Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Author's Note: In this chapter (chapter 5) this image of a snake skin was mentioned. The snake skin represented renewal as I found out in a discussion I had. I originally wrote a poem for my 5th response and wanted to expand on the poem for this response. I tried and tried but I just couldn't come up with a good poem that really represented renewal. Instead I decided to write a couple of paragraphs on what renewal is to me. Also I am still trying to get a poem together to go along with this. Please leave comments! Thanks!

To me renewal is beautiful that is what I found out when I finished writing my original poem, and the more that I think about it the more that I agree with my first intentions. For someone or something to have the chance to renew themselves is kind of amazing not only that people have the chance to redeem themselves but that people give them the second chance they needed to do so. Some people allow second chances when some don't and the people that do probably agree with me that the act of renewal can be beautiful.

The birch tree can be used to describe the act of renewing . This tree relates back to old Celtic times. The Celtics had a 20 letter alphabet and put meaning into their communication about nature.Each letter also is a tree, for example the letter B means birch. Also besides the fact that a letter represented a tree each tree had meanings. The birch tree means renewal, beginning, and youth and that's were this tree related to this chapter.

The birch tree represents youth as well as other things this goes to show that the young often make mistakes and that's the way we learn. Renewal comes into play because our elders often give us that second chance to redeem ourselves and have a fresh slate. Not only is the act of renewing present in the young but it is also happens with adults we are so lucky for our friends and family and that they give us those second chances that we need.

At one point in everyone's life they make mistakes. No one is perfect we all have to realize that. If someone messes up big time or barely people should realize that they aren't too different from us and we have to accept that giving them the chance to renew themselves is the right thing to do even if we don't want too. Renewal can be beautiful if people give others the chance. 

Response 5

Author's Note: This last chapter (chapter 5) really made me think about the beauty of nature. I can't say that this is the only chapter that did this but this chapter really described the beauty in a snake skin. I decided to write a poem about how nature is beautiful, but how we can either take it what is has to offer or destroy it. I am not completely sure how this really relates to this chapter other than talking about beauty, but I was inspired by it so here's my poem!

The wind whips through the trees full leaves,

and over the flowers that are in full bloom.

The sound of birds chirping fills the air of summer.

  Families walk down the beaten path of the woods

taking in the beauty that nature has to offer them.

Trees slant in all directions from people grabbing ahold of them,

and flowers lie dead on the forest floor from piles of cans upon them.

Dead animal carcasses lie on the beaten path of the woods.

The most destructive creature lies within these woods,

us.

 

Response 4

Author's Note: This is my response for chapter 4 to the first line "I have just learned to see praying mantis egg cases." This response isn't written very well but I felt as if this was harder to respond to.

Seeing is learned by experience. This was mentioned in the chapter entitled Seeing. When the authors opens up the fourth chapter talking about how she has just learned to see  this is saying that her experiences in life have been broadened therefore she now sees these praying mantis egg cases more often now.

Experience also goes hand in maturity. This case the author wasn't exactly hitting this but it makes sense. When your a kid you don't realize as much stuff. For example money, you don't really realize the value until you get older when your experiences allow you to see the value of something or to realize something else. As you mature you have more experiences which allows you to see more things literal or figuratively.

Response 3

Author's Note: For some reason I am ahead of my support group for reading, so this post just explains my general thoughts about the book since I didn't read so my group could get caught up so we could help each other. Basically this post is just talking about how Annie Dillard writes and what I think about how she writes.

Annie Dillard, the author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek must have a real eye for nature. Through out the chapters in this book she relates life to nature using different types of literary devices. To do this she realizes little things in nature that we normally don't like the beauty of a spider. Most people would think of a spider as a foul animal, but as I stated in my second post she doesn't mind spiders and thinks of them as amazing creatures. Overall this book so far has made me open my eyes to really take in what's around me, and realize the little things in nature that are amazing that most people would just pass by.

Also in the last chapter really made me think about winter and I wrote a post on how winter isn't dead (response 2). In the winter I stand at my bus stop and listen. Everything is silent and it seems like everything is dead, but now since I read chapter three I think that my thoughts on winter is different. I think that next time I am outside in winter I will appreciate and realize that their is still life during these times.

Response 2

Author's Note: This response is to the last couple pages of the third chapter Winter. It's not my favorite post, but I guess it's all right.

Even in the mists of winter life is present. There is life everywhere among the silent still woods, but the only way to find it is to search for it. This is what Annie Dillard was talking about the main character doing in the third chapter Winter. This chapter talked about all the different life forms that are still living in winter, but she also talks about many of the death forms she sees in winter as well. Annie Dillard respects both life and death in this chapter as she talks about letting living creatures take up space in her house in the winter.

Annie Dillard also respects creatures that normal people wouldn't. She often admires the works that spiders create in this chapter, and even offers them a place in her home. Most of us wouldn't notice bugs like spiders let alone let them into our homes, but Annie Dillard has a eye for nature so she can see beauty in things most wouldn't.

Response 1

Author's Note: This post is mainly about the first pages in the book I reread the first five pages many times and every time I read it I found new symbols that the author put into the book. In this post I kind of tried to explain some of the symbolism used in the beginning of the book. I am not sure how accurate I am but I hope I am sort of on the right track. If any one has read this book please give me feedback!

The way Annie Dillard writes to me is really pretty. It flows so nicely and has a bigger meaning than what the words are. When the author writes about how they sleep with the window open this is talking about how they are connecting themselves with nature. Later on this page it talked about how that was the past and now they don't sleep with the window open they are almost closing themselves off from the outside world.

The character talks about the cat smelling like urine and blood. This goes back to the book the Bean Tree's about how that is sacred and not sacred. I think that the author is trying to say that nature is both beautiful and dangerous. When she talks about the blood that covered her body looked like roses I think that she was trying to say that.