A yellow bird appeared to my right and flew behind me. Our eyes locked, and someone threw away the key. 4 Twenty minutes from my house, through the woods by the quarry and across the highway, is Hollins Pond, a remarkable piece of shallowness, where I like to go at sunset and sit on a tree trunk. Students answer text-dependent questions regarding the first seven paragraphs, exploring the juxtaposition of the natural environment with the evidence of human presence. It felled the forest, moved the fields, and drained the pond; the world dismantled and tumbled into that black hole of eyes. A moment spent dwelling too long, is a moment wasted. To these farmers across the barbed-wire fence, religion was life. Read the essay out loud to the class as students follow along in the text. The man could in no way pry the tiny weasel off, and he had to walk half a mile to water, the weasel dangling from his palm, and soak him off like a stubborn label 1. Teachers can use discussions to model and reinforce how to learn vocabulary from contextual clues, and students must be held accountable for engaging in this practice. ! Essentially, On a Hill Far Away was Dillards dj vu moment of her bizarre encounter with the weasel. ! Annie Dillard writes, " We could, you know. A weasel lives its life the way it was created to, not questioning his motives, simply striking when the time is right. One about the vigorous natural world; the other about human relationships. 8 Weasel! What comparisons does Dillard make to describe the weasel in paragraph 8? As a result, Dillard began to realize that life is all too short. Personification of the inhabitants in nature is done in order to prompt changes on peoples opinion on the universally accepted biotic hierarchy. Explain how the images. The she-cat shivered and paused for a moment to survey they area, her fellow clan-mates halted and watched her with weary appearances, each thin and poignant. The man could in no way pry the tiny weasel off, and he had to walk half a mile to water, the weasel dangling from his palm, and soak him off like a stubborn label. (Q9) Describe what is meant by being stunned into stillness drawing on evidence from paragraph 10. I find it really interesting that even though Dillard expresses her desire to live like the weasel, she constantly over-analyze and reflect on everything she sees. Ask the class to answer a small set of text-dependent guided questions and perform targeted tasks about the passage, with answers in the form of notes, annotations to the text, or more formal responses as appropriate. The eagle and the weasel must have gotten into one of these battles in which the weasel died still clinging onto the neck of the eagle., Marco Rubio, a frothy focused-grouped concoction whose main qualifications to be president consists of a nice smile and an easy wit, has been mocking Trump as a con man. This is an Ad Hominem within an Ad hominem. Day Two: Instructional Exemplar for Dillards Living Like Weasels Summary of Activities Teacher introduces the days passage with minimal commentary and students read it independently Teacher or skillful reader then reads the passage out loud to the class as students follow along in the text Teacher asks the class to discuss a set of text-dependent questions and to complete another journal entry Text Passage under DiscussionDirections for Teachers/Guiding Questions For Students8 Weasel! Sometimes he lives in his den for two days without leaving. At what point does the author start speaking about herself? This essay has been submitted by a student. Through her vivid and truly descriptive imagery, one may see emphasize and glorification to the way of life these little creatures live. In my opinion, the theme is that dont treat other people badly because they are different compared to you. This suggests a logos persuasive appeal that broadens the readers awareness of the conceptual abilities of crows. Why is this shift to first person important? Now, in summer, the steers are gone. At what point does the author start speaking about herself? The person knew the sinister force inside he/she was taking their mind and body over, despite the fact they knew what they were doing was morally wrong. I waited motionless, my mind suddenly full of data and my spirit with pleadings, but he didn't return. Have students identify the use of alliteration. What has passed has passed, but what hasnt passed is merely a mystery waiting to be discovered and potentially overlooked. Why does she give readers this bare bones summation and why does she do so at this point in the text? The process of journaling brings to the fore the tension that Dillard is exploring in her essaychoosing to live like a weasel (in the moment and unreflective) while writing about that choice (in a highly reflective and self conscious way). His journal is tracks in clay, a spray of feathers, mouse blood and bone: uncollected, unconnected, loose leaf, and blown. One memory, like the encounter, can last for a moment, but not a moment longer. Furthermore, the overall argument of this essay is not only eye-opening, but also persuasive considering that it leaves the reader with a life question; what standards am I living by? The thing is to stalk your calling in a certain skilled and supple way, to locate the tenderest and live spot and plug into that pulse. this juxtaposition fit with or challenge what we have already read? Dillard then moves on to tell about her first encounter seeing a weasel. Lines 19-21:Identify Dillards use of alliteration and consonance and describe their effect on, 3.Lines 3249: What instances of juxtaposition are in these lines? The appearance of her voice at this juncture foreshadows how Dillard will move later in the essay from factual descriptions to speculative observations (and finally to admonition). He was ten inches long, thin as a curve, a muscled ribbon, brown as fruitwood, soft-furred, alert. ! And I suspect that for me the way is like the weasel's: open to time and death painlessly, noticing everything, remembering nothing, choosing the given with a fierce and pointed will. Teachers should engage in a close examination of such sentences to help students discover how they are built and how they convey meaning. ! In one specific instance, an eagle was shot down, and on its neck was a dry weasel skull, still clamped shut on the eagles neck. 3 I have been reading about weasels because I saw one last week. Someone once mentioned "If you cannot change the world, then change your world." "Obedient to instinct". : Annie Dillards Teaching a Stone toTalk, Annie Dillards Living Like Weasels and On a Hill FarAway, Tempo, rhythm, and pacing in TGM Scene 6 (Scene 7 postbelow), Characterization via Relationships in TGM Scenes4-5. In one specific instance, an eagle was shot down, and on its neck was a dry weasel skull, still clamped shut on the eagles neck. Humanity is one of the many virtues we as humans believe we are born with. What significance do these observations hold? Students should recognize that the questions are a way to trail off or to make things seem inconclusive. McKay emphasizes within the first three lines that the conflict at hand is not merely a struggle then, but a fierce hunt in which there is no mercy and only one survivor. They became careless as time passes by, with no hope of being rescued. At first she believes that like her, the weasel is attempting to strike a meaningful exchange of introspective thoughts. ! He is later given a partner named Timmons to accompany him at his post., Have you been treated badly because you are different from other people? Other animal species only have instinct, thus making them less smart. Walker incorporates in her argument the similarities between her emotions as a human, and the emotions of animals. Students should consistently be reminded to include textual evidence in their journals to back up their claims and avoid non-text based speculation (i.e. At times, the questions themselves may focus on academic vocabulary. Teachers could also assign the prompt as an in-class essay, but also use the following day for peer-to-peer feedback. Butler shows the lack of attention they receive and over exaggerates the problem in order to show the extreme consequences if it is not properly addressed. He won't say. Now that Dillard has become a more experience writer, she herself avoids these pitfalls fairly well. I come to Hollins Pond not so much to learn how to live as, frankly, to forget about it. ! In fact, Dillard enjoyed [playing] at the creek, and pondering the beauty of the boys remarkable [formality] and articulate, speech (96)But ultimately, she understood that she had to go (100). 4 Twenty minutes from my house, through the woods by the quarry and across the highway, is Hollins Pond, a remarkable piece of shallowness, where I like to go at sunset and sit on a tree trunk. What benefits come when coworkers show teamwork? In Living like Weasels, Annie Dillard, through an encounter with a weasel, explores the contrast between human reason and animal instinct. Through Dillards realization, I came to understand Dillards core question: Could two live under the wild rose, and explore by the pond, so that the smooth mind of each is as everywhere present to the other, and as received and as unchallenged, as falling snow? (69). Dillard presents her argument using the analogy of a weasel and how the; weasel lives as hes meant to, yielding at every moment to the perfect freedom of single necessity (Dillard). In so far as I can imagine this (which is not very far), it tells me only what it would be like for me to behave as a bat behaves. 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. What is important is to allow all students to interact with challenging text on their own as frequently and independently as possible. $ y + * $ ! Who knows what he thinks? 1-7:Describe the varied syntax and its effects in these lines. In her essay, Am I Blue, Alice Walker argues how humans disregard the emotional similarities they share with animals. 13 What goes on in his brain the rest of the time? People take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedienceeven of silenceby choice. The "Living Like Weasels" essay is not included with the assessment. So. The eagle and the weasel must have gotten into one of these battles in which the weasel died still clinging onto the neck of the eagle., Staddon, John. He vanished under the wild rose. The teacher should be sure to highlight specific examples from the text if students overlook them: sleeps in his underground den he lives in his den for two days he stalks dragging the carcasses home Obedient to instinct he bites his prey (Q2) What instances in the text show a display of weasels being obedient to instinct? I would like to live in a civilization where the humans only option is to reach beyond what is to be expected, living a life that is easiest for them. How does this juxtaposition fit with or challenge what we have already read? This story is only a small part of the events that would take place in Europe against Jews for years to come. It is a valuable tool, not just for an animals utilization, in the sense that it can guide one in several situations. a 55 mph highway at one end. Its kind of ironic. Whether it means giving a speech in front of an audience or dancing on a stage, no one likes it. In other words, what is the effect of bracketing the discussion of Hollis Pond with mention of the weasel? What is the focus of her observations? As students move through these questions and reread Dillards Living Like Weasels, be sure to check for and reinforce their understanding of academic vocabulary in the corresponding text (which will be boldfaced the first time it appears in the text). But as we all know, Dillard is not so singularly minded in her approach to life as this last line suggests. I was looking down at a weasel, who was looking up at me (paragraph 7) These instances are a great way of introducing reflexive self-consciousness into the discussion. 2. By simplifying her experience and presenting a reasonable explanation for why she wanted to. At times, the questions themselves may focus on academic vocabulary. (Q18) Paragraphs 12 and 13 contain several questions instead of statements. 4. "if everything went perfectly- if his health did not degrade any further, if the weather held, if Burnham completed the other buildings on time, if strikes did not destroy the fair, if the many committees and directors" (118) uses parallel sentence . Some books we loved and even reread many times, and others - well lets just say did not even finish. However, he refuses to get it amputated and attempts suicide by riding his horse through a line of fire during war. pBl J" " b O 0 0 U l" F U On the other hand, the weasel was glad to obey its impulsive instinct and ensure its survival from such a mysterious giant-being. The shift to first person happens in the middle of the paragraph, almost as if the author was stealthily slipping into the conversation. I had crossed the highway, stepped over two low barbed-wire fences, and traced the motorcycle path in all gratitude through the wild rose and poison ivy of the pond's shoreline up into high grassy fields. 10 Our look was as if two lovers, or deadly enemies, met unexpectedly on an overgrown path when each had been thinking of something else: a clearing blow to the gut. make it violent? In Larry Bakers novel, Louise and her brother, Abraham Isaac, start their first day at school at the age of twelve. Outside, he rabbits, mice, muskrats, and birds, killing more stalks bodies than he can eat warm, and often dragging the carcasses home. Appendix A: Extension Readings The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop I caught a tremendous fishand held him beside the boathalf out of water, with my HYPERLINK "http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-fish/"hookfast in a corner of his mouth.He didn't fight.He hadn't fought at all.He hung a grunting weight,battered and venerableand homely. The use of symbolism throughout the story proves to be vital to the reader, as it allows him or her to understand the importance of every action done to the monkeys paw has an opposite consequence. Could two live that way? Without dignity(Q11) What was the purpose of Dillard coming to Hollins Pond? Why might she have chosen this point in the text for these descriptions? The driver had the fawns life in his hands, and instead of sparing its life, he/she acted out of their humane and moral codes by killing the fawn. However, I can definitely see the connection after reading your blogpost. It also generates evidence for their HW journal entry and introduces them to these ideas in a class setting before they have to grapple with them on an individual level at home. Thus, Dillard urges us to understand what we can understand, and move on from what we do not. Their brains are designed to correlate the outgoing impulses with the subsequent echoes, and the information thus acquired enables bats to make precise discriminations of distance, size, shape, motion, and texture comparable to those we make by vision. Now we know that most bats (the microchiroptera, to be precise) perceive the external world primarily by sonar, or echolocation, detecting the reflections, from objects within range, of their own rapid, subtly modulated, high-frequency shrieks. 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