Western Sierra Collegiate Academy

2014–2015 Literature RESOURCE GUIDE Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Nature Writing, and Environmental Literature The vision of the United States Academic Decathlon® is to provide students the opportunity to excel academically through team competition. Western Sierra Collegiate Academy - Rocklin, CA Toll Free: 866-511-USAD (8723) • Direct: 712-366-3700 • Fax: 712-366-3701 • Email: [email protected] • Website: www.usad.org This material may not be reproduced or transmitted, in whole or in part, by any means, including but not limited to photocopy, print, electronic, or internet display (public or private sites) or downloading, without prior written permission from USAD. Violators may be prosecuted. Copyright © 2014 by United States Academic Decathlon®. All rights reserved. Table of Contents Style and Technique ......................... 28 SECTION I: Critical Reading ......................... 4 Chapter One: “Heaven and Earth in Jest”. .29 Chapter Two: “Seeing” ...................... 32 SECTION II: Nature Writing, Environmental Literature, Chapter Three: “Winter” ..................... 33 and Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek ..... 10 Chapter Four: “The Fixed” ................... 35 Introduction ............................... 10 Chapter Five: “Untying the Knot” ............. 36 The Natural History Essay Chapter Six: “The Present”. .37 and the Romantic Movement ................. 11 Chapter Seven: “Spring” .................... 38 Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature ............... 11 Chapter Eight: “Intricacy” .................... 39 Henry David Thoreau’s Walden ............... 11 Chapter Nine: “Flood”. .40 Historical Context .......................... 12 Chapter Ten: “Fecundity” .................... 40 Keywords ................................. 15 Chapter Eleven: “Stalking” ................... 41 The Sublime ........................... 15 Chapter Twelve: “Nightwatch” ................ 43 The Gothic ............................. 16 Chapter Thirteen: “The Horns of the Altar” ...... 44 Industrial Revolution .................... 16 Chapter Fourteen: “Northing” ................ 44 American Transcendentalism ............. 17 Chapter Fifteen: “The Waters of Separation” .... 46 Modernism ............................ 17 SECTION III: Postmodernism ......................... 17 Selected Poetry Creative Nonfiction ...................... 17 and Short Works of Literature ............. 47 Environmentalism ....................... 17 Introduction ............................... 47 Nature Writing .......................... 17 Keywords ................................. 48 Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (1974) – Summary .......................... 18 Romanticism ........................... 48 Annie Dillard Biography ..................... 19 Victorian Period ......................... 49 Dillard’s Literary Influences .................. 21 Orientalism ............................ 49 Theology and Theodicy ...................... 24 Sonnet ................................ 49 Organization and Structure .................. 26 Free Verse ............................. 50 Narrative Persona .......................... 26 Lyric .................................. 50 Western Sierra Collegiate Academy - Rocklin, CA 2014–2015 • USA D LITERATURE RE SOURCE 2 GUIDE Speaker ............................... 50 “Passage to India”—Analysis ................. 68 Narrative .............................. 51 SELECTED WORK: Pastoral ............................... 51 “A Wind-storm in the Forests,” by John Muir .... 71 Anthropomorphism ..................... 51 “A Wind-storm in the Forests”—Analysis ....... 76 Anthropocentrism ....................... 51 SELECTED WORK: Anthropogenic ......................... 51 “There Will Come Soft Rains,” by Sara Teasdale ........................... 79 Deep Ecology .......................... 52 “There Will Come Soft Rains”—Analysis ........ 79 Author Biographies ......................... 52 William Wordsworth ..................... 52 SELECTED WORK: “The Horses,” by Edwin Muir ................. 81 Walt Whitman .......................... 53 “The Horses”—Analysis ..................... 81 John Muir ............................. 53 SELECTED WORK: Sara Teasdale .......................... 54 “Carmel Point,” by Robinson Jeffers ........... 84 Edwin Muir ............................ 55 “Carmel Point”—Analysis .................... 84 Robinson Jeffers ........................ 55 SELECTED WORK: Jorie Graham ........................... 56 “Positive Feedback Loop,” by Jorie Graham ..... 86 Lucia Perillo ............................ 57 “Positive Feedback Loop”—Analysis ........... 87 SELECTED WORK: “The World Is Too Much With Us,” SELECTED WORK: by William Wordsworth ...................... 58 “To the Field of Scotch Broom that Will Be Buried by the New Wing of the Mall,” “The World Is Too Much With Us”—Analysis .... 58 by Lucia Perillo ............................ 90 SELECTED WORK: “Steamboats, Viaducts, and Railways” “To the Field of Scotch Broom that by William Wordsworth ...................... 59 Will Be Buried by the New Wing of the Mall” —Analysis ................................. 90 “Steamboats, Viaducts, and Railways” —Analysis ................................. 59 Notes ............................... 92 SELECTED WORK: “Passage to India,” by Walt Whitman. .62 Bibliography .......................... 94 Western Sierra Collegiate Academy - Rocklin, CA TURE RESOURCE GUIDE USAD LITERA 2015 • 2014– 3 T I O E C N S I Critical Reading Critical reading is a familiar exercise to students, Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Fitzgerald an exercise that many of them have been engaged Kennedy, Jane Austen), no dates will be provided, in since the first grade. Critical reading forms a but the work or the occasion will be cited. For writ- major part (more than fifty percent) of the PSAT, ers less familiar to high school students, dates will the SAT, the ACT, and both Advanced Placement be provided. Using this information, students can Tests in English. It is the portion of any test for begin to place the passage into context. As they which students can do the least direct preparation, start to read, students will want to focus on what and it is also the portion that will reward students they know about that writer, his or her typical style who have been lifelong readers. Unlike other parts and concerns, or that time period, its values and of the United States Academic Decathlon Test in its limitations. A selection from Thomas Paine in Literature, where the questions will be based on the eighteenth century is written against a differ- specific works of literature that the students have ent background and has different concerns from been studying diligently, the critical reading pas- a selection written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sage in the test, as a previously unseen passage, prior to the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Toni will have an element of surprise. In fact, the test Morrison writes against a different background writers usually go out of their way to choose pas- from that of Charles Dickens. sages from works not previously encountered in Passages are chosen from many different kinds of high school so as to avoid making the critical read- texts—fiction, biography, letters, speeches, essays, ing items a mere test of recall. From one point of newspaper columns, and magazine articles—and view, not having to rely on memory actually makes may come from a diverse group of writers, varying questions on critical reading easier than the other in gender, race, location, and time period. A likely questions because the answer must always be question is one that asks readers to speculate on somewhere in the passage, stated either directly what literary form the passage is excerpted from. or indirectly, and careful reading will deliver the The passage itself will offer plenty of clues as to its answer. genre, and the name of the writer often offers clues Since students can feel much more confident as well. Excerpts from fiction contain the elements with some background information and some one might expect to find in fiction—descriptions knowledge of the types of questions likely to be of setting, character, or action. Letters have a asked, the first order of business is for the student sense of sharing thoughts with a particular person. to contextualize the passage by asking some key Speeches have a wider audience and a keen aware- questions. Who wrote it? When was it written? In ness of that audience; speeches also have some what social, historical, or literary environment was particular rhetorical devices peculiar to the genre. it written? Essays and magazine articles are usually focused on one topic of contemporary, local, or universal In each passage used on a test, the writer’s name interest. is provided, followed by the work from which the passage was excerpted or the date it was Other critical reading questions can be divided into published or the dates of the author’s life. If the two major types: reading for meaning and reading author is well known to high school students (e.g., for analysis. The questions on reading for meaning Western Sierra Collegiate Academy - Rocklin, CA 2014–2015 • USA D LITERATURE RE SOURCE 4 GUIDE are based solely on understanding what the pas- information in the passage to other situations not sage is saying, and the questions on analysis are mentioned in the passage. based on how the writer says what he or she says. In reading for analysis, students are asked to rec- In reading for meaning, the most frequently

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