(1)The air show announcer hushed. (2)He had been squawking all day, and now he quit. (3)The crowd stilled. (4)Even the children watched dumbstruck as the slow, black biplane buzzed its way around the air. (5)Rahm made beauty with his whole body; it was pure pattern, and you could watch it happen. (6)The plane moved every way a line can move, and it controlled three dimensions, so the line carved massive and subtle slits in the air like sculptures. (7)The plane looped the loop, seeming to arch its back like a gymnast; it stalled, dropped, and spun out of it climbing; it spiraled and knifed west on one side’s wings and back east on another; it turned cartwheels, which must be physically impossible; it played with its own line like a cat with yarn. (8)How did the pilot know where in the air he was? (9) If he got lost, the ground would swat him.
Showing posts with label Passages. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Passages. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Passage- "The Stunt Pilot"
(1)The air show announcer hushed. (2)He had been squawking all day, and now he quit. (3)The crowd stilled. (4)Even the children watched dumbstruck as the slow, black biplane buzzed its way around the air. (5)Rahm made beauty with his whole body; it was pure pattern, and you could watch it happen. (6)The plane moved every way a line can move, and it controlled three dimensions, so the line carved massive and subtle slits in the air like sculptures. (7)The plane looped the loop, seeming to arch its back like a gymnast; it stalled, dropped, and spun out of it climbing; it spiraled and knifed west on one side’s wings and back east on another; it turned cartwheels, which must be physically impossible; it played with its own line like a cat with yarn. (8)How did the pilot know where in the air he was? (9) If he got lost, the ground would swat him.
Passage Analysis of Dillard's "The Stunt Pilot"
In the essay “The Stunt Pilot”
written by Annie Dillard, Dave Rahm’s air shows are described, and his
inspiration to Annie Dillard is expressed.
In the seventh paragraph, Dillard describes the moment where his air
show begins. This passage is very close
to the beginning of the essay and describes the moment she was struck with
inspiration from his skill and relates it to artistic ability. In typical Dillard style, she describes the
moment as an observer in this moment, and later in the essay, continues to
contribute meaning to this impactful scene.
The
artistic diction featured in this passage, emphasizes how Dillard feels about
Rahm’s skill. She states that he “made
beauty with his whole body”. The
movements of his plane move “everyway a line can move, and it controlled three
dimensions”. Dillard sees the air show
as an artistic manipulation of the plane, rather than a stunt. The plane also creates “subtle slits in the
air like sculptures” and is compared to a “gymnast” doing “cartwheels”. All of this diction recreates the visions
Dillard saw, that inspired her so much. It
is an example of her observation which she later develops into a meaningful application
of life.
Dillard’s
use of similes is also frequent in the passage.
By comparing the plane’s movements to so many different things, the
reader gets a sense of how much more could be taken from the air show. The
plane “carved massive and subtle slits in the air like sculptures” which reveals
how graceful the plane’s movements were. Dillard also states that the plane’s looping
arched its back “like a gymnast”.
Comparing the movements to a gymnast also gives a sense of gracefulness,
but it is also interesting because it relates the movements to flexibility and
ease, which is impossible for a fixed and structured machine. The last simile Dillard uses is that the
plane “played with its own line like a cat with yarn”. This gives the entire show a sense of playfulness
and ease that make the movements seem effortless. However, all of these similes are used to
describe the absolute skill and talent of Rahm.
His gracefulness, flexibility, and easy playfulness are obviously
difficult traits to manage when flying in an air show, and Dillard is showing
her appreciation of these skills.
In
the passage’s longest sentence, sentence seven, parallelism is heftily relied
on. After each simile in this sentence,
Dillard follows with an impendent clause, all linked together through
semi-colons. This extremely long
sentence seems to create an effect of holding one’s breath. The semi-colons provide pauses, where more
action is taking place. However, throughout
the entire sentence, Dillard is unable to stop watching or describing the
incredible event. As the audience
watches the plane, “it stalled”, “it spiraled and knifed”, “it turned
cartwheels”, and “it played with its own line”.
All of these actions are reasons for why Dillard can’t end her sentence,
because the plane keeps her surprised and watching.
The
organization of the paragraph is set up so that Dillard can introduce the
moment. She begins with the sentences “The
air show announcer hushed” and “the crowd stilled” so the reader recognizes
this is a moment to pay attention to. The shortness of these sentences also reveal
the anticipation that the crowd and herself were feeling. The
rest of the paragraph is the description of her own observations, and ends with
“How did the pilot know where in the air he was? If he got lost, the ground
would swat him”. These ending phrases
once again reaffirm her amazement she has for Rahm. The last phrase also addresses her awareness
that he is doing something dangerous, which reaffirms her awe for all of his
artistic actions.
This
passage is a perfect representation of how Dillard stylizes her essays. She begins with her own observations, and
tangles them into a web of realizations and life lessons that she reaches by
the end of her essay. In this passage Dillard’s
acute sense of observation is evident, and leads to the beginning of her
conclusions from this inspiring moment.
Works Cited:
Dillard, Annie. "The Stunt Pilot." Ten on Ten: Major Essayists on Recurring Themes. Ed. Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford of St. Martin's, 1992. 115-25. Print.
Passage- "Stalking"
Dillard, Annie. "Stalking." Ten on Ten: Major Essayists on Recurring Themes. Ed. Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford of St. Martin's, 1992. N. pag. Print.
(1) Now the moment a muskrat’s eyes disappear from view under a bride, I go into action. (2) I have about five seconds to switch myself around so that I will be able to see him very well when he emerges on the other side of the bridge. (3) I can easily hang my head over the other side of the bridge, so that when he appears from under me, I will be able to count his eyelashes if I want. (4) The trouble with this maneuver is that, once his beady eyes appear again on the other side. (5) I am stuck. (6) If I move again, the show is over for the evening. (7) I have to remain in whatever insane position I happen to be caught, for as long as I am in his sight, so that I stiffen all my muscles, bruise my ankles on the concrete, and burn my fingers on the cigarette. (8) And if the muskrat goes out on a bank to feed, there I am with my face hanging a foot over the water, unable to see anything but crayfish. (9) So I have learned to take it easy on these five-second flings.
(1) Now the moment a muskrat’s eyes disappear from view under a bride, I go into action. (2) I have about five seconds to switch myself around so that I will be able to see him very well when he emerges on the other side of the bridge. (3) I can easily hang my head over the other side of the bridge, so that when he appears from under me, I will be able to count his eyelashes if I want. (4) The trouble with this maneuver is that, once his beady eyes appear again on the other side. (5) I am stuck. (6) If I move again, the show is over for the evening. (7) I have to remain in whatever insane position I happen to be caught, for as long as I am in his sight, so that I stiffen all my muscles, bruise my ankles on the concrete, and burn my fingers on the cigarette. (8) And if the muskrat goes out on a bank to feed, there I am with my face hanging a foot over the water, unable to see anything but crayfish. (9) So I have learned to take it easy on these five-second flings.
Passage Analysis of Dillard's 'Stalking'
In the essay “Stalking” Annie Dillard describes her adventurous and obsessive observation of muskrats and their interesting behaviors. The sixteenth paragraph in section two of the essay is almost directly in the middle, and leads to the rising action of the essay. It captures the anticipation felt before finally seeing the muskrat. This particular passage represents Dillard’s style as she combines the topics of nature with her clear sense of observation and instruction.
Dillard’s use of diction in the passage highlights the seriousness she takes in her muskrat stalking. She describes her quick movements as a “maneuver” which shows the professional nature she assumes in this task. She also states she may end her up in some sort of “insane position” that might “stiffen all [her] muscles, bruise [her] ankles on the concrete, and burn [her] fingers on the cigarette”. Her willingness to land in this “insane” state reveals her dedication to observing the muskrats, as she is entirely ready to remain stuck in a painful and fixed position. Dillard also uses very visual diction. The words “appear”, “disappear”, “view”, “emerges”, “eyes”, “appears”, “show”, “sight”, and “see” are all used throughout the passage. These words highlight the struggle Dillard is going through, which is actually spotting the muskrat.
Most of the sentences in the passage are roughly the same length with the exception of sentence five and seven. Sentence four is abruptly stopped by a period before becoming a complete sentence. Sentence five is the very short sentence which follows this. Dillard states “once his beady eyes appear again on the other side. I am stuck”. The period in the incomplete sentence represents what Dillard is trying to put across. If the muskrat emerges from the water, she is stuck in her incomplete position even if she has not completed her “maneuver”. The short sentence five highlights the quickness that she must have. Contrarily, sentence seven ends with an incomplete parallel clause. This could be Dillard’s way of communicating that all of these painful things could happen to her, if she does not complete her “maneuver” by the time the muskrat appears.
Sentence two begins a string of adverb clauses containing the word “that”. The use of the adverb clauses gives the essay a very instructional feel and is always followed by a detailed explanation from Dillard, such as “so that I will be able to see him very well”. Sentence three, four, and seven also feature these clauses. Dillard also uses copious verbal phrases. The verbal phrases emphasize how important her actions are in this endeavor. It is a completely physical moment that she is describing and the infinitive verbal phrases “to switch”, “to count”, “to be caught”, “to see”, and “to take” show how many actions she must complete in her “five-second flings”.
Many metaphors that Dillard uses are also present to describe her observation techniques. She refers her muskrat observing as a “show” which shows just how entertaining this small animal is to her. As far as her technique, she refers to it as both a “maneuver” and a “five-second fling”. “Maneuver” shows the serious of the technicality, while “fling” seems to suggest a lack of physical control. These two metaphors contradict somewhat revealing that Dillard finds this situation both serious, and perhaps a little silly.
The organization of the paragraph is also very instructional. The beginning of every sentence is typically followed by a reason or specific instruction. Sentence one for examples is “Now the moment a muskrat’s eyes disappear from view under a bridge, I go into action”. Dillard describes not only the moment or situation she is, but also her physical response, which adds to the instructional nature element of her essay. In the last senctence, Dillard says she herself has "learned to take it easy on these five-second flings”, which highlights the fact that Dillard has learned from her own instructions.
Dillard’s instructional writing is very key in her style. Dillard often makes her personal observations and relates it back to lessons she has learned. In this way, her essays become very personal.
Dillard’s use of diction in the passage highlights the seriousness she takes in her muskrat stalking. She describes her quick movements as a “maneuver” which shows the professional nature she assumes in this task. She also states she may end her up in some sort of “insane position” that might “stiffen all [her] muscles, bruise [her] ankles on the concrete, and burn [her] fingers on the cigarette”. Her willingness to land in this “insane” state reveals her dedication to observing the muskrats, as she is entirely ready to remain stuck in a painful and fixed position. Dillard also uses very visual diction. The words “appear”, “disappear”, “view”, “emerges”, “eyes”, “appears”, “show”, “sight”, and “see” are all used throughout the passage. These words highlight the struggle Dillard is going through, which is actually spotting the muskrat.
Most of the sentences in the passage are roughly the same length with the exception of sentence five and seven. Sentence four is abruptly stopped by a period before becoming a complete sentence. Sentence five is the very short sentence which follows this. Dillard states “once his beady eyes appear again on the other side. I am stuck”. The period in the incomplete sentence represents what Dillard is trying to put across. If the muskrat emerges from the water, she is stuck in her incomplete position even if she has not completed her “maneuver”. The short sentence five highlights the quickness that she must have. Contrarily, sentence seven ends with an incomplete parallel clause. This could be Dillard’s way of communicating that all of these painful things could happen to her, if she does not complete her “maneuver” by the time the muskrat appears.
Sentence two begins a string of adverb clauses containing the word “that”. The use of the adverb clauses gives the essay a very instructional feel and is always followed by a detailed explanation from Dillard, such as “so that I will be able to see him very well”. Sentence three, four, and seven also feature these clauses. Dillard also uses copious verbal phrases. The verbal phrases emphasize how important her actions are in this endeavor. It is a completely physical moment that she is describing and the infinitive verbal phrases “to switch”, “to count”, “to be caught”, “to see”, and “to take” show how many actions she must complete in her “five-second flings”.
Many metaphors that Dillard uses are also present to describe her observation techniques. She refers her muskrat observing as a “show” which shows just how entertaining this small animal is to her. As far as her technique, she refers to it as both a “maneuver” and a “five-second fling”. “Maneuver” shows the serious of the technicality, while “fling” seems to suggest a lack of physical control. These two metaphors contradict somewhat revealing that Dillard finds this situation both serious, and perhaps a little silly.
The organization of the paragraph is also very instructional. The beginning of every sentence is typically followed by a reason or specific instruction. Sentence one for examples is “Now the moment a muskrat’s eyes disappear from view under a bridge, I go into action”. Dillard describes not only the moment or situation she is, but also her physical response, which adds to the instructional nature element of her essay. In the last senctence, Dillard says she herself has "learned to take it easy on these five-second flings”, which highlights the fact that Dillard has learned from her own instructions.
Dillard’s instructional writing is very key in her style. Dillard often makes her personal observations and relates it back to lessons she has learned. In this way, her essays become very personal.
Works Referenced:
Dillard, Annie. "Stalking." Ten on Ten: Major Essayists on Recurring Themes. Ed. Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford of St. Martin's, 1992. N. pag. Print.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)