Something that caught my eye while reading “Teaching A Stone To Talk” was how the author wished to be a “palo santo tree” (76), for it was a “perfect witness, and look, mute and wave my arms (76). A very drastic change was made in her mind since at the beginning she wanted to be a “sea lion” but then decided that if she could be anything, she wanted to be one of those “thin, pale, wispy trees” (75). I think that the main idea of this essay is to understand the importance of listening and paying attention. This is mainly because people look at this type of tree as trees that are unoriginal since they are “leafless, paralyzed and mute”. However, when one looks carefully, he can see “deciduous leaves and lichen” (75). Therefore, when one pays attention, he can appreciate and understand other people or things better since there is a lot more to someone that just the physical aspect, or the things that you understand from them by just being there. When a person looks close enough, he can see many more qualities in others, something that is only possible if one stays “mute” (76) for a moment and just, simply, listens. -Mariale
One of the author’s reasoning is that many times we do not pay attention to what we have in front of us. We pass over just assuming that things are the way they are and we do not question anything. However, the world is so rich and it offers us many things including; animals, plants, stones, sunsets, waves, etc. When people do not understand the surrounding reality, they ask questions and want to receive answers. But one way to understand what we have in front of us is by hear only silence and contemplate what the nature gives us; “Natures silence is its remark, and every flake of world is a chip off that old mute and immutable block” (69). felipe
Yes, Felipe, I agree with you. She even says that “there is nothing else to do with those mute materials we do not need”. And thus, the only thing left to do is to be witnesses until “Larry teaches his stone to talk, until God changes his mind, or until the pagan gods slip back to their hilltop groves” (72). This proves again, what you mentioned. That humans have no power over nature and that they should just be witnesses and let it be; the best way to do is so by being, witnesses. A witness does not only look at the things that the Earth has to offer to us, but a witness pays clear attention to details, to “songbirds” “different seasons” (72) since the best way to say thank you to our planet is by being appreciative of the things it has for us; whether they are simply, almost useless trees to “Pacific waves” (73) or “fishes and flies” (73). -Mariale
One important reflection that the author does is the cosmological one. Here she mentions the two points of view about the universe. The first point of view remarks the evolution of the universe while the other one accepts the role of God. She gives more credit to the wonder participation of God on the universe. We are just witnesses of all this marvelous creation. “We are here to witness. There is nothing else to do with those mute materials we do not need. Until Larry teaches his stone to talk, until God changes his mind, or until the pagan gods slips back to their hilltop groves, all we can do with the whole inhuman array is watch it.” (72) This quote clearly explains how complex and big is the nature and how little knowledge of it we have. One of our main roles is to appreciate what there is in the world even those minimum or insignificant things that we find in our surrounding.Felipe
Good observations. I saw the Palo Santo trees as the direction that humanity needs to go. Historically and currently, man has been afraid of nature and we have shut it out of our lives. This began with the Moses quote you mentioned earlier and continues today with our paved over and artificial cities created to remove us from the harshness of the natural world. Dillard seems to be saying that man needs to now be quiet. We need to stand and listen to nature. We need to try and undo the damage from ignoring for so long. I really liked her structure here and the way we feel that the man is crazy at the beginning for trying to listen to his rock. But by the end we realize the wisdom in this listening.
When the monkey is mention it brings out the science in her literature. She uses the advancement of knowledge to say that humans are drawing back more and more as we gain more knowledge. It is certainly not normal or natural to teach a monkey to communicate with humans in a way we understand. At one point it is mentioned that the monkey says he woke up sad, meaning that humans are tearing nature apart as well as their beliefs with science advancements.
Something that caught my eye while reading “Teaching A Stone To Talk” was how the author wished to be a “palo santo tree” (76), for it was a “perfect witness, and look, mute and wave my arms (76). A very drastic change was made in her mind since at the beginning she wanted to be a “sea lion” but then decided that if she could be anything, she wanted to be one of those “thin, pale, wispy trees” (75). I think that the main idea of this essay is to understand the importance of listening and paying attention. This is mainly because people look at this type of tree as trees that are unoriginal since they are “leafless, paralyzed and mute”. However, when one looks carefully, he can see “deciduous leaves and lichen” (75). Therefore, when one pays attention, he can appreciate and understand other people or things better since there is a lot more to someone that just the physical aspect, or the things that you understand from them by just being there. When a person looks close enough, he can see many more qualities in others, something that is only possible if one stays “mute” (76) for a moment and just, simply, listens.
ReplyDelete-Mariale
One of the author’s reasoning is that many times we do not pay attention to what we have in front of us. We pass over just assuming that things are the way they are and we do not question anything. However, the world is so rich and it offers us many things including; animals, plants, stones, sunsets, waves, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhen people do not understand the surrounding reality, they ask questions and want to receive answers. But one way to understand what we have in front of us is by hear only silence and contemplate what the nature gives us; “Natures silence is its remark, and every flake of world is a chip off that old mute and immutable block” (69).
felipe
Yes, Felipe, I agree with you. She even says that “there is nothing else to do with those mute materials we do not need”. And thus, the only thing left to do is to be witnesses until “Larry teaches his stone to talk, until God changes his mind, or until the pagan gods slip back to their hilltop groves” (72). This proves again, what you mentioned. That humans have no power over nature and that they should just be witnesses and let it be; the best way to do is so by being, witnesses. A witness does not only look at the things that the Earth has to offer to us, but a witness pays clear attention to details, to “songbirds” “different seasons” (72) since the best way to say thank you to our planet is by being appreciative of the things it has for us; whether they are simply, almost useless trees to “Pacific waves” (73) or “fishes and flies” (73).
ReplyDelete-Mariale
One important reflection that the author does is the cosmological one. Here she mentions the two points of view about the universe. The first point of view remarks the evolution of the universe while the other one accepts the role of God. She gives more credit to the wonder participation of God on the universe. We are just witnesses of all this marvelous creation. “We are here to witness. There is nothing else to do with those mute materials we do not need. Until Larry teaches his stone to talk, until God changes his mind, or until the pagan gods slips back to their hilltop groves, all we can do with the whole inhuman array is watch it.” (72) This quote clearly explains how complex and big is the nature and how little knowledge of it we have. One of our main roles is to appreciate what there is in the world even those minimum or insignificant things that we find in our surrounding.Felipe
ReplyDeleteGood observations.
ReplyDeleteI saw the Palo Santo trees as the direction that humanity needs to go. Historically and currently, man has been afraid of nature and we have shut it out of our lives. This began with the Moses quote you mentioned earlier and continues today with our paved over and artificial cities created to remove us from the harshness of the natural world.
Dillard seems to be saying that man needs to now be quiet. We need to stand and listen to nature. We need to try and undo the damage from ignoring for so long.
I really liked her structure here and the way we feel that the man is crazy at the beginning for trying to listen to his rock. But by the end we realize the wisdom in this listening.
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ReplyDeleteWhen the monkey is mention it brings out the science in her literature. She uses the advancement of knowledge to say that humans are drawing back more and more as we gain more knowledge. It is certainly not normal or natural to teach a monkey to communicate with humans in a way we understand. At one point it is mentioned that the monkey says he woke up sad, meaning that humans are tearing nature apart as well as their beliefs with science advancements.
ReplyDelete