Tinker Creek Summary

For centuries, seasons have been understood to stand for the same set of meanings. Seasons are easily understood by the reader, and are easy for the writer to use; as Foster states, “Seasons can work magic on us, and writers can work magic with seasons” (Foster 192). The different seasons are a huge part of our lives; we live through each one every year, and we know how each of them impacts our lives. This closeness between people and nature allows us to be greatly impacted by the use of seasons in literature. In addition, Foster lays out the basic meanings of each season for us: autumn is harvest, decline, tiredness; winter is anger, hatred, cold, old age; summer is passion, love, happiness, beauty; and spring is childhood and youth. On the

The narrator shares this story from his youth in the words of an educated man. His actions as a teen are in stark contrast to his phraseology as an adult. Early in the story, he viewed “nature” as sex, drugs and rock and roll (Boyle 112-113). However, as the story ends and the turmoil subsides, the narrator sees nature for the first time, through the eyes of a person matured by this traumatic experience. The “sun firing buds and opening blossoms” replaced the once revered beer and

The use of imagery builds the story and expresses how important Dillard's childhood was in shaping the women she has become today . The excerpt begins with a reflection upon her childhood and growing up a tomboy. Dillard set the stage for “the chase” by explaining the day as “cloudy but cold” (5) with cars lining the snow covered street. Imagery is used not only to set the stage for the day of “the chase” but it is also used to describe the man chasing them as a city man dressed in “a suit and tie, street shoes” (10). Using imagery to describe the man’s appearance helps the reader to understand how unusual the man's appearance was and that the man was chasing them through the city. Dillard builds the suspense of “the chase” by taking the reader through the motions, past a “...yellow house...under a low tree, up a bank, through a hedge…” (12), she builds an image in our minds of the neighborhood. The imagery is used to build up the scene, convey suspense and create emotions for the reader.

She became accustomed to the perception of a desert being portrayed as dull and lifeless (Being raised in Kentucky) until this trip. Throughout this scene, she expresses her fascination for nature, and uses a tone of awe and allurement while describing the attributes about the land with metaphors. This narration occurred following the first rainfall, when Mattie and Taylor decided to go to the desert. This passage which is distinctive of Kingsolver’s portrayal of the natural landscape shows her sudden awareness diverse atmospheres. By linking to the scenery to “the palm of a human hand”, the author uses the literary device of personification with the mountains and the town. Her phrase “resting in its cradle of mountains” associates the basin to a child, and the phrases “city like a palm”and“life lines and heart lines hints a grown-up. The terrain exemplifies a life from the beginning to end. Taylor describes the land my linking each attribute with lots of metaphors, which then confirms that the tone is “wonder and allurement” because it demonstrates that she is emotionally connected to the

“He looked around him as if seeing the world for the first time. The world was beautiful, strange, and mysterious.” (page 39)

Section two is called “Too Early.” In this section of the chapter, the author discusses the beauties that can be seen by people and animals that get up before the sunrise. The author describes showing up at the marsh too early for the sun was really a lesson in listening. The

and bad, there is beauty to be seen. Dillard struggles through the novel in search of factual

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.

Daniel Okrent is an award winning journalist, and the first public editor of The New York Times and managing editor of Life magazine. Throughout the book Okrent uses many sources of information. Okrent’s sources include newspapers, magazines, oral histories, websites, and interviews conducted by Okrent. It was clear Okrent had done a lot of research about the era before beginning to write this book. Many sources were of use and he even uses primary sources to back up his information. While there are many sources of use by Okrent, much of the information is foggy because of the poor layout and structure of this book. The book is broken up into four parts. Part I titled “The Struggle”, Part II titled “The Flood”, Part III “The War Of the Wet and The Dry”, and Part IV

Annie Dillard describes the Napo River in the Ecuadorian jungle in a beautiful and calm way. This is illustrated blatantly when she uses vivid imagery and descriptive word choice to speak about amazing phenomena in the jungle. She describes the beauty of the illuminated fireflies, the variety of the colossal trees, and the millions of noises spread throughout the jungle, creating a melodious lullaby. She describes the native peoples with delight, and the vastness of the jungle in awe. Although, Dillard describes the obvious beauty of nature, she also describes the jungle in a different way.

This is startling because if we are compared to something smaller than what we recognize to be the most minuscule on Earth, then how little is our understanding of God and the universe? This leaves us with the feeling that we have only the tiniest understanding of God. Taylor's “Prologue” and “Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold,” reiterates the idea of how microscopic we are, considering Taylor depicts the wasp with human qualities like a “pettycoat” and a “satin jacket” (148). However, by comparing ourselves to this tiny wasp there we can still admire the beauty in its creation, giving us hope as though it's existence was something

“Contemplations” by Anne Bradstreet is a poem of thirty-three seven-line stanzas. It has an ABAB CCC rhyme scheme. This complex poem exists as a justification of writing as a unity with God that ends with the questioning of humanity’s placement in the hierarchy of the universe. The theme is presented as a tightly woven structure of different concepts, nature and religion go hand and hand. The poet is conflicted because she has hopes of being able to glorify God, but is hindered by a sense of her own insufficiency. The word contemplation is another word for meditations; therefore, this poem provides the reader with several different scenes of meditation. Some of the scenes include the poet mediating on how God made nature and how it is supposed to mirror Heaven. The poet believes that humans need to meditate on this fact on a daily basis and remind themselves of their placement within the universe. “Throughout the poem the poet ultimately resolves that God alone is eternal and human-made objects, designs and history will fade eventually”

It’s about recreating her experience with such precise detail that her essay has a booming impact on its reader. Her depiction of the setting and atmosphere allows the reader to relive the narrators experience as if beside her the entire time. Take for example the imagery in this statement “the bank, feet, even the invisible frogs”. She uses imagery to convey the same sensations she felt during her observations. We are also given images of frogs being “exactly half in and half out of the water.” Dillard presents the events to the audience in the same way she experienced them. We discover that the narrator “learned to recognize, slowing down, the difference in texture of the light reflected from mudbank, water, grass, or frog.” This allows the reader to better appreciate and relate to the writing by picturing the descriptions the writer intended. Dillard’s usage of metaphors and simile create an even more lasting image on the reader. His skull is “like a kicked tent”, “like a deflating football”, and finally his skin becomes “formless as a pricked balloon.” The references to the tent, football, and balloon are perfect examples since we can relate to them. In this chilling way the author taps into our emotions and allows us to sense the phenomena she is

Annie Dillard’s effective use of language and style reflect and further the opinions she voices within “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”. She knows how to reel the audience in and then strengthens her points with such detailed descriptions of every little thing. A common theme throughout this classic is about seeing and gaining the ability to be able to see things for their beauty and what they really are. Dillard also wants her audience to see the things that are usually not noticeable or sometimes even taken for granted. Things such as objects, events and creatures, Dillard does a great job at making the words on the pages jump out and come to life. She first points out the tomcat. She vividly describes how this big bloody-pawed tomcat would lay

The fleeting changes that often accompany seasonal transition are especially exasperated in a child’s mind, most notably when the cool crisp winds of fall signal the summer’s end approaching. The lazy routine I had adopted over several months spent frolicking in the cool blue chlorine soaked waters of my family’s bungalow colony pool gave way to changes far beyond the weather and textbooks. As the surrounding foliage changed in anticipation of colder months, so did my family. My mother’s stomach grew larger as she approached the final days of her pregnancy and in the closing hours of my eight’ summer my mother gently awoke me from the uncomfortable sleep of a long car ride to inform of a wonderful surprise. No longer would we be returning