunting. He viewed the conditions as “cold and uncomfortable, and that was all” (6), which gave him a tough aspect of character, showing the ultimate power and force of nature over man, no matter how fortifying and strong he may be. These characteristics illustrates a contrast between the state of mankind and the state of nature. The animal also provides a comparison of the ignorance of humans’ instinct in comparison to the animal who understands the ferocity of nature. Allowing the environment to kill the man indicates that he is weak both mentally and biologically, while on the other hand the dog is stronger by surviving the same harsh surroundings of the brutal Yukon. “The brute had its instinct” (7) and “its instinct told it a truer tale than was told to the man” (7), because the man was “not much given to thinking”, displaying his obvious ignorance about the ways of nature and how the animal’s instincts trumped his own. Although the man was “keenly observant” (8), he was woefully inept at survival and despite the man’s tough aspects of character, his utter ignorance and over-confidence in himself led to his demise and allowed nature to shape his grisly…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Rattler Comentary
    • 661 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Rattler Comentary

    The author's Diction heightens the rancher's commitment to protect the people and the doubt he feels about the decision. Although the man's first “instinct” was not to kill the snake, he realized that it was his “duty” to kill it because of the “ominous” danger it posed to the ranch. The man's natural “instinct” and his moral “duty” to protect the ranch do not align, creating the conflict that the reader identifies with. The man recognizes the “ominous” danger posed by the snake, leaving him with an obligation to remove the danger. At first, the rancher's thought was to “let [the snake] go” for the rancher “never killed” an animal and not “obliged” to kill, but he “reflected” that it posed as a threat to the ranch, thus having to remove it. The rancher wanted to “let [the snake] go” for he has “never killed an animal” because he does not “feel the satisfaction” of killing as a sport. The rancher was very hesitant to kill, but he “reflected” that he needed to protect. The man's obligation and regret about killing the snake creates a conflict that generates the readers emotions through Diction; the Imagery further illustrates this conflict.…

    • 661 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Saboteur
    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Saboteur

    In this story of “A white Heron” Dewett invites us to contemplate that Sylvia made the right decision by not telling the bird’s hunter take the bird to kill it. Whether she might be a better friend with the birds or the bird’s hunter. The narrator talks about a young girl name Sylvia who lives on a farm with her grandmother, Mrs. Tilley. Sylvia friendship with the creatures around her even her grandmother acknowledges that also. Young Sylvia was leading her wayward cow home before the sunset. The woods were filled with shadows. Sylvia was startled by a kind of strange whistle, and then approached by a stranger, who carried a gun over his shoulder. He’s a hunter and shoots birds for his collections. He was looking for a place to stay while he tries to locate a white heron. Without hesitating Sylvia brought the stranger to her grandmother’s house. The hunter was very grateful and gracious. He impressed with the clean and comfortable dwellings. He is also intrigued by Sylvia interpreting her grandmother’s assertions, for Sylvia’s affinity with nature. He might think that Sylvia is kind of the same person as him. She would love him if he hasn’t carry a gun, she could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much. He offered $ 10 and gave her a knife, as a gift to be given the location of the heron. The next day Sylvia got up very excited to find a white heron. She climbed a great pine tree and came upon the birds. “The gray eyes of Sylvia also closely identify her to the birds with…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Samuel Johnson's Dismissal Letter Rhetorical Analysis
    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Samuel Johnson's Dismissal Letter Rhetorical Analysis

    As opposed to blaming her for being incorrect in holding this feeling, Johnson defines the term as a "pleasures immoderately enjoyed" and as an "expectation improperly indulged". Through definition, Johnson has the capacity to couple these two aspects of hope to "disappointment" and name them as "dangerous." While clear in aim and meaning, the roundabout association of disappointment with hope permits Johnson to let the mother down more carefully than if he had straightforwardly expressed his rejection. Moreover, the use of definition permits the writer to make the association and acknowledge the conclusion (rejection) all alone as opposed to having the capacity to straightforwardly place fault on Johnson. The utilization of definition permits the essayist to distance himself from the activity of foreswearing. The author arranges the piece to teach the mother methods in life.The first paragraph, Johnson utilizes the chance to define "hope" and 'expectations improperly indulged' to make a reasonable indication that she had hoped for excessively. He expresses that expectations must take after a typical course, then clarifies how it has not, which simultaneously portrays why she shouldn't have been hopeful in the first place. The write outlines the point that a few hopes must be managed through torment by doing only that in the second paragraph. The first paragraph is used…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Things Fall Apart Dialectical Journal
    • 1317 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Things Fall Apart Dialectical Journal

    I think that what the author was trying to imply in this passage was that in his personal experience, he has noticed that many people take many things for granted and that they don’t live their lives according to what they want and need to do. So much is wasted during one’s lifetime, and people just allow their lives to pass them by.…

    • 1317 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    To Build A Fire And The Most Dangerous Game Analysis
    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages

    To Build A Fire And The Most Dangerous Game Analysis

    When Rainsford falls from the boat Connell describes Rainsford’s primal attempt for survival in animalistic terms stating that he “Doggedly… swam in that direction [of the Island] …with slow deliberate strokes” (Connell,3). Rainsford did not swim mechanically, nor artistically or even in a human fashion, in his desperation, he swam like a dog. Connell, by describing Rainsford’s swimming as dogged, shows that in dire circumstances, even the most rational and trained person, here characterized by Rainsford, resorts to animalistic behavior. This assertion becomes even stronger as the story goes on, when Zaroff finds Rainsford for the first time “The Cossack was the cat; [Rainsford] was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror” (Connell, 12). Striving to survive, Rainsford thought of himself as a cornered animal, and behaved accordingly, he shows that once man is no longer the hunter but the hunted that we act just like prey by hiding, fleeing or scrambling away from our predator. Finishing his story with what he started, Connell shows that humans, just like jaguars “understand one thing--fear. The fear of pain and the fear of death."(Connel,1). One of the only consistencies we see in humans, is the fact that we will all fight or fly in due to fear. Rainsford, as the personification of humanity, fled his predator, which shows us that we truly…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Story Of An Hour And The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis
    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Story Of An Hour And The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis

    To illustrate, Mrs. Mallard dies of a heart attack from the sight of her husband after acceptance of his death and her new, profound freedom. She feels victory over the opportunity of her independence, and finds life in the death of her husband. However, her joy is defeated by the sight of get husband. The death of her husband proves insignificant compared the mourning she has done over her life never lived. Thus, when her dream of freedom died, so did…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Life and Moth
    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Life and Moth

    Virginia Woolf’s purpose in writing this piece is to remind us of the power that death has over life. She shows us the desperation of attempting to avoid death but also the inescapable ending of…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Duck Shooting
    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Duck Shooting

    Hansen delivers a very strong personal anecdote where she persuades you that ducks are just like human beings. She is lucky enough to see ducks that come and go despite living in a suburbia area. “It is always the same pair of ducks that visit” and she is furious to think that these hunters are so cruel of thinking “it’s fun and personally empowering”.…

    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Who Is The Protagonist In Miss Brill
    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Who Is The Protagonist In Miss Brill

    In the short story of “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield, Miss Brill is a lonely, old woman who sits in a park and waits for people to come near so she can listen in on their conversations. She becomes so caught up in the conversations of others and the world around her that it makes her forget about her own loneliness. But sadly, it also distorts the image she has of the world around her. The first encounter of this is in the beginning of the story when she pulls out the fur in the box and “rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes”. Miss Brill makes this inanimate object personified by giving it a voice when it says “What has been happening to me?”. This object is a key part in the story because she keeps it with her like her little “side-kick” because she has no one else to talk with. Because she has no one else to interact with, she feeds off of other people’s conversations, relationships, and behaviors. The little fur pelt symbolizes the only friend that she has.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics