Living like Weasels Analysis

Cohn Farrell

AP Language

3/1/2007

“Living Like Weasels Essay”

In a world that is controlled by human choice, animals live off their instincts. Humans occasionally revert to this basic state, and only out of pure necessity. Annie Dillard expresses these thoughts in her essay “Living Like Weasels”. She uses her voice to show her intimacy with nature, her style is filled with imagery to portray nature to us. and her structure to prove her knowledge of nature and the rationality of her concepts.

Dihlard is a writer who is intimately acquainted with nature. She is in a reverenced awe of nature, while still maintaining a respectful knowledge of nature. She describes the steers in a pond as “miracle itself, complete with miracles nonchalance.” She is in awe of the beauty of the pond and the animals around it. She wants to show that nature is more beautiful than the world around. She also uses her personal tone to allow the reader to feel the same emotions she feels. She talks as though in a diary, using small broken thoughts as well as long, drawn out and developed thoughts.

Her style is used to reinforce the beauty of nature as well as to capture the attention of readers. She describes parts in fine detail, such as her description of Murray’s pond. Her description of the weasel also helps the reader fell her emotions. Her imagery helps us envision the scenes around her, allowing us to feel what she does.