Living Like Weasels Cristina Fyfe: I think that some people do live their lives similar to the weasel in the sense that they hold onto their biggest dreams and ambitions until they are dead, or in the weasel's case, even after death. Of course, there are some individuals who waste and opportunity in life, who are not loving and living as they should.
Cristina Fyfe: I think that the speaker in the short story does not want to be someone who wastes their life, and I really do not believe she is. She says that she goes over to Hollins Pond/Murray's Pond because she wants to learn how to live, but I think that she is living because she enjoys the lily pads and "miracles" which this pond brings.
Kelsea Alba: Yes Cristina, I agree with you to certain extent. For example, I believe that the speaker does use the tranquility of Hollins Pond to escape from his everyday lifestyle. By using words with positive connotation to describe the surroundings, it’s obvious the speaker is fond of the beautiful setting. In turn, she avoids being in the environment she normally is in. I think this is because the speaker detests making choices; she realizes that all life is, is an accumulation of one decision over the next. And frankly, I think she’s right. Every day, we must prioritize the list of our lives in order to get by. What the speaker really wants is to simply “forget about it”.
Kelsea Alba: I believe it’s because of this that she admires the weasel so much! As the author includes within the text: “the weasel lives in necessity and we live in choice.” The process for the weasel is less complicated than it is for the speaker: it lives by what it needs. Therefore if it lacks food, it attains food; if it needs shelter, it reaches shelter. There’s no need for decision-making in the weasel’s actions, as he acts on impulse. I think the speaker really admires this determination, since she must fit so much within her range of choices and she’s exhausted.
Cristina Fyfe: I agree with what you are saying, but I don't agree with the speaker in the sense that living for "necessity" is better than living in "choice". I think one thing that distinguishes our species from several other species is our ability to make decisions, and use emotions to determine our future. We have the capability to store memory and thus we can indulge previous moments of joy as well as sulk in moments of sadness. I think that the speaker misses this point as she wants to live simply out of necessity.
Kelsea Alba: Yes, you’re absolutely right. I can’t manage to think how monotonous our lives would be if we’d live by necessity and nothing more. We are lucky to have a range of emotions and the ability to make decisions accordingly. However, I do understand why the speaker would like to escape this process of decision-making once in a while. Personally, I think it’s exhausting to overload our lives with choices; no matter how small they are. It’s as if we always must do something, and therefore we must prioritize the order in which we do it. If living as freely as the weasel offers the escape from complexity, then I somehow understand why she would admire this lifestyle.
Cristina Fyfe: The concept of things being "in the way" versus "out of the way" is a reocurring theme throughout the short story. In the first paragraph, the speaker questions the validity of something being "out of the way." "Out of the way of what?" she asks. She questions her answer as well, "out of the way of human life, tenderness, or the glance of heaven?" I think the conclusion the author comes to is that any "out of the way place" is actually "in the way" and that the beauty of life and the true joys of life can be found at any moment, they just need to be looked for. Perhaps the bustling city of "human life" as she points out is not the easiest space to find the "basin of greenness [...], grace, [...and] peace", which contribute the special wonders of life. This does not mean though, that it is impossible to find them. The jungle has helped the speaker remember that they exist, and like another member of the group she traveled with, maybe she does not want to go "back" because these are some of the wonderful pleasure which she believes she can only find in the jungle.
Kelsea Alba: Yes, I’m in complete agreement with you Cristina. Throughout the essay, Dillard rambles and rambles about the magnificence of the jungle. For example, she translates from the high spirits of the “village girls” to descriptions of the “canopy” flora, to the wildlife within the “Napo River.” This accelerated tone depicts her excitement about the rainforest. She obviously feels overblown by its beauty; perhaps the author didn’t even expect the jungle to be as striking as it turned out to be. I think it’s this surprise that causes her to reflect upon the urban areas she and the other Americans live in. By doubting whether or not to return to these locations, she shows certain preference for the jungle since she insists that “we are here on the planet only once, and might as well get a feel for the place.” I believe this argument demonstrates the author’s motto in life: to make use of the best of it. Due to this, she integrates the repeating concept of what’s considered “in” and “out of the way”. At the end of the essay, and hence the journey, the author concludes that the Napo River is in fact “in the way.” In other words, its “greenness”, “grace” and “peace” are splendid factors that make it irresistible to meet at least once in a lifetime. This truly is the essence of life.
Cristina Fyfe: I like your observation about her accelerated tone and how that relates to her excitement in the jungle, and I agree with you fully on that she was “overblown” and really surprised about what she found around the Napo River. I think that through the quote about being “on the planet only once”, and that we should “get a feel for the place”, she’s not only trying to convey the message that we should make the most out of life, but also that the world in which we live in is not REALLY Earth anymore - it is just a concrete jungle. I think through that phrase she is trying to communicate that “the place”, the real Earth, is what we should look for - where humans are one with nature.
Kelsea Alba: I got that exact same thought! Ultimately, what the author intends to state is a message of urgency towards the readers. Though this is subtle, through the use of delicate words, Dillard wants to warn us that we are actually destroying our natural world. The making of buildings, factories and technological improvements are blocking our view of the beautiful Amazon. Therefore it is placed “out of the way” when in reality its grand value should be put “in the way” of the world’s focus. Dillard believes the 21st century is exerting their attention on concrete issues when they should learn to appreciate the abstract.
Living Like Weasels
ReplyDeleteCristina Fyfe: I think that some people do live their lives similar to the weasel in the sense that they hold onto their biggest dreams and ambitions until they are dead, or in the weasel's case, even after death. Of course, there are some individuals who waste and opportunity in life, who are not loving and living as they should.
Cristina Fyfe: I think that the speaker in the short story does not want to be someone who wastes their life, and I really do not believe she is. She says that she goes over to Hollins Pond/Murray's Pond because she wants to learn how to live, but I think that she is living because she enjoys the lily pads and "miracles" which this pond brings.
Kelsea Alba: Yes Cristina, I agree with you to certain extent. For example, I believe that the speaker does use the tranquility of Hollins Pond to escape from his everyday lifestyle. By using words with positive connotation to describe the surroundings, it’s obvious the speaker is fond of the beautiful setting. In turn, she avoids being in the environment she normally is in. I think this is because the speaker detests making choices; she realizes that all life is, is an accumulation of one decision over the next. And frankly, I think she’s right. Every day, we must prioritize the list of our lives in order to get by. What the speaker really wants is to simply “forget about it”.
Kelsea Alba: I believe it’s because of this that she admires the weasel so much! As the author includes within the text: “the weasel lives in necessity and we live in choice.” The process for the weasel is less complicated than it is for the speaker: it lives by what it needs. Therefore if it lacks food, it attains food; if it needs shelter, it reaches shelter. There’s no need for decision-making in the weasel’s actions, as he acts on impulse. I think the speaker really admires this determination, since she must fit so much within her range of choices and she’s exhausted.
Cristina Fyfe: I agree with what you are saying, but I don't agree with the speaker in the sense that living for "necessity" is better than living in "choice". I think one thing that distinguishes our species from several other species is our ability to make decisions, and use emotions to determine our future. We have the capability to store memory and thus we can indulge previous moments of joy as well as sulk in moments of sadness. I think that the speaker misses this point as she wants to live simply out of necessity.
Kelsea Alba: Yes, you’re absolutely right. I can’t manage to think how monotonous our lives would be if we’d live by necessity and nothing more. We are lucky to have a range of emotions and the ability to make decisions accordingly. However, I do understand why the speaker would like to escape this process of decision-making once in a while. Personally, I think it’s exhausting to overload our lives with choices; no matter how small they are. It’s as if we always must do something, and therefore we must prioritize the order in which we do it. If living as freely as the weasel offers the escape from complexity, then I somehow understand why she would admire this lifestyle.
THIS IS FOR THE NEXT ESSAY
ReplyDeleteCristina Fyfe: The concept of things being "in the way" versus "out of the way" is a reocurring theme throughout the short story. In the first paragraph, the speaker questions the validity of something being "out of the way." "Out of the way of what?" she asks. She questions her answer as well, "out of the way of human life, tenderness, or the glance of heaven?" I think the conclusion the author comes to is that any "out of the way place" is actually "in the way" and that the beauty of life and the true joys of life can be found at any moment, they just need to be looked for. Perhaps the bustling city of "human life" as she points out is not the easiest space to find the "basin of greenness [...], grace, [...and] peace", which contribute the special wonders of life. This does not mean though, that it is impossible to find them. The jungle has helped the speaker remember that they exist, and like another member of the group she traveled with, maybe she does not want to go "back" because these are some of the wonderful pleasure which she believes she can only find in the jungle.
Kelsea Alba: Yes, I’m in complete agreement with you Cristina. Throughout the essay, Dillard rambles and rambles about the magnificence of the jungle. For example, she translates from the high spirits of the “village girls” to descriptions of the “canopy” flora, to the wildlife within the “Napo River.” This accelerated tone depicts her excitement about the rainforest. She obviously feels overblown by its beauty; perhaps the author didn’t even expect the jungle to be as striking as it turned out to be. I think it’s this surprise that causes her to reflect upon the urban areas she and the other Americans live in. By doubting whether or not to return to these locations, she shows certain preference for the jungle since she insists that “we are here on the planet only once, and might as well get a feel for the place.” I believe this argument demonstrates the author’s motto in life: to make use of the best of it. Due to this, she integrates the repeating concept of what’s considered “in” and “out of the way”. At the end of the essay, and hence the journey, the author concludes that the Napo River is in fact “in the way.” In other words, its “greenness”, “grace” and “peace” are splendid factors that make it irresistible to meet at least once in a lifetime. This truly is the essence of life.
Cristina Fyfe: I like your observation about her accelerated tone and how that relates to her excitement in the jungle, and I agree with you fully on that she was “overblown” and really surprised about what she found around the Napo River. I think that through the quote about being “on the planet only once”, and that we should “get a feel for the place”, she’s not only trying to convey the message that we should make the most out of life, but also that the world in which we live in is not REALLY Earth anymore - it is just a concrete jungle. I think through that phrase she is trying to communicate that “the place”, the real Earth, is what we should look for - where humans are one with nature.
Kelsea Alba: I got that exact same thought! Ultimately, what the author intends to state is a message of urgency towards the readers. Though this is subtle, through the use of delicate words, Dillard wants to warn us that we are actually destroying our natural world. The making of buildings, factories and technological improvements are blocking our view of the beautiful Amazon. Therefore it is placed “out of the way” when in reality its grand value should be put “in the way” of the world’s focus. Dillard believes the 21st century is exerting their attention on concrete issues when they should learn to appreciate the abstract.