|
Annie Dillard, “Heaven and Earth in Jest” from Pilgrim
at Tinker Creek (1974) Describe the difference Dillard discerns between active and passive mystery in nature. How are the mountains different from the stream? Why does Dillard find the steers who live in the adjacent farm gross and pathetic? Describe the spot to which Dillard is drawn whenever she goes walking. What nightmarish scene did she witness one day while hunting a frog? How does Dillard reconcile the existence of God with the giant water bug? (the mockingbird) What intrigued Dillard about the sharks she saw in the waves off the Florida beach? What does she find most beautiful about the sunset of a windy day? What is Dillard's mission in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek? How does the simple act of walking in her backyard leave her " breathless under the gale force of the spirit"? Paragraph: Why is it essential for Dillard to really see what is going on in a landscape? What does she find there? For her, what is at stake? |