Teaching A Stone By Dillard Writes

While reading “Becoming a Learner” by Matthew L. Sanders, I found many interesting points on college education that I have never really focused on. One of my favorite statements that Sanders makes is that “who you are still matters more than what you can do because it speaks to your long term potential for success.” I thought this was very interesting and inspiring because it is encouraging the reader to focus on developing themselves rather than some impractical skills. I also thought it was really cool when Sanders made the point that “it’s not only what you do that counts; it’s also how you do it.” I thought that this quote is relatable on so many different levels, especially in the aspect of college. Sometimes you can take the easy way

In “Living Like Weasels,” author Annie Dillard’s idea is that humans can benefit from living wild as a weasel. I strongly agree because to live wild like a weasel is to live mindless, free and focused. With these living abilities we as humans will be able get closer to our aspirations in life and do whatever means necessary to get there.

One thing Dillard says that could impact the reader’s feelings about seeing a total eclipse would be how she says “God save us” (482). What does Dillard want to be saved from, before this she is describing the movement of the sun into the final phase of the total eclipse almost as if she is dieing because all the colors around her are changing, turning from green to black and gray because of the lack of sun. Why would Dillard ask God to save her? Is she scared because this total eclipse is unknown to her having never experienced it? Some people might say why would I want to see something that is related to something like death, and I believe that one would want to witness such an event because death is something you can only participate in once because after you have you are only existent in people’s memories. Inquisitiveness would overrule any other feeling for many people and would be a point to fortify that the reader would want to see a total eclipse even more so because the experience of

This is my book report about, “The Amulet Book 1 The Stonekeeper” by Kazu Kibuishi. The main characters of the story are Emily, Navin, Miskit, Karen, and Silas. Emily is the 12-year-old daughter of Karen Hayes. Emily is the natural born leader who hasn’t been the same ever since she witnessed her father’s death. Navin is the youngest of the Hayes family. He loves video games, robots, and making Emily laugh. Miskit is known as the brains of the team and acts as Silas’s right-hand robot for many years. Karen is Emily’s mother. She is a single mother who wants what is best for her kids. She’s still going through some tough problems ever since her husband died. Silas is Emily’s great-grandfather and the previous owner of the amulet. The bad guy in the story is the Elf King’s son, Trellis. He sent the monster after Emily’s mother in order to get to Emily.

Sitting in the dark at night, we gaze up at the night sky, in awe and wonder. Through the sacrifice of our certainty, confidence, knowledge—civilization in a manner even—we are able to see the stars, planets, heavens, something beautiful we would never see without them. It is only by willing sacrifice, forfeiture, or things we hold dear that we are able to realize something truly beautiful, and "Transfiguration," by Annie Dillard argues thus. In "Transfiguration" Annie Dillard utilizes analogy to convince the reader to become writers, even though it involves a life of sacrifice.

As I read more and more the more I get confused. It is just the way the author writes, that throws me off track. I did realize that there was little stories throughout the passages that I found interesting, but it just skips around so much. There are many different ways people can write. It all depends on what you like to read. I think that if I started to read these kinds of things on a daily basis I would start to learn how to read them better.

When needing to retreat, Annie Dillard goes to Tinker Creek and immerses herself in nature. During one of these trips, she has a snippet of a revelation, which makes her see beauty and ugliness in harmony and see the world as meaningful; even though there is sorrow. In this passage, Dillard uses the symbolism of a maple key and similes to explain its descend as something beautiful, seeing the positive in the negative.

One of the many challenges associated with writing is that of writing style. It can help highlight the work when used effectively, or the opposite, if used ineffectively. Some have an intuitive grasp on matter while others struggle. In his book “A Lesson Before Dying”, author Ernest J. Gaines effectively conveys his story through his stylistic choices. He does this through Jefferson’s diary in chapter 29, Grant’s observations and thoughts throughout the story, and the “third-person" perspective of chapter 30. These things elevate the immersion of the story and gives further insight into what Gaines is trying to convey.

Annie Dillard’s “Seeing” discusses the two possible ways to properly see things and relates them to light versus darkness in nature, and upstream versus downstream of a river. The essay explains that there are two ways to see things in the world; to look for something specific, or to let go of that desire to see something. Both types of seeing are also combined with either brightness or darkness and with either upstream or downstream. Dillard has trouble seeing anything in the upstream of the river because that part of the river is always dark or cloudy. On the other hand, she can see the animals in the downstream of the river, where everything is bright and lively. The river is split in two different symbols which help show the best way that one should view nature. The downstream and the upstream of the river have unique characteristics, and Dillard also compares them to darkness and light. By using powerful imagery and diction, Dillard is able to compare the two types of seeing and explain why letting go of the desire to see is the best way to look at things.

Toni Cade Bambara’s "The Lesson" revolves around a young black girl’s struggle to come to terms with the role that economic injustice, and the larger social injustice that it constitutes, plays in her life. Sylvia, the story’s protagonist, initially is reluctant to acknowledge that she is a victim of poverty. Far from being oblivious of the disparity between the rich and the poor, however, one might say that on some subconscious level, she is in fact aware of the inequity that permeates society and which contributes to her inexorably disadvantaged economic situation. That she relates poverty to shame—"But I feel funny, shame. But what I got to be

The Drug War has been a policy and a battle to stop drug flow into the U.S, cease drug production and to completely illuminate drugs entirely but results have shown otherwise. In 1971, President Richard Nixon first declared the Drug war and classified drugs as a number one public enemy shortly after drug use hit its peak in the 1960’s. The U.S previously had anti-drug laws but the laws were light and directed mainly to minorities. The following President Jimmy Carter believed in decriminalizing Marijuana and certain portions of Marijuana were legal to possess during his term but the legalization was shortly lived. A new attempted solution was a program Nancy Reagan, President

I believe that Dillard had a moment of isolation. She felt lonely, and wanted to experience this act of Mother Nature with others. Additionally, all of her husband’s pictures came out looking black and white and in a grayscale. She then stated that her hands were silver and the sky was a dark navy blue. She wanted to celebrate her first eclipse adventure with others. She also would have liked more man made lighting to get better

Many of the decisions you make in life will lead you into different paths and overall effect the end results. In the novel Stones by William Bell, Garnet faces many decisions that lead him into feelings of frustration as an end result, when, his mother leaves to an unsafe country for work to cover the arrival of the U.N. At the same that that they are moving out of his old home he grew up in and also, having to finish his last 2 months of his high school year and put aside his career plans. Having to finish his high school year is going to have a major effect as the novel continues for the fact that now he must finish school and he isn’t the biggest fan of it.

Annie Dillard opens Pilgrim at Tinker Creek mysteriously, hinting at an unnamed presence. She toys with the longstanding epic images of battlefields and oracles, injecting an air of holiness and awe into the otherwise ordinary. In language more poetic than prosaic, she sings the beautiful into the mundane. She deifies common and trivial findings. She extracts the most high language from all the possible permutations of words to elevate and exalt the normal. Under her pen, her literary devices and her metaphors, a backyard stream becomes a shrine. Writing a prayer, Dillard becomes an instrument through which a ubiquitous spirit reveals itself. Yet in other cases, she latches on to an image

This short story was more poetic and focuses more on telling a thought provoking story based on experience. I feel like this story relied more on describing the characters and their own experiences regarding seeing the Apollo 8 mission. I was a little throw off by the author’s use of unnecessary story elements that really that add to the story like describing his friend’s personal stories about their own families and relationships. I feel like the story revolves around them only and should focus on their own feelings about the event that is taking place. Much like “Two Photographs by Walker Evans”, this was more of a subjective personal story rather than a narrative that follows the traditional plot set up. I did like the upbeat and more positive