Comprehension 1. Dillard has been thinking of weasels because she unexpectedly came across a weasel a week ago and made a connection with the weasel. 2. Dillard admires the weasel’s qualities; such as being able to do what it desires, live with only necessities, yield a fierce will to live, and the acceptance of life and death. 3. Dillard would like to be like the weasel, in the sense that she would live a life with only necessities and not focusing on materialistic items. As well as living a life without biases, meaning being free from ulterior motives. This ties into the quote from paragraph 12, “I would like to learn, or remember, how to live,” this shows Dillard has forgotten what it means to live a carefree life. Hence, she admires the weasel for being able to live a life without any biases or motives. 4. In paragraph 13, Dillard states “ I missed my chance,” this shows that she feels as if it is unlikely for her to live a carefree life; reason being, Dillard believes it is too late to change. Purpose & Outside 1. Dillard hints her thesis of wanting to live a carefree life similar to the weasel’s life, but does not outright tell her audience. According to the first paragraph, Annie Dillard writes “meditative” essays meaning her essays pertain mostly to philosophies. Thus, the reason it was purposely left open to the audiences’ interpretation. …show more content…
Dillard’s text is set up like a flashback. She begins by describing an issue she’s been dealing with (constantly thinking about the weasel), then Dillard goes back to the story of the weasel and explains how the weasel is significant. Towards the end of her text, she dives into the deeper issue of not being able to live a carefree and simple life like the weasel’s, because she feels as though she missed her chance. Another form of arrangement would not work, because the author does a great job grabbing the audience's’ attention, addressing the issue,explaining the surface issue, and then connecting to a deeper