Annie Dillard

Questions and Comments on Teaching a Stone to Talk:
by Dimitri Hammond

Throughout "Expedition to the Pole" she makes great strides to connect expeditions to Poles with expeditions to enlightenment.
--What are the different correlations that she establishes?
--What are the different correlations you can establish?

Her writing at the beginning of "Like The Weasel" was straightforward until the middle of page 67.
--Why does she implement so much intensity or catastrophy into her writing?

"I would like to learn, or remember, how to live." (68)
--What do you think this means?

On page 24 Dillard alludes to a definite seperation of mind and body. She also mentions it on pg 69.
--Where else does she allude to this, and how?

In the essay "In The Jungle" Dillard keeps alluding to the presence of the simplicity of necessity of life. She also mentions the "freedom of single necessity" (70) in "Like the Weasel" followed by the generalization of their tenacity. Also, her graciousness to the simplicity of considering the total eclipse like a Life Saver...
--Do you think this simplicity is what attracts her to these stories?
--Do you think this attraction and understanding is what keeps her from reacting harshly about the deer?

"...where you would gladly live, or die." (75)
--This kind of all-encompassing, circular writing that kind of epitomizes her style?

"Will someone please explain to Alan McDonald in his dignity, to this deer at Providencia in his dignity, what is going on?" (83-4)
--What IS going on?

"...confusing for you the details."
--Is this a way of characterizing Dillard's writing style? (85)

Throughout the essay of TaSTT, Dillard keeps alluding to the silence of nature being its voice.
--How do you interpret this?
--It says that silence is nature's one remark. What is that one remark? Does nature truly need only only one remark?(87)
--Is Larry's mission of getting his stone to talk a way of understanding this silence, then? Is this why it's considered a better job than, say, "selling shoes?"(86)