Post by roycastro on Mar 11, 2009 18:36:42 GMT -5
Purpose and Meaning
1. What does learning about Annie Dillard's mother tell us about Annie Dillard? What influences can you detect in Dillard's writing that may have come from her mother's curious sense of humor and excellent ear?
Personal observations and experiences have shown us that parents may have more of an influence on their children than people might think. Naturally, it seems likely that Annie Dillard would have been influenced by her mother in certain aspects; she was. All her life, Annie Dillard's mother has shown idiosyncrasies, verbally played practical jokes, and has caught people in their own web of ambiguous colloquialisms with her keen ear for use of language. This has engendered a predilection for detail in Annie Dillard herself which becomes evident in her writing. Obtaining the ability to recall specific aspects of certain words and the feelings evoked from certain words. Dillard was able to "remember the thrill in her [mother's] voice" when she said "That . . . is a royal poinciana." She also noticed the dramatic effect on her mother from the pronunciation of the words "Tamiami Trail." This keen recollection of specific details leads one to believe that Dillard has been influenced by her mother in being able to recall or take notice of such things.
2. In paragraph 2, Dillard recounts how her mother repeated the phrase "Terwilliger bunts one" for years after she first heard it, and at the most outrageous moments. In paragraphs 7 and 8, she discusses the names of a road and the effect they had on her and others. In paragraph 9, she writes about various "Pittsburghisms." How do these examples characterize the power of language to amuse, place, and even separate people? How is this essay in some ways more about language than about Dillard's mother?
The constant and out-of context use of "terwilliger bunts one" by Dillard's mother exemplifies the idea that language can amuse people. The fact that she says that phrase at even the most inappropriate times implies a spontaneity in Dillard's mom that can only mean one thing: she has the potential to amuse people. How? Through her use of language: "terwilliger bunts one." Language also has the ability to virtually place people through the use of details. In paragraphs 7 and 8, Dillard goes about explaining the building of the Tamiami Trail and all of the dangers that workers faced with the superfluousness of it all. The use of careful detail and diazeugma allows the reader to become a bystander during the construction. Dillard speaks of the "Pittsburghisms" that are said by no other than the people of Pittsburgh in paragraph 9. She states how her mother would take notice of the "Pittsburgh interchangeability" of the words "leave" and "let." Although people from Florida clearly saw a difference between the two, the same could not be said for inhabitants of Pittsburgh. This is a clear example of the power of language to separate people.
3. What is the thesis of this essay?
Throughout the entire essay, Dillard conveys the idiosyncrasies that made her mother who she was, but the thesis of this essay comes into play only when we examine the influence that Dillard's mother's nonconformity had on her. The thesis can be summed up with the idea that the power of language is designed to "keep us all awake" so that we may "take a stand" when necessity calls for it. This is cogently demonstrated in the final paragraph in which Dillard has a conversation with her mother about her predictions of the Eisenhower election. Dillard stated that she knew Eisenhower would win because "everyone says so." Her mother then reassured her with some witted and thought-provoking rhetorical questions that she didn't quite know everything yet; it would be utter ignorance to speak without having a logical argument to go by. This, in turn, influenced Dillard to "stay awake" in a sense and "take a stand" for what she believes in with a well thought-out argument.
Language and Style
1. What is phonetically appealing about "Terwilliger bunts one"; "royal poinciana" (paragraph b); "Tamiami Trail" (paragraph 7)? Read the phrases out loud as you consider sound here.
When it comes to the aesthetics of words, we must consider the make-up of the word or phrase: syllable density, use of vowels, and at times, the colloquiality of the words. In this case, the phrase "Terwilliger" contains multiple syllables and is comprised of mostly vowels; the rest of the phrase, "bunts one" contains a colloquiality that when you take the entire phrase into account, seems fairly euphonic. The same can be said about the number of syllables and the use of vowels for "royal poinciana," the combination of the two elements come together to sound phonetically appealing. Similar to sibilance, alliteration can also play a large role in phonetic appeal. In the case of "Tamiami Trail," this is the main reason why the name is appealing; it seems to virtually roll off the tongue with the double T-sounds.
2. Note the powerful mixing of nouns and verbs in this series of sentences; "men stood sunk in muck to their armpits .... They blasted muck with dynamite, cut jungle with machetes; they laid logs, dragged drilling machines, hauled dredges, heaped limestone" (paragraph 7). How does the mixing of contrasting sounds, hard images, active verbs, and one- or two-syllable words invigorate the writing? Find other examples of this stylistic method.
If there is any device used in this essay that invigorates the writing, it's diazeugma. The mixing of the nouns and verbs in series allows this to happen, "They blasted muck with dynamite, cut jungle with machetes; they laid logs, dragged drilling machines, hauled dredges, heaped limestone" (paragraph 7). In this case ambiguity works in conjunction with imagery to provide an invigoration. When Dillard explains that "they blasted muck with dynamite," we can get a sense of the auditory and visual imagery involved in this because one is implied by the other, a "blast" sends debris flying along with a booming sound. Also, the symbiosis of nouns and verbs in diazeugma allow one to really get an idea of what is actually occuring and to what extent. The workers were HEAPING the limestone, DRAGGING the machines,and HAULING the dredges. All of these verbs imply a much deeper connotation than is conveyed by their denotative meanings. This invigorates the writing. Other examples of this strengthening method
3. Another feature of Dillard's writing is its specificity. The men weren't using an explosive; they used dynamite. The machines were drilling machines. The rock was limestone. Choose any paragraph in the essay and notice how specific her references are. Why is Dillard so careful to be specific?
There is no doubt that Dillard's specificity was engendered from her mother's keen ear for detail and it is no surprise that it manifests itself in her writing. Throughout Dillard's life, her mother had shown her numerous examples in which ambiguous or vague details worked against the idea that a person tried to convey. Considering the fact that Dillard is a writer, it is crucial that she conveys her point of view and reproduces the images in the manner she favors; specific details do this for her. In paragraph 25, Dillard makes it evident that she has a "stolid father" and mother that played bridge "fast and boldly," tossing her cards behind her back in "swift motion" with a "vibrantly innocent look" on her face. From these details, we can get a pretty good idea of what her mother is like, which is important to Dillard considering that she admires her mother. Dillard wants to convey that admiration; she achieves her goal through her use of specificity.
4. What stylistic devices does Dillard employ to create a humorous tone in this essay?
To develop a humorous tone, Dillard uses pauses in order to introduce separate, humorous thoughts with commas, semicolons, parentheses and hyphens in mid sentence or shortly proceeding the sentence. Dillard uses this syntax variation to describe her mother in different, more memorable ways, which makes the perception of the tone more effective. In describing her mother, Dillard explains the various practical jokes she would play on people, the prank calls, and the mitigation of sincerity in situations by simply defying the rules or speaking out of turn. These idiosyncrasies that inherently comprised Dillard's mother were presented in varied syntax, which created the humorous tone in this essay.
Strategy and Structure
1. While Dillard is interested in characterizing her mother, her subject is an American childhood, her childhood. Still, she focuses on her mother for many pages. We learn indirectly about Dillard's interest in language, her "know-it-all" attitude, her conditioning toward intellectual rigor and a questioning mind, as well as some of her politics. How effective is this approach? Why is her mother such a good model for Dillard's self-revelations?
As the old informal proverb goes, "if you want to know what a woman will be like in twenty years, look at her mother." It is no wonder that she took after her mother in many things. After all, when we are younger, it is the parents that instill our manners, moral values, and behaviors that will evolve to make us the people we will become in the future. By focusing on her mother and her behavior, she is basically telling us the person she has come to be, or the person that she was inspired to be. This approach is far better than merely conveying the author's personality because not only does it convey it, but it cogently describes where it originated from.
2. Why doesn't Dillard ever tell us her mother's name? Is she failing to see her mother as an individual? What effect does it have on the readers' point of view?
Has anyone ever spoken about someone and you just wondered who it was they were speaking of, to the point in which you asked who the person is? Then, they proceed to tell you the name of the person and you instantly get a picture in your head. Chances are that the picture in your head will resemble someone with the same name. By refraining from telling us her mother's name, Dillard is actually strengthening her mother's individuality. If she were to reveal her mother's name, we would probably get a picture or a preconceived idea of who her mother is as an individual, thus obscuring the personality that Dillard tries to convey throughout the essay. By withholding her mom's name, Dillard allows us to see her mother as more of a unique person; therefore, heightening her individuality.
3. It is often said the people tend to remember best what comes first or last-in a poem, a movie, or a story. Since Dillard ends her essay with an account of her mother's insistence on a questioning, think-for-yourself kind of mind, she probably wants her readers particularly to remember this. Why? What is its significance to Dillard the writer?
In the final paragraph, Dillard demonstrates how her mother taught her to think for herself and to not let others influence her own opinions so that she may, if ever need may be, take a stand against those who oppose what she believes in. Dillard values this lesson her mother taught her and she hopes to transfer it to the her readers, which she hopes to achieve by attempting to make that lesson the most memorable in the essay; she does this by placing it at the very end of the essay.
1. What does learning about Annie Dillard's mother tell us about Annie Dillard? What influences can you detect in Dillard's writing that may have come from her mother's curious sense of humor and excellent ear?
Personal observations and experiences have shown us that parents may have more of an influence on their children than people might think. Naturally, it seems likely that Annie Dillard would have been influenced by her mother in certain aspects; she was. All her life, Annie Dillard's mother has shown idiosyncrasies, verbally played practical jokes, and has caught people in their own web of ambiguous colloquialisms with her keen ear for use of language. This has engendered a predilection for detail in Annie Dillard herself which becomes evident in her writing. Obtaining the ability to recall specific aspects of certain words and the feelings evoked from certain words. Dillard was able to "remember the thrill in her [mother's] voice" when she said "That . . . is a royal poinciana." She also noticed the dramatic effect on her mother from the pronunciation of the words "Tamiami Trail." This keen recollection of specific details leads one to believe that Dillard has been influenced by her mother in being able to recall or take notice of such things.
2. In paragraph 2, Dillard recounts how her mother repeated the phrase "Terwilliger bunts one" for years after she first heard it, and at the most outrageous moments. In paragraphs 7 and 8, she discusses the names of a road and the effect they had on her and others. In paragraph 9, she writes about various "Pittsburghisms." How do these examples characterize the power of language to amuse, place, and even separate people? How is this essay in some ways more about language than about Dillard's mother?
The constant and out-of context use of "terwilliger bunts one" by Dillard's mother exemplifies the idea that language can amuse people. The fact that she says that phrase at even the most inappropriate times implies a spontaneity in Dillard's mom that can only mean one thing: she has the potential to amuse people. How? Through her use of language: "terwilliger bunts one." Language also has the ability to virtually place people through the use of details. In paragraphs 7 and 8, Dillard goes about explaining the building of the Tamiami Trail and all of the dangers that workers faced with the superfluousness of it all. The use of careful detail and diazeugma allows the reader to become a bystander during the construction. Dillard speaks of the "Pittsburghisms" that are said by no other than the people of Pittsburgh in paragraph 9. She states how her mother would take notice of the "Pittsburgh interchangeability" of the words "leave" and "let." Although people from Florida clearly saw a difference between the two, the same could not be said for inhabitants of Pittsburgh. This is a clear example of the power of language to separate people.
3. What is the thesis of this essay?
Throughout the entire essay, Dillard conveys the idiosyncrasies that made her mother who she was, but the thesis of this essay comes into play only when we examine the influence that Dillard's mother's nonconformity had on her. The thesis can be summed up with the idea that the power of language is designed to "keep us all awake" so that we may "take a stand" when necessity calls for it. This is cogently demonstrated in the final paragraph in which Dillard has a conversation with her mother about her predictions of the Eisenhower election. Dillard stated that she knew Eisenhower would win because "everyone says so." Her mother then reassured her with some witted and thought-provoking rhetorical questions that she didn't quite know everything yet; it would be utter ignorance to speak without having a logical argument to go by. This, in turn, influenced Dillard to "stay awake" in a sense and "take a stand" for what she believes in with a well thought-out argument.
Language and Style
1. What is phonetically appealing about "Terwilliger bunts one"; "royal poinciana" (paragraph b); "Tamiami Trail" (paragraph 7)? Read the phrases out loud as you consider sound here.
When it comes to the aesthetics of words, we must consider the make-up of the word or phrase: syllable density, use of vowels, and at times, the colloquiality of the words. In this case, the phrase "Terwilliger" contains multiple syllables and is comprised of mostly vowels; the rest of the phrase, "bunts one" contains a colloquiality that when you take the entire phrase into account, seems fairly euphonic. The same can be said about the number of syllables and the use of vowels for "royal poinciana," the combination of the two elements come together to sound phonetically appealing. Similar to sibilance, alliteration can also play a large role in phonetic appeal. In the case of "Tamiami Trail," this is the main reason why the name is appealing; it seems to virtually roll off the tongue with the double T-sounds.
2. Note the powerful mixing of nouns and verbs in this series of sentences; "men stood sunk in muck to their armpits .... They blasted muck with dynamite, cut jungle with machetes; they laid logs, dragged drilling machines, hauled dredges, heaped limestone" (paragraph 7). How does the mixing of contrasting sounds, hard images, active verbs, and one- or two-syllable words invigorate the writing? Find other examples of this stylistic method.
If there is any device used in this essay that invigorates the writing, it's diazeugma. The mixing of the nouns and verbs in series allows this to happen, "They blasted muck with dynamite, cut jungle with machetes; they laid logs, dragged drilling machines, hauled dredges, heaped limestone" (paragraph 7). In this case ambiguity works in conjunction with imagery to provide an invigoration. When Dillard explains that "they blasted muck with dynamite," we can get a sense of the auditory and visual imagery involved in this because one is implied by the other, a "blast" sends debris flying along with a booming sound. Also, the symbiosis of nouns and verbs in diazeugma allow one to really get an idea of what is actually occuring and to what extent. The workers were HEAPING the limestone, DRAGGING the machines,and HAULING the dredges. All of these verbs imply a much deeper connotation than is conveyed by their denotative meanings. This invigorates the writing. Other examples of this strengthening method
3. Another feature of Dillard's writing is its specificity. The men weren't using an explosive; they used dynamite. The machines were drilling machines. The rock was limestone. Choose any paragraph in the essay and notice how specific her references are. Why is Dillard so careful to be specific?
There is no doubt that Dillard's specificity was engendered from her mother's keen ear for detail and it is no surprise that it manifests itself in her writing. Throughout Dillard's life, her mother had shown her numerous examples in which ambiguous or vague details worked against the idea that a person tried to convey. Considering the fact that Dillard is a writer, it is crucial that she conveys her point of view and reproduces the images in the manner she favors; specific details do this for her. In paragraph 25, Dillard makes it evident that she has a "stolid father" and mother that played bridge "fast and boldly," tossing her cards behind her back in "swift motion
4. What stylistic devices does Dillard employ to create a humorous tone in this essay?
To develop a humorous tone, Dillard uses pauses in order to introduce separate, humorous thoughts with commas, semicolons, parentheses and hyphens in mid sentence or shortly proceeding the sentence. Dillard uses this syntax variation to describe her mother in different, more memorable ways, which makes the perception of the tone more effective. In describing her mother, Dillard explains the various practical jokes she would play on people, the prank calls, and the mitigation of sincerity in situations by simply defying the rules or speaking out of turn. These idiosyncrasies that inherently comprised Dillard's mother were presented in varied syntax, which created the humorous tone in this essay.
Strategy and Structure
1. While Dillard is interested in characterizing her mother, her subject is an American childhood, her childhood. Still, she focuses on her mother for many pages. We learn indirectly about Dillard's interest in language, her "know-it-all" attitude, her conditioning toward intellectual rigor and a questioning mind, as well as some of her politics. How effective is this approach? Why is her mother such a good model for Dillard's self-revelations?
As the old informal proverb goes, "if you want to know what a woman will be like in twenty years, look at her mother." It is no wonder that she took after her mother in many things. After all, when we are younger, it is the parents that instill our manners, moral values, and behaviors that will evolve to make us the people we will become in the future. By focusing on her mother and her behavior, she is basically telling us the person she has come to be, or the person that she was inspired to be. This approach is far better than merely conveying the author's personality because not only does it convey it, but it cogently describes where it originated from.
2. Why doesn't Dillard ever tell us her mother's name? Is she failing to see her mother as an individual? What effect does it have on the readers' point of view?
Has anyone ever spoken about someone and you just wondered who it was they were speaking of, to the point in which you asked who the person is? Then, they proceed to tell you the name of the person and you instantly get a picture in your head. Chances are that the picture in your head will resemble someone with the same name. By refraining from telling us her mother's name, Dillard is actually strengthening her mother's individuality. If she were to reveal her mother's name, we would probably get a picture or a preconceived idea of who her mother is as an individual, thus obscuring the personality that Dillard tries to convey throughout the essay. By withholding her mom's name, Dillard allows us to see her mother as more of a unique person; therefore, heightening her individuality.
3. It is often said the people tend to remember best what comes first or last-in a poem, a movie, or a story. Since Dillard ends her essay with an account of her mother's insistence on a questioning, think-for-yourself kind of mind, she probably wants her readers particularly to remember this. Why? What is its significance to Dillard the writer?
In the final paragraph, Dillard demonstrates how her mother taught her to think for herself and to not let others influence her own opinions so that she may, if ever need may be, take a stand against those who oppose what she believes in. Dillard values this lesson her mother taught her and she hopes to transfer it to the her readers, which she hopes to achieve by attempting to make that lesson the most memorable in the essay; she does this by placing it at the very end of the essay.
