expectation of what we think and what we expect to see. Expectation is a barrier that keep us from seeing beyond and being aware of the things that are the most important. In the essay‚ “ This is water ” by David Foster Wallace and “ Seeing” by Annie Dillard ‚ we see that we have to learn what to think and how to think. If we choose to open our mind and noticing the unexpected‚ it will lead to happiness and clarity‚ but being small-minded and focusing on expectations will affect the way we see the
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An American Childhood is written by Annie Dillard in 1987. This short story is about her childhood memory. On a winter morning‚ seven years old Dillard and her friends were looking for fun on Reynolds Street where they lived‚ and then they started making ice balls to throw at passing cars. It happened when one of the ice balls hit a black Buick which was running on the street. The driver stopped the car at the side of the road and he got out of the car. Suddenly‚ he started running toward the kids
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Throughout Annie Dillard’s "Terwilliger Bunts One"‚ she expresses many feelings and emotions towards her mother. Her mother‚ a bit of a "prankster‚" is constantly testing the wits of her peers using the intelligence of her own. Her husband‚ guests of the home‚ even complete strangers would lose their composure over these pranks which resulted in many hard feelings towards Dillard’s mother. "Pam!" "Dammit‚ Pam!" "What ails such people?" "What on earth possesses them?" Those are the words of anger
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Although our eyes watch the same scenes‚ our minds tell different stories. As John James Audubon and Annie Dillard gaze at large flocks of pigeons in flight‚ they both experience different emotions and spiritual feelings despite viewing the same scene. In contempt of their varying reactions to the birds‚ both writers enlist a sense of admiration and respect for the beauty present within the nature of the birds. Audubon maintains the presence of a scientific observer as he counts the flocks
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been a great source of wonder and inspiration for mankind. Writers have composed about a wide range of the spectacular elements of planet earth from the mightiest of oceans to the most idiosyncratic species of insects. Both John James Audubon and Annie Dillard describe their personal experiences of witnessing large flocks of birds in flight in their own respective passages. The two authors have similar experiences but they describe the birds in different ways. Both descriptions are full of colorful language
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in someone or something but if opportunity does not come the potential is never revealed. It can be observed in Annie Dillards’ An American Childhood‚ in events in history‚ and even in today’s society that there is extensive underlying potential in people and places that we simply overlook because there is no opportunity for it to be demonstrated in its fullest capacity. Through Annie Dillard’s description of her mother in her book An American Childhood‚ the exponential potential for greatness in
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Annie Dillard’s essay "The Death Of A Moth" made no sense to me when I initially read it‚ in a "sleep-deprived" state. In the haze my mind was in‚ during the battle with my body and my desire to read this essay‚ all I could make out was that; she berated the small cat about her short-term memory before kicking her out of the bed they shared. She then proceeded to the bathroom to consort with a spider whose attire reminded her of a day when she murdered a moth. She spoke about the carnage‚ her sharply
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The Weasel and the Widow The weasel and the black widow are entirely different creatures‚ yet somewhat the same‚ just as both essays LIving Like A Weasel and The Black Widow have their similarities and differences. Both authors‚ Annie Dillard and Gordon Grice‚ share their point of view on the unique creature they chose to write about; sharing about them‚ their natural way of life‚ and how each creature intrigues them. In Gordon Grice’s essay‚ the reader is able to identify the author’s passion
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At the beginning‚ Annie Dillard vividly describes the surrounding area before the total eclipse. This same vivid imagery is used throughout the text and allows the reader to experience everything Annie Dillard experienced. This thorough recounterance‚ in the text‚ “Total Eclipse‚” helps the reader understand Dillards emotions through the use of different figurative devices. The detailed describing words used in paragraph two‚ “All the people you see in the photograph.are now dead.I was watching a
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Far Away‚ Annie Dillard is taking an evening stroll around a creek near her home when she comes across a young boy. The boy seems about eight years old and is of small stature. Dillard sees him through a barbed wire fence‚ where he is playing‚ as a child might. Eventually‚ the boy gains sight of Dillard and comes over to say hello. While Dillard is speaking to the boy‚ she is mentally making judgments over him. Soon enough‚ the boy starts looking even more nervous than usual and asks Dillard a seemingly
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