Persistence In Annie Dillard's 'Living Like Weasels'

However, there is also apositive side of human characteristics that has been posited in the movie ‘Minority Report’, which is perseverance. John Anderton, who has been set up by his trusted friend and superior Lamar Bergess, as John had discovered the Anne Lively murder, never gave up trying to prove himself innocent although the pre-cogs’ visionswere never doubted. John even had his eyes ‘changed’ in order to unravel the truth of his innocence, and to continue

In the short story “The Glass Roses” by Alden Nowlan. Nowlan portrays the idea that adversity is part of our lives, and this adversity shapes us as individuals. But in the face of adversity an individual must either strive to fulfill their individual self-interests and ideas or abandon them to conform to authority. Nowlan suggests this idea through the character, Stephen and his struggle to conform to authority or pursue his ideas which suggests that humans often bring about changes to themselves in order to adapt to the environment they live in.

I would like to live in a civilization where the human’s only option is to reach beyond what is to be expected, living a life that is easiest for them. If we were all to live like the weasel does, where their mind set is to be wild it will benefit us in the long run. In “Living Like Weasels,” Annie Dillard interprets that being wild is to be free: to go after your calling, focused on the need to succeed. She also suggests that mindlessness, is not allowing anything to get in the way of your one true goal, where chasing after your dream is your only option, the only means to your own

The way the animal kingdom approaches their problems are described as similar to the ways introverts and extroverts socialize among each other. The instinctual and animal-like approaches such as the “just do it” and “think before you leap” attitude can easily be applied to the situation of introverts as some individuals would prefer to be independent, rely less on impressing others and rarely act without thinking. Another example in which Cain attempts to compare two ideas to magnify a larger meaning, she states “Once you know about sitters and rovers, you see them everywhere...drop in on your local Mommy and Me music class: there are sitters, intently watching the action from their mothers’ laps, while the rovers march around the room banging their drums and shaking their maracas” she depicts a common scene of a day care in which many

Society’s conventions teach that immoderate desires are unappealing manifestations of basal instincts that individuals must learn to control. However, a certain sense of liberating freedom is also attached to the idea of living in uninhibited by the guidelines that society imposes. “The Jackhammer Syndrome”, a poem by Al Purdy, and Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief present two different narratives concerning the pursuit of personal desire and deal with the consequences that ensue from this behavior. Their characters’ experiences suggest that the unchecked pursuit of personal desires, at the expense of conformity within society, does not produce lasting gratification.

Annie Dillard’s “Living Like Weasels” details Dillard’s encounter with a weasel in the wild, and her attempts to come to terms with her feelings about said meeting. Dillard not only goes into great detail about the experience itself, but she also provides a very good background on weasels, as well as others’ experiences with the animal. Through her use of background analysis on weasels, as well as with her own experience, Dillard uses the three rhetorical appeals to argue why we humans could and should “live like weasels”.

The tone in the excerpt of “Live Like Weasels” by Annie Dillard is one that is reflective and optimistic. In this, she tells us what she’s learned from her experience of the an encounter with the a weasel. This is proven in the first paragraph of the excerpt, “I can learn from a wild animal...something of mindlessness, something from the purity of living in the physical sense and the dignity of living without bias or motive.” It Dillard shows us complete her reflection on what we, as people, can gain from learning about the habits of animals, and that she’s clearly thought about it. This is even more so further evident in paragraph two when she questions reasons with herself, “Could two live under the wild rose...as received and unchallenged

In "Living like Weasels", author Annie Dillard uses rhetorical devices to convey that life would be better lived solely in a physical capacity, governed by "necessity", executed by instinct. Through Dillard 's use of descriptive imagery to indulge her audience, radical comparisons of nature and civilization, and anecdotal evidence, this concept is ultimately conveyed.

In the excerpt, Death of a Moth, by Annie Dillard, she attempts to overcome her writer's block by getting away from it all and taking a trip into the Mountains of Virginia. While taking time off, she intends to spiritually find her true self again and get back on a successful track. Only by using concrete imagery, drawing a strong parallel, and meticulously selecting a certain word choice to create points of clarity, is she able to effectively convey her inner struggle.

Many individuals is faced with the decision of conforming or choosing personal desire, and it is not an easy decision. It is hard because being shunned by others for being different is not a good feeling. Choosing to conform over personal desire, often leads to loss. On the other hand, personal desire is what sets others apart and gives them joy. In the poem, “The Jackhammer Syndrome”, Al Purdy discusses the good and bad memories he has experienced. He goes through his memories of when he had fun and made mistakes, but he reflects on what he could have done better. The author of “The Jackhammer Syndrome informs against choosing the welcoming joy of conformity over the long-term gains of personal desire. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire may seem easy at first, but if the choice is to conform, the joy it gives will not last. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire Conformity may seem to give joy at first, but it does not last. When Al is playing pool with his brother, he wants to win badly, but losses. However when he did not care to win, Al wins! Conforming can lead to loss but personal desire has much to gain. If the choice is to conform, personal identity may be lost. In my life, I recognize several instances in which I found several similarities between Al and myself. I have made decisions that were not always good ones such as swimming across long distances with friends.

Secondly, Dillard believes also that the lifestyle of a weasel, if lived and followed by a human, will deliver this person to a successful life. As Dillard references in the story, and also in the introductory paragraph, Weasels live on necessity while people are living on choice. By this, she is implying that weasels live their everyday lives day by day, they do not stress about what is to come next, the focus on what they need to get done at that moment, not what is down the road. Weasels intellectual ability allows them to base their actions off of instinct, rather than off of research, predictions and estimations. Weasels are able to figure out what the best option is for them at any given moment, they do not over-analyze what may be coming their way; weasels just live their lives the way they should believe: carefree. When Dillard describes humans as thriving off of choice, this really begins to make readers think that what she is saying is true. Everyday that a person wakes up, he/she is immediately bombarded with possibility and question. Should I make my bed? Which bottle of shampoo should I use? What shirt should I wear to day? Are some of the question people may ask themselves as they wake up and prepare for the day. We are able to make decision at every point in are life, and some decisions can make or break your career; one bad decision could even take away your family, house

In this quote, Dillard is supposing that humans often become engrossed in the selfish desire to obtain more; whether it be wealth, power, or how others perceive them. Personally, it is easy to see correlation between the mindset I carry and Dillard’s perspective of her encounter with the weasel. Life can be unquestionably overwhelming at times, as a result of this I often picture myself in the life of someone completely incompatible to mine. From my standpoint, their life may be perceived as stress-free and full of freedom, but I am unaware of the challenges that they may as well endure throughout their existence. When Dillard made eye contact with the weasel she experienced 60 seconds of blissful emptiness. Taking time to reflect on your values compared to how others attain theirs is demonstrated crucially in this piece. Dillard states, “I would like to learn, or remember, how to live. I come to Hollins Pond not so much to learn how to live as, frankly, to forget about it” (8). According to the way I view the world, the point Dillard is attempting to get across to the reader is that freedom can be attained by anyone no matter the circumstance, you can be who you want to be with no limitation. I always try to get the most out of

Annie Dillard’s essay “Living Like Weasels” exhibits the mindless, unbiased, and instinctive ways she proposes humans should live by observing a weasel at a nearby pond close to her home. Dillard encounters about a sixty second gaze with a weasel she seems to entirely connect with. In turn, this preludes a rapid sequence of questions and propositions about “living as we should”. Unfortunately, we tend to consume our self with our surroundings and distractions in life, which is not a problem until we are blatantly told. How have we strayed so far from our once instinctive lifestyle?

   “Why do some people persist despite insurmountable obstacles, while others give up quickly or never bother to try” (Gunton 118)? A Raisin in the Sun, a play by Lorraine Hansberry, is a commentary on life and our struggle to comprehend and control it. The last scene in the play between Asagai and Beneatha contrasts two contemporary views on why we keep on trying to change the future, and reaches the conclusion that, far from being a means to an end, the real meaning of life is the struggle. Whether we succeed or not, our lives are purposeful only if we have tried to make the world a better place for ourselves and others- only, in other words, if we follow our dreams.

"No matter who tries to teach you lessons about life, you won't understand it until you go through it on your own." Lessons are an important part of everyday life. They help people learn through tough times or teach them how to avoid terrible situations. Lessons can be passed down from adults to their children, or other important people in their lives. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout understands not everyone is fortunate, there is more than meets the eye, and that you can not trust rumors.