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\nTable of Contents — Course Reader — English 1A \u2013 Spring 2020
\nCourse Syllabus 2
\nFormatting Requirements 6
\nPlagiarism Policy 6
\nSample Formatting Page 7
\nEssay Revision Process 8
\nSample Process Letter 9
\n1. Inductive Analysis Essay (4-5 pgs.) 50 points Page
\nEssay Prompt 10
\nNature by Ralph Waldo Emerson 11
\n\u201cThe Transparent I\u201d by William Fitzgerald (Sample Essay) 12
\n2. Deductive Analysis Essay (6-7 pgs.) 100 points Page
\nEssay Prompt 15
\n\u201cSeeing\u201d by Annie Dillard 16
\nAn Outline of the Essential Key Points of Dillard\u2019s Essay 23
\nSample Paragraphs for writing about \u201cSeeing\u201d 25
\n3. Personal Essay (4-6 pages) 25 points Page
\nEssay Prompt 26
\n\u201cHaudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address\u201d 28
\n\u201cAllegiance to Gratitude\u201d by Robin Wall Kimmerer 31
\n4. Research Essay (8-10 pgs.) 200 points Page
\nEssay Prompt 37
\nSample Prospectus 40
\nSample Annotated Bibliography 41
\nSample Outline for a Possible Approach to Writing the Research Essay 42
\n\u201cThe Impermanence of Order: The True Nature of Gardens\u201d by William Fitzgerald 43
\nBasic Outline for \u201cThe Impermanence of Order\u201d by William Fitzgerald 47
\n\u201cGardening Means War\u201d by Michael Pollan 49
\n\u201cThe How-To Garden\u201d by Jim Nollman 53
\n5. Reading & Writing Project for The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan 25 pts Page
\nReading and Writing Project Prompt 63
\n6. Group Presentation (20-30 Minutes) 25 pts Page
\nGroup Presentation Prompt 67
\nSentence Combining Page
\nSentence Patterns 65
\nClause\/Phrase Review 67
\nSentence Focus 69
\nCoordination 72
\nConjunctive Adverbs and Transitional Phrases 73
\nSubordination 75
\nRun Together Sentences (RTS) 78
\nFree Modifiers: Adjective Clauses 80
\nFree Modifiers: Noun Phrase Appositives (NPA) 86
\nFree Modifiers: Clause Modifying Verbal Phrases (CMVP) 89
\nFree Modifiers: Absolute Phrases 92
\nCorrelative Conjunctions 95
\nFragments 96
\nPIE Paragraph Structure 98
\nQuoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing vs. Plagiarism 100
\nMLA – Format for Bibliographical Sources Page
\nCiting Sources In-Text: Contextualizing Sources 101
\nThe Mechanics of In-Text Citations 104
\nCiting Sources in Your Essay as You Move Between Different Sources 107
\nItalicizing Titles vs. Using Quotation Marks 109
\nFormatting the Works Cited Page 109
\nBasic MLA Formatting for Common Sources 112
\nPunctuation 114
\nFaulty Parallel Structure 119
\nPlagiarism 120
\nA Friendly Breakdown of How Emerson\u2019s Nature Works 121
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\nEnglish 1A (4 units) \u2014 Spring 2020
\nMonday Evenings (CRN 30847-501 ) 6:10 pm \u2013 10 pm (HC 215)
\nTuesday Evenings (CRN 30055-503 ) 6:10 pm \u2013 10 pm (Batmale 551)
\nInstructor: Nathan Wirth | Phone: 415.239.3199 (best to use email) |
\nEmail: nwirth@ccsf.edu | Office: Art 213
\nOffice Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 5 pm to 6 pm and By Appointment
\nPrerequisite for the course: Completion of English 96, 88, or 88b with a C or better or placement in English 1A
\nCourse Website on Canvas: https:\/\/ccsf.instructure.com
\nImportant Dates
\nLast Day to Drop Without a “W”: Jan 31 | Last Day to Withdraw: April 16 |
\nMonday Class Final Exam Date: May 18 | Tuesday Class Final Exam Date: May 19
\nRequired Texts & Materials
\nA Reliable Internet connection for Canvas
\nCourse Reader (Download from Canvas)
\nThe Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan (NOT available in Bookstore)
\nMajor Learning Outcomes
\nOutcome 1: Analyze university-level texts.
\nOutcome 2: Compose research-based, organized essays that are driven by an arguable thesis and employ critical thinking.
\nOutcome 3: Apply the major conventions of standard written English.
\nOutcome 4: Choose and integrate credible sources for support, using appropriate citation format.
\nCourse Description
\nThis course is, first and foremost, a class about writing. We will consider a variety of strategies for combining clauses
\nand phrases (adjective clauses, noun phrase appositives, verbal phrases, absolute phrases), practice ways to focus
\nsentences more clearly, discuss how to develop and cultivate a thesis, and go over the basic elements and strategies
\nfor writing a research paper (citing sources, integrating quotations, doing research, etc.). We will also, as a class and
\nin groups, be discussing the various texts and articles that you will be reading during the semester. Naturally, any
\nclass that focuses on writing and reading also inevitably leads to thinking. This course is designed to take you through
\na variety of experiences, perspectives and written assignments that will help you to build a well-rounded
\nunderstanding of the various questions that will be posed during this course and then to write about them.
\nLogging into Canvas
\n\u2022 Log into Canvas from MyCCSF: https:\/\/www.ccsf.edu\/en\/myccsf.html
\n\u2022 Username: Your CCSF ID (example W12345678, @12345678, or D12345678)
\n\u2022 Password: Your RAMID password
\n\uf0e0In order to take this class, you must have reliable access to the Internet. All homework-related assignments
\nand essays must be uploaded to Canvas, so if you do not have access to the site, you will not be able to submit
\nyour work.
\n\uf0e0You must download and print the course reader, which contains all of the assignments and handouts for the
\nsemester. You are required to bring the course reader to every class. It can be found on Canvas.
\nLab Hours Requirement
\n\u2022 The English Department requires all 1A students to complete the online library research tutorials. See Canvas for
\ndetails and links.
\n\u2022 Failure to complete ALL the tutorials and\/or turn in the badges to prove you have completed them will result in no
\nparticipation points (a loss of 25 points).
\nEssays\/Written Work\/Assignments\/
\nFormatting: All written work (except for rough drafts and notes) must be typed and double spaced. If you don’t
\nfollow the proper formatting, I will return the paper to you. It is essential that you meet the minimum required page
\nlimit. If you do not, then points will be deducted from your essay. You are always welcome to write more than the
\nminimum. Here are my basic, standard formatting guidelines.
\n\u2022 Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
\n\u2022 Use Times New Roman 12 pt.
\n3 | P a g e
\n\u2022 Pages must be numbered. Place the number in the top right corner. Omit the number on the first page.
\n\u2022 Indent the first line of paragraphs five spaces from the left margin.
\n\u2022 Include a title
\n\u2022 Staple the pages.
\n\u2022 Underline your thesis statement.
\n\u2022 No large gaps between paragraphs.
\nAssignments: You will be given several essential assignments for your research paper (including, for example, a
\nprospectus and an annotated bibliography) as well as a Reading and Writing Project for the book. Details are
\navailable on Canvas and in the course reader.
\nProcess Letters: For each 0f the four essays, you are required to include a brief letter that outlines the difficulties
\nand successes you experienced while working on your essay. Your letter should be a short reflection (a) about your
\nexperience writing your essay. What did you struggle with? What problems did you encounter? How did you
\novercome them? What do you feel satisfied about? Any concerns that you want me to address when I read your
\nessay? The pedagogy behind this is to allow each student the opportunity to actually think about his \/ her writing
\nprocess and to reflect on what each student does or does not do when writing. You can find a sample in the course
\nreader.
\nGroup Presentations: Instead of a final exam, you will be participating in a group project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) that will be presented
\neither on May 11th or May 18th. All students must attend both class meetings. See the course reader for a
\ndescription.
\nRevisions: You have the option to rewrite the first two essays (unless you receive an A). For your rewrite, you must
\ninclude a detailed analysis of the changes that you made (e.g. what was the mistake? what did you do to change
\nit?). Each rewrite, if done well, can earn up to a full grade; however, in order to earn that many points, your
\nrewrite must be significantly improved and include detailed notes about the changes you made. Specific details are
\navailable in the course reader and on Canvas. Upload to Canvas.
\n\u2022 If your first two essays do not meet the standards and requirements for a passing essay, you will have to meet
\nme during an office hour to discuss strategies for fixing those issues. Failure to rewrite the essay within three
\nweeks after I return the essay will result in a failing grade for that essay (which means that you will not be able
\nto pass the course).
\nPlagiarism: Here is the official CCSF policy on plagiarism: “Plagiarism is defined as the unauthorized use of the
\nlanguage and thought of another author and representing them as your own.” Plagiarism is a violation of the rules
\nof student conduct, and discipline may include, but is not limited to,” a failing grade in an assignment, test, or class
\nin proven cases of cheating or plagiarism or other academic dishonesty.\u201d
\n\u2022 My official policy is that you will receive a failing grade for the assignment (0 points for the assignment). At
\nmy discretion, I sometimes offer a plagiarizer the opportunity to rewrite the essay for an F with points (e.g.
\n55\/100). If you should plagiarize a second time, then you will receive a failing grade for the essay and, as a
\nresult, for the class.
\n\u2022 My official thoughts about Plagiarism: I feel that plagiarizing is exceptionally lame. Why bother going to
\nschool if you have no intention of doing your own work? If you are stressed out about your writing, just come
\ntalk to me and we can discuss your situation.
\nStaying on Task: It is essential that you read the essay and assignment prompts carefully. Any essays that do not
\nfollow what the prompt specifically asks for will need to be rewritten. I will read the essay after it has been
\nrevised, but it will not receive any comments. That said\u2014 the essays are designed to allow you the opportunity to
\ndevelop exactly how you wish to address the questions posed, so you can still express your individuality.
\nLate Essays: I will accept late essays, but if your essay is late, I will provide no comments and return it at my
\nconvenience (which might take a while). You are NOT allowed to rewrite late essays. All late essays must be
\nturned in no later than two weeks after the due date.
\nRequirements for Passing the Class: All the essays must be completed with a passing grade or you cannot pass the
\ncourse. No exceptions.
\nHelp: I will gladly comment on thesis statements, outlines, or a paragraph or two from your essays via email or
\nduring office appointments– but not on entire essays. Make sure that you have specific questions about specific
\n4 | P a g e
\nthings before you email me or come to an office appointment. You can also get lots of quality help in the English
\nLab (Rosenberg Library R205) \u2014 and your visits to the lab count towards your lab-hours requirement.
\nBring the course workbook to each and every class. Check the course schedule on Canvas before each class to see
\nwhat we will be covering and make sure that you bring the necessary materials to class.
\nAttendance\/Participation\/Class Discussion\/Teacher-Student Conference
\nAttendance: Let me make this as obvious as possible. Your presence is important both to me and for your success
\nin the course. If you have made vacation plans, have work obligations, can\u2019t attend the final class, and\/or have no
\nintention of showing up regularly, then I would not recommend taking this course. Even if you find me and\/or the
\nmaterial boring, you still have to come to class; however, if that is how you feel, I would strongly recommend that
\nyou find a teacher and\/or class more to your liking and schedule.
\n\u2022 For a night class, you are allowed one unexcused absence (no questions asked and no consequences for that
\nabsence), but I reserve the right to reduce your participation grade by five points for each subsequent
\nabsence. Please note that this is not an invitation to miss a class.
\n\u2022 If you miss three or more classes in a row before the final withdrawal date — and do not contact me to let me
\nknow if you are still in the class\u2014 I will drop\/withdraw you from the course.
\n\u2022 If you miss a total of five class meetings before the final withdrawal date \u2014 I will drop\/withdraw you from the
\ncourse. There comes a point when you are just not really taking the course– and this, as far as I am concerned,
\nis pretty much when you have arrived at that point.
\n\u2022 You are expected to arrive to class on time and to bring the proper materials (course reader, assignments …
\ncheck Canvas for details). If you are late then YOU have to let me know, or you will remain marked absent.
\nThree “lates \/ tardies” equal one absence.
\n\u2022 Please note that if you miss a class, you are still responsible for all material\/assignments covered in class.
\n\u2022 I recommend that you exchange email addresses with at least a couple of students so that you can keep up
\nwith anything you might miss in class. Though I will be as helpful as I can, do not rely on me to keep you up to
\ndate. I will not respond to emails that ask me what was covered in class. Check Canvas for the latest schedule
\n\/ due dates \/ required reading, etc. EVERYTHING is there.
\n\u2022 If life deals one of those many unfortunate situations that we all dread but must deal with, and, as a result,
\nyou have to be absent for a few classes, then please extend the courtesy to let me know. I do not need to
\nknow the details\u2014just that you are \u201cdealing with something\u201d and, thus, missing classes. I will drop or
\nwithdraw you from the class if I have not heard from you after two weeks. Don\u2019t just vanish! Keep in touch
\nand let me know what is going on.
\nParticipation Grade: I base your participation grade on attendance, class participation, and completing the lab
\nwork (25 pts). Most students, when attendance is good, receive 21 or 22 points. To get more points you need to
\nparticipate in discussions. Talking during class while others are speaking (whether it be me or your fellow
\nclassmates) will result in a reduced participation grade as well.
\nClass Discussion: This class is built around a lot of class discussion and interaction; therefore, it is important that
\nyou take part in class discussions\u2014which means that you must put your best effort towards reading the material
\nand thinking about it. Consistent lack of participation will result in a lower participation score.
\nTeacher-Student Conference: Between April 27th and May 4th, I will conduct individual conferences with each
\nstudent. Failure to participate in a conference will result in losing all your participation points. Check Canvas for
\ndetails.
\nGeneral Class Rules
\nEating & Drinking in Class: Official school rules prohibit eating in class, so if you spill something, clean up after
\nyourself.
\nSmart Phones & Laptops in Class: I keep changing my mind about using phones in the classroom. This semester, you
\nare NOT ALLOWED to use your phone in class. It MUST be kept in your bag and away from you and your desk. You
\nmay use a laptop.
\nDo not disrupt the class. If you do, I will ask you to leave and then mark you absent.
\n\uf0a7 You are adults and I expect you to act responsibly\/accordingly.
\n\uf0a7 DO NOT TALK TO YOUR FELLOW CLASSMATES DURING LECTURES OR CLASS DISCUSSIONS!
\n\uf0a7 Do not sleep or do homework during class. If you feel the class is boring and\/or stupid, I encourage you to
\ndrop the course and find one that is more interesting to you.
\n5 | P a g e
\nOther Concerns
\n\uf0fc Email Addresses: Make sure that you check the email the school has provided you. You can forward your
\nschool email to your regular email account (and that way you won\u2019t miss anything the school sends you). This is
\nthe email that I am provided and my only way of contacting you. All mail related to Canvas is delivered to your
\nschool email as well.
\n\uf0fc This class is rated \u201cR.\u201d From time to time strong language and discussion of adult themes and situations may
\noccur. If these kinds of things offend you, you should consider taking a different course.
\n\uf0fc Accommodations: If you need classroom or testing accommodations or have any other special needs, please
\nmake an appointment with me as soon as possible so that we can discuss the needed accommodations. DSPS is
\nlocated in Room 323 of the Rosenberg Library, phone (415) 452 5481, https:\/\/www.ccsf.edu\/en\/studentservices\/
\nstudent-counseling\/dsps.html
\nGrade Breakdown (Subject to Change)
\n70% of your grade
\n\u2022 Inductive Analysis Essay (Emerson) = 50 points
\n\u2022 Deductive Analysis Essay (Annie Dillard\u2019s \u201cSeeing\u201d) = 100 points
\n\u2022 Personal Essay (Kimmerer) = 25 pts
\n\u2022 Research Essay (Gardening) = 200 points
\n20% of Your Grade
\n\u2022 In-class Essay = 25 pts
\n\u2022 Group Presentation = 25 points
\n\u2022 Reading & Writing Project for The Botany of Desire = 25 pts
\n\u2022 Assignments \u2013 various points (see Canvas)
\n10% of Your Grade
\n\u2022 Participation = 25 pts
\no Attendance
\no Class Discussion
\no Online Library Tutorials
\no Student-Teacher Conference (in class on April 27 & May 4)
\nThe Complete and Detailed Schedule for the Class Is on Canvas
\n6 | P a g e
\nFormatting Requirements
\nIf you don’t follow the proper formatting, I will ask you to revise the essay and fix the formatting
\nerrors. Your paper will then be considered late. It is essential that you meet the minimum
\nrequired page limit. If you do not, then points will be deducted from your essay. You are always
\nwelcome to write more than the minimum.
\nHere are the basic requirements for all essays (including the Multitasking Letter).
\n\u2022 Double space
\n\u2022 Times New Roman 12pt Font
\n\u2022 1-inch margins all around
\n\u2022 Pages must be numbered.
\n\u2022 No Large Gaps Between Paragraphs
\n\u2022 Include your name at the top of the page (you may also include the course, assignment, and
\ndate)
\n\u2022 Include a title.
\n\u2022 Underline your thesis statement (if applicable).
\n\u2022 Include a works cited page (see each essay prompt for details)
\n\u2022 Save the file in the following format: Your Last Name_Your First Name_Essay-Number
\no Example: Cheng_Yingyi_Essay-One
\nDo not forget your process letter! Make it the first page of the document.
\n———————————————————————————————————-
\nPlagiarism Policy
\nHere is the official CCSF policy on plagiarism: “Plagiarism is defined as the unauthorized use of
\nthe language and thought of another author and representing them as your own.” Plagiarism is
\na violation of the rules of student conduct, and discipline may include, but is not limited to,” a
\nfailing grade in an assignment, test, or class in proven cases of cheating or plagiarism or other
\nacademic dishonesty.”
\nMy official policy is that you will receive a failing grade for the assignment (0 points for the
\nassignment). If you should plagiarize a second time, then you will receive a failing grade for the
\nclass.
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\nSample Format Guidelines for Essays
\nNot a Writing Sample \u2013 Just a Formatting Sample
\nBane
\nPersonal Essay (Solitude)
\nDecember 31, 9768
\nThe Eye of Solitude
\nSince my early childhood days, I have often returned to the Point Reyes National
\nSeashore, but after moving to Marin County a few years ago, that “often” has been
\nreplaced with “as much as once a week,” especially during the winter and spring after a
\ngood rain has settled but the clouds have not yet left. As a child, my family was far too
\npoor to ever travel, but over several summers we would board the Golden Gate Transit
\nbus before sunrise, in the dark, and then leave to come home on the final bus, which
\nwould return us to San Francisco in the dark. And thus began a tradition of sorts, one
\nthat stretches back to those early childhood days and looks further forward to whatever
\nI may encounter in future visits. Now that I live in Novato, a forty five minute drive
\naway, I visit Drake’s Beach each week, camera, neutral density filters, and tripod in
\nhand so that I can find yet another way to photograph this stretch of beach where land
\nends and the sea begins– or if you wish where the sea ends and land begins– or,
\nperhaps, where the land and the sea simply meet, that shoreline bringing to mind the
\nline on a map where the blue of the water is separated by the color of the land mass.
\nThese are the kinds of thoughts that I often play with as I wait for the seconds to pass
\ninto minutes during the long exposure photographs that I work on each visit. Indeed,
\ngazing out into the sea, I often find a certain kind of silence, a silence that is experienced
\nin between the sounds of the sea, a silence that I only find in solitude.
\nLately, I have been thinking about what Emerson and Thoreau had to say about
\n8 | P a g e
\nEssay Revision Process
\nIf your grade is below passing, then disregard this process. You must meet with me in person so that we can
\ndiscuss your rewrite. It is your responsibility to contact me and make this appointment.
\nThis exercise in revision is not just a process of fixing the corrections or responding to the comments I made.
\nTreat this as a revision of the essay as a whole. Think about how you can improve or tighten up your
\npoints\/writing. In other words, this is a revision of the whole essay. Any essay with only minor changes will not
\nreceive any additional points.
\nAs you revise your essay keep notes about the changes you have made to your essay. I need to know WHY you
\nmade EVERY change. Note: Because Nathan marked it \/ told me to is not an acceptable reason. If I asked you a
\nquestion or commented about something you wrote, I expect you to address what I said and tell me how and
\nwhy you fixed it. I want to know what your reasoning is for every change you make.
\nAfter you have revised the essay, then I need you to explain on the newly revised essay itself, what you
\nchanged and why. You need to explain this in as much detail as possible:
\n(1) Indicate what your previous grade for the essay was.
\n(2) Explain what the issue was
\n(3) Explain what you did to revise it
\n(4) Explain why what you did improved your essay \/ fixed the issue
\n\uf0e0 If you do not follow these requirements, then I will not read your revised essay.
\n\uf0e0 The amount of points that you are rewarded will reflect the quality of your rewrite and how detailed your
\nexplanations are.
\n\uf0e0 If you received an A- or better, then you cannot rewrite the essay.
\n\uf0e0 Only the first two essays of the semester can be revised \/ rewritten
\n\uf0e0 I DO NOT comment on revised essays nor can you revise a revised essay.
\nYou must upload the revised essay to Canvas. There are two ways that you can do this.
\nI. Write the comments directly on the newly revised essay and upload a scanned pdf or jpegs to Canvas
\nGo ahead and write on the essay in pencil. Wherever you made changes explain 2-4 above. When you are
\ndone, either (a) take a photo of each page and upload the jpgs to Canvas or (b) scan the essay and upload to
\nCanvas as a pdf.
\nII. Use the insert comments feature in Microsoft Word and then upload the Word doc to Canvas.
\nRevise your essay and once you are done:
\n\uf0e0 Highlight the text you want to comment on.
\n\uf0e0 On the ribbon, go to the Review tab and select New Comment.
\n\uf0e0 Type your comment in the field that appears in the right margin. It contains your name and a time
\nstamp
\n\uf0e0 To edit your comment, click the comment box and make the change.
\n\uf0e0 Click anywhere in the document to continue working.
\n\uf0e0 Save the revised essay with your inserted comments.
\n\uf0e0 Save the Document as Revised Essay One or Revised Essay Two along with your name in the title.
\nExample: Zheng_Jiayi_revised-essay-one.docx
\n\uf0e0 Upload the Word Doc to Canvas (Link can be found on Canvas at the top of the page).
\nIf I am not requiring you to rewrite \/ revise your essay, then don\u2019t bother with this process unless
\nyou really want to rewrite your essay and learn something from the process. Anything less will
\nreceive no points. Just changing a few quick things will not result in any additional points).
\n9 | P a g e
\nSAMPLE PROCESS LETTER
\nDear Mr. Nathan,
\nOverall, I feel like I understand the question and answered it well; however, I really struggled
\nwith my introduction and my conclusion. I know that they are supposed to be like the bookends of the
\nessay and really tie together my overall points\/thesis, but I don\u2019t feel like I fully introduce my essay and I
\nam not certain if the introduction even really relates to my thesis. I wish I had taken more time with it. I
\nam not entirely certain if I ever fully figured out exactly what Emerson is saying about solitude. I do,
\nhowever, feel that I have a good grasp of Emerson\u2019s main ideas (I am not certain that I adequately
\nexplained his thoughts, and I may have claimed he said things he never actually says in the essay).
\nI feel confident about my body paragraphs. I worked very hard on trying to write good
\ntransitions between paragraphs and I think most of them are very effective, but I also think a few of them
\nare a bit too formulaic. I think I did a really good job integrating the sources and finding ways to support
\nmy argument that solitude helps us to understand nature in very human terms. I am used to thinking of
\nthe first sentence of each paragraph as a topic (sample nursing essay examples by the best nursing assignment writing service) sentence, so it might take me a while to adjust to your
\ninstruction about considering them as points.
\nI wish I had taken a little more time to revise the essay. I feel good about the writing overall, but
\nI know that I could have cleaned up and better focused some of the sentences. I\u2019d really appreciate it if
\nyou would comment on the conclusion and let me know if you think I successfully tied together all the
\nelements of my body paragraphs and my thesis.
\nI plan to start the next essay even earlier so that I have lots of extra time to proofread and
\nrethink my sentences (and make sure that all the elements of the essay work together smoothly). I know
\nevery student says that!
\nThanks!
\nMiley
\n10 | P a g e
\nEssay 1: Inductive Analysis Essay — Emerson (50 pts.) Length: 4-5 pgs. Due Date: Check Canvas
\nTask: Analyze the text of the excerpt from Emerson\u2019s Nature and discuss how the writer explains (a) his experience
\nwith nature while in solitude and (b) the spiritual connection that he has with God through nature. Your essay
\nMUST show and specifically explain how the various parts of Emerson\u2019s essay relate, connect and lead to the
\n\u201ctransparent eyeball\u201d passage.
\n\u2022 To successfully accomplish this task, you will need to analyze Emerson\u2019s actual language. This is essential. I am
\nnot asking you what your thoughts are about Emerson\u2019s views. I am asking you to analyze what he writes.
\n\u2022 You need to make sure that you analyze the following key elements in Emerson\u2019s essay:
\na) What Emerson feels is required to achieve the kind of solitude he is discussing. How one can achieve it.
\nb) How our awe for the stars help us to understand what true solitude means.
\nc) How all \u201cnatural objects\u201d can fill us with the same sense of awe if we are open to their influence.
\nd) How seeing this way is the way the poet sees.
\ne) How seeing with this sense of wonder is the way many people experience nature when they are children.
\nf) How the \u201ctransparent eyeball\u201d passage represents the awe, the willingness to be open to the influence of
\nall \u201cnatural objects,\u201d the way the poet sees, the child-like wonder that we can have for nature, and his
\nconnection with God through nature. \uf0df be very thorough about this (do not skip it).
\nPlease note I am not asking you to discuss your views about his thoughts. Your task is to analyze the text (so you will
\nneed to summarize, paraphrase and directly quote from Emerson and use your analysis of the text to shape your
\nunderstanding of how he experiences solitude and nature). And your essay is not only a summary \u2026 it is an analysis.
\nDo not write from the perspective of what you think Emerson is trying to say; instead, write from the perspective of
\nwhat he actually writes and how his observations are interconnected– and what they, ultimately, lead to.
\n\uf0e0 Audience: Your audience will be familiar with this excerpt, so you should not retell everything that happens in
\nthem. Instead, focus on those passages that you choose to analyze. You should summarize, paraphrase and quote
\nthose passages that will help you to demonstrate how Emerson describes his experiences with nature in solitude. Do
\nnot use \u201cI\u201d or \u201cYou.\u201d
\n\uf0e0 Essay Structure: This is an inductive analysis essay, which means you do not begin your essay with the traditional
\nintroduction that includes a thesis statement. Instead, you should, after stating the title and the author\u2019s full name,
\njump right in and start analyzing what Emerson does and how he does it. Your goal is to connect the various
\nelements of his essay and show how he ultimately connects with God through his deep connection with nature.
\nThus, it makes the most sense to discuss his essay by analyzing these elements in the order he writes them in\u2014your
\njob also including the need to make connections between these elements. Your conclusion must, ultimately and
\nconclusively, state how Emerson\u2019s essay explores his connection with God through solitude and nature. And, very
\nimportantly, state your thesis in your conclusion. Think of it this way: this essay form requires you to argue towards
\nyour thesis (instead of stating it at the beginning of your essay).
\n\uf0e0 MLA Formatting:
\n(1) When writing about the essay, use the present tense (Example: Emerson explains a certain quality of solitude).
\n(2) In your introductory paragraph, refer to the title of the full essay (Nature) and the author\u2019s full name (Ralph
\nWaldo Emerson).
\n(3) For the rest of the essay, use the author\u2019s last name (Emerson). Do not repeat his full name again.
\n(4) Once you have mentioned the title, do not mention it again. Do not write \u201cin the essay.\u201d We will know that you
\nare discussing the essay.
\n(5) For in-text citations \/ quotations, use the page number in the course reader. You do not need to mention the
\nauthor\u2019s last name in the citation because once you have introduced us to the title and the author\u2019s name, we will
\nknow that you are only quoting that source because your task is to analyze that essay and that essay only.
\n(6) Provide a Works Cited page. Here is the correctly formatted bibliographical citation. Pay attention to the
\nitalicized titles and the indented second line.
\nEmerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature. English 1A Course Reader, edited by Nathan Wirth, Nathan\u2019s Mind Inc.,
\n2019, p. 11.
\n\uf0e0 Final Draft: Upload your final draft to Canvas. Check the course schedule for due dates and the upload link.
\n\uf0e0 Process Letter: You must also include a process letter, in which you write about your writing process for the
\nessay. Please make this the first page of your document (and it does not count as one of the required pages). You
\ncan find a sample process letter in this course reader.
\n\uf0e0 Formatting: Check the formatting requirements in this course reader before you upload your essay.
\n11 | P a g e
\nNature by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1836
\nTo go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society. I am not solitary whilst I
\nread and write, though nobody is with me. But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come
\nfrom those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and what he touches. One might think the atmosphere was
\nmade transparent with this design, to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime.1 Seen
\nin the streets of cities, how great they are! If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men
\nbelieve and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown!
\nBut every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing2 smile.
\nThe stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural
\nobjects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence. Nature never wears a mean appearance.
\nNeither does the wisest man extort3 her secret, and lose his curiosity by finding out all her perfection. Nature never
\nbecame a toy to a wise spirit. The flowers, the animals, the mountains, reflected the wisdom of his best hour, as much
\nas they had delighted the simplicity of his childhood.
\nWhen we speak of nature in this manner, we have a distinct but most poetical sense in the mind. We mean
\nthe integrity of impression made by manifold natural objects. It is this which distinguishes the stick of timber of the
\nwood-cutter, from the tree of the poet. The charming landscape, which I saw this morning, is indubitably4 made up of
\nsome twenty or thirty farms. Miller owns this field, Locke that, and Manning the woodland beyond. But none of them
\nowns the landscape. There is a property in the horizon which no man has but he whose eye can integrate all the parts,
\nthat is, the poet. This is the best part of these men’s farms, yet to this their warranty-deeds give no title.
\nTo speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very
\nsuperficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The
\nlover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the
\nspirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and earth becomes part of his daily food.
\nIn the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows. Nature says, — he is my
\ncreature, and maugre5 all his impertinent6 griefs, he shall be glad with me. Not the sun or the summer alone, but
\nevery hour and season yields its tribute of delight; for every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a
\ndifferent state of the mind, from breathless noon to grimmest midnight. Nature is a setting that fits equally well a
\ncomic or a mourning piece. In good health, the air is a cordial7 of incredible virtue. Crossing a bare common, in snow
\npuddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I
\nhave enjoyed a perfect exhilaration. I am glad to the brink of fear. In the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the
\nsnake his slough, and at what period soever of life, is always a child. In the woods, is perpetual youth. Within these
\nplantations of God, a decorum and sanctity reign, a perennial8 festival is dressed, and the guest sees not how he
\nshould tire of them in a thousand years. In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can
\nbefall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare
\nground, — my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, — all mean egotism vanishes. I become a
\ntransparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or
\nparticle of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental: to be brothers, to be
\nacquaintances, — master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance. I am the lover of uncontained and immortal
\nbeauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate9 than in streets or villages. In the tranquil
\nlandscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature.
\nThe greatest delight which the fields and woods minister, is the suggestion of an occult relation between man
\nand the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me, and I to them. The waving of the boughs in
\nthe storm, is new to me and old. It takes me by surprise, and yet is not unknown. Its effect is like that of a higher
\nthought or a better emotion coming over me, when I deemed I was thinking justly or doing right.
\nYet it is certain that the power to produce this delight, does not reside in nature, but in man, or in a harmony
\nof both. It is necessary to use these pleasures with great temperance. For, nature is not always tricked in holiday
\nattire, but the same scene which yesterday breathed perfume and glittered as for the frolic of the nymphs, is
\noverspread with melancholy today. Nature always wears the colors of the spirit. To a man laboring under calamity, the
\nheat of his own fire hath sadness in it. Then, there is a kind of contempt of the landscape felt by him who has just lost
\nby death a dear friend. The sky is less grand as it shuts down over less worth in the population.
\n1 sublime = of such grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe (so much awe that it comes with fear \/ respect & thus reverence)
\n2 admonish = to urge to a duty; remind
\n3 extort = obtain (something) by force, threats, or other unfair means
\n4 indubitably = too evident to be doubted
\n5 maugre = in spite of
\n6 impertinent = not pertinent to a particular matter; irrelevant.
\n7 cordial = a comforting or pleasant-tasting medicine
\n8 perennial = lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring.
\n9 connate = (especially of ideas or principles) existing in a person or thing from birth; innate.
\n12 | P a g e
\nSample of Essay One \u2013 Emerson
\nWilliam Fitzgerald
\nEnglish 1A
\nMr. Nathan
\nThe Transparent I
\nRalph Waldo Emerson begins his essay Nature by offering his readers the conditions necessary to
\nfind a certain quality of solitude, one that he later experiences when he finds a very deep and personal
\nconnection with nature and, ultimately, God: \u201cTo go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his
\nchamber as from society\u201d (10). One should note that Emerson specifically indicates the necessity to leave
\nboth his connections with home and the society that his home is located in; in fact, he indicates the need
\nto sever his ties from others even further by realizing that being physically alone, being at home without
\nanyone else around, is not necessarily enough, for even when he reads and writes in solitude he is still
\nconnected with those whose thoughts he might read and for those whom he might write. To best find the
\ntruest sense of the solitary, he explains one should look to the brilliance of the heavens and its many
\nstars, for this is how one can feel truly disconnected from the rest of the world. The stars, Emerson
\nwrites, \u201cwill separate\u201d man \u201cbetween him and what he touches\u201d (10). In other words, those who look to
\nthe brilliance of the stars will see something filled with such immensity they will feel a sense of awe that
\nseparates them from all that is material, all that is touchable, and, as a result, leave them to feel alone
\nand solitary in the face of such grandeur. But the stars are not just beautiful. They also fill one with the
\nsense of the sublime, a word which not only describes the sheer beauty and grandeur of the lights that fill
\nthe night but also indicates the power of the stars, a power and intensity that elicits veneration and
\nrespect and awe and, thus, a touch of uneasiness. That fear, that respect, that reverence, is essential to
\nunderstanding what Emerson wishes to communicate because the heavens in all their vastness and
\nmystery are, in his words, \u201cthe city of God\u201d (10). So, ultimately, Emerson equates the intensity of this
\nquality of solitude he seeks with the intensity of connecting with God, but, at this point, God is high in the
\nheavens and out of his reach.
\nNext, he shifts from the reverence and awe one might feel for the stars to reverence for the
\nmany facets of nature down here on earth, writing that that the stars are \u201cinaccessible,\u201d that we can
\nnever touch them and that, in the end, this is an essential part of the reason why they \u201cawaken a certain
\nreverence\u201d (10)\u2014 \u201cawaken\u201d implying our senses and spirit have been asleep or dulled and that through
\nthis experience those inactive senses are stirred up, excited, and aroused. And this is precisely where
\nEmerson associates that same awakening, that same awe, that same reverence for the majesty of the
\nnighttime sky with all and any \u201cnatural objects\u201d (10), the phrase \u201ckindred impression\u201d (10) connecting the
\nstars to all \u201cnatural objects\u201d (all of which we can touch, unlike the stars, if we choose). \u201cKindred\u201d
\ndenotes there is a definite similarity between the stars and the natural objects of the earth, but even
\nthough they are not the same, they do, in a sense, come from the same natural origin (later in the essay,
\nthe \u201cUniversal Being\u201d). \u201cImpression\u201d indicates the effect something has on the mind, the conscience, and
\none\u2019s feelings. So, when combined in this context, these two words indicate, once again, that Emerson is
\ndrawing a connection between the intensity and awe we hold for the stars and the awe and reverence
\nthat we might have for any natural object, but, for this to happen, the mind must be \u201copen to their
\ninfluence\u201d (10). \u201cInfluence\u201d is the key word here, for it indicates that experiencing these natural objects
\nand surroundings can affect one\u2019s moods and feelings, that one can experience the same awe for the stars
\nin the entirety of nature if one is open to seeing that influence, that, ultimately, nature is as grand and
\nawe-inspiring as those stars (and, by connection, one can also experience God in and through nature).
\nEmerson then shifts to explaining how the wise person\u2014 i.e., the person whose mind is open to
\nthe influence of nature\u2014 recognizes that nature does not act meanly, that nature is not a trivial toy to be
\nplayed with, that nature never ceases to amaze and intrigue the person who experiences it, and, perhaps
\nmost importantly, the truly wise person realizes the best moments experiencing nature as an adult return
\none to the wonder which childhood was often filled with, to a time before the experiences of being an
\nadult deadened and dulled the innocence and curiosity of childhood experiences in nature. In other
\nwords, one of the deepest consequences of opening one\u2019s mind to the influence of nature is that it
\nawakens, in part, some of that lost wonder of childhood. Emerson then connects this reawakened mind
\nto a \u201cmost poetical sense\u201d of how we see things. To see things poetically is to see them as they are and
\nnot in an analytical or purely functional way; the poet sees nature in its entirety and not by its material
\ndivisions. He offers the example of the woodcutter\u2014 who sees a tree only for its potential materials\u2014
\nand the poet, who sees the tree for what it is: as a whole tree with all the beauty one might associate with
\n13 | P a g e
\na tree\u2014 as well as a \u201cnatural object\u201d that shares a \u201ckindred impression\u201d with the stars that invokes a
\nsense of awe, reverence and wonder. He further explains this poetical perception by describing a walk
\nthrough a variety of farms and woods, in which he sees all these parcels of individually owned land as one
\nlandscape and not a landscape divided by ownership. The poetically-awakened mind realizes one can
\npossess a deed to some land, but one can never own the landscape, the view, the experience (and the
\nawe and the wonder it can invoke if one\u2019s mind is open to the influence) .
\nAnd it is this poetical sense of mind that Emerson sees through when he later goes for a walk in
\nthe woods at twilight. The poetically-minded individual is the one whose mind, heart, spirit and eyes,
\n\u201cwhose inward and outward senses,\u201d are \u201cstill truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of
\ninfancy even into the era of manhood\u201d (10). Indeed, the \u201clover of nature,\u201d as Emerson refers to it, sees
\nnature not only with the eyes but with a curiosity and exhilaration that has not been deadened, one that
\ncan continually be reawakened. As he takes his walk, he feels a perfect exhilaration and his senses are
\nfilled with delight, recognizing that every season brings its own delights and reactions and that, very
\nimportantly, one can feel a sense of excitement even when one feels sad. For Emerson, experiencing
\nnature is like a ritual, one that offers him an opportunity to communicate with both the heavens and the
\nearth, for God can be found\u2014 if one\u2019s mind is open to such influence, to such awe and reverence\u2014 in
\nboth those celestial stars he discusses at the beginning of the essay and the natural world that he is now
\ntaking a walk in. He recognizes that a man (woman) can \u201ccast off his years\u201d and \u201cwhat period soever of
\nlife\u201d be always a child (10). So, before he describes the very intense connection with the natural world
\nthat he is about to have, Emerson once again connects the feeling of childhood wonder and the awe of
\nnature that can be found if one\u2019s mind is open to their influence. In fact, this connection is so intense he
\nlikens it to a \u201cperennial festival,\u201d which implies that a walk of this kind is very similar to a ritual one might
\nexperience in a church, but, in this case, no building is necessary, for nature, itself, is the place of worship,
\nthe place of ritual. He also takes the reader back to the beginning of the essay by saying that a person
\nwould never tire of this ritual in even a thousand years, which brings us back to how even more intense
\nthe stars in the night sky would be if they only appeared every thousand years. But, in this case, he states
\nthat one would never tire of what is clearly there, what can be clearly touched.
\nAnd it is in this state of \u201cperfect exhilaration\u201d that one returns to reason and faith, these words
\nbeing essential because, for Emerson and his fellow transcendentalists, the spiritual and the scientific
\nwere never in competition with one another. They generally believed that the world could be understood
\nthrough spiritual intuition, but they also accepted scientific doctrine. For some, this might be difficult to
\nunderstand\u2014 especially since he is about to speak about his very deep, mystical connection with nature in
\nexceptionally poetic terms\u2014 but that poetic outlook is exactly what fuels his direct experience. It may be
\npoetic, but it is also reasoned through a connection to what is there, to what he sees in terms of what
\nthese natural objects actually are. And with this focused attention on his surroundings, he then writes
\nabout the intensity of his connection to both the natural landscape and God:
\nThere I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving
\nme my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, — my
\nhead bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, — all mean
\negotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the
\ncurrents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God
\n(10).
\nAt first glance, Emerson\u2019s words seem to suggest an almost hallucinatory experience, but when one
\nconsiders the reverence, the childhood wonder, and the most poetical sense of mind that he has already
\nintroduced us to, one can see the absolute delight and awe he has for such an intense experience, a
\nmoment of experience in which he fully absorbs his surroundings, the intensity of the connection itself
\nbeing what instructs and connects him. Indeed, he speaks in mystical terms, in a connection through
\nwhich he purely experiences the moment itself as if he is there, but not there, and, in that state, connects
\nwith God. In this perennially festive moment, he lets the self, the \u201cmean egotism\u201d go, and it is as if he
\njoins, in that moment, the same \u201cinfinite space\u201d where one would find the stars and the \u201ccity of God,\u201d as
\nif he has bridged the \u201cintercourse with heaven and earth\u201d (10). To be transparent is to be opaque, as if
\nyou are there but cannot be seen. One might also think of a substance like water which is sheer and
\nallows light to shine through, as if in those moments the light of everything in the universe, viz., the
\n\u201cUniversal Being,\u201d radiate through him thus allowing him to absorb everything in his surroundings. The
\n\u201ceye,\u201d the organ through which we see, can also be seen as a pun on the personal pronoun \u201cI,\u201d which
\nconnects this experience to the self, and, as a result, the self, the \u201cI,\u201d is also made transparent and one
\nthen becomes nothing, as if one is no longer there, and then becomes a \u201cpart\u201d of God or a minute particle
\n14 | P a g e
\nof God, both indicating that he has connected and become part of nature and part of God. At the very
\nleast, one sees the absolute intensity by which he finds this connection, one that is bound to reverence, to
\nwonder, and to a most distinctly poetical sense of mind.
\nEmerson clarifies one last time the wonder he has for nature by explaining that every time he
\nsees the \u201cwaving of the boughs in the storm,\u201d it \u201cis new to\u201d him \u201cand old,\u201d for it takes him \u201cby surprise,
\nand yet is not unknown\u201d (10). At first this might seem paradoxical, for how can something one sees often
\nbe both known and surprising? The answer lies in the wonder of the poetical mind open to the influence
\nof nature. Regardless of the amount of times, he has seen such things and experienced such moments, he
\nalways feels wonder for them (as if each experience is \u201cnew\u201d). Finally, he ends by pointing out that nature
\nitself does not provide the emotional connection. It is the individual who connects in this way\u2014and he
\ncalls this connection a \u201chigher thought\u201d or \u201cbetter emotion,\u201d both suggesting that one must, again, be
\nopen to such influences. For, after all, one could go for a walk in the woods and feel nothing but
\nboredom, for it is the mood of the individual that sets the experience. Earlier, he said that nature \u201cnever
\nwears a mean appearance\u201d (10) and then ends with the observation that nature \u201calways wears the color
\nof the spirit\u201d (10), a claim that clearly states that nature itself does not control our mood\u2014though it can
\ncertainly affect our mood.
\nUltimately, Emerson has written about experiencing an intense, mystical-like connection with the
\nnatural world, one that is, in fact, so intense that he has, at times, connected to the \u201cUniversal Being.\u201d In
\norder to explain the depth of this experience, he writes about the reverence and awe one can have for
\nnature if one\u2019s mind is open to the influence of such things\u2014 so much so that he connects the awe one
\nmight have for the brilliant, shining stars in the nighttime sky to the awe one can have for all natural
\nthings in this world down below those stars. To open one\u2019s mind to nature in this way is to see nature
\npoetically, to see it with a wonder that links one back to a similar wonder and curiosity one had for nature
\nas a child. He represents the intensity of this awe and wonder by using a metaphor of \u201cbecoming a
\ntransparent eyeball\u201d (10), a comparison which offers the perspective that when he experiences this
\nintense connection, it is so intense he becomes one with both nature and God. Early in the essay, he
\nrefers to the unreachable stars as the \u201cCity of God\u201d (10), and later in the essay he refers to nature as
\nthe\u201cplantations of God\u201d (10). By doing so, Emerson expresses his belief that the unreachable God he
\nreveres so much in those unreachable stars can be experienced in and through the beauty and awe of
\nnature experienced down here on earth. But, again, one must be open to such possibilities, such
\ninfluences.
\nI underlined the entire conclusion because all of it can be seen as a thesis for what Emerson ultimately
\n\u201cdoes\u201d in his essay\u2014as well as \u201chow\u201d he \u201cdoes\u201d it.
\n———————————————————————————————————————
\n15 | P a g e
\nEssay 2: Deductive Analysis Essay — \u201cSeeing\u201d (100 points) Length: 6-7 pages Due Date: Check Canvas
\nTask: Write an analysis of how Dillard explores a variety of ways for what it means to see, both literally and
\nfiguratively and how she connects and builds from them throughout her essay so that she can explain her
\nvisionary-like experience of seeing the \u201ctree with the lights in it.\u201d
\n\u2022 Very important: Your task is to analyze what Dillard says and how she says it (and how everything is
\ninterrelated)\u2014and not what you think she says or how you feel about what she says. You need to provide a clear
\nconnection between the points and observations she makes in her essay and how it leads to the \u201ctree with the
\nlights in it.\u201d
\n\u2022 Do not write from the perspective that Dillard is trying to show us how to see or how to better enjoy our lives or be
\nhappy. Dillard is writing about her thoughts and experiences. You are analyzing that so write from that
\nperspective.
\n\uf0e0 Audience: Your audience will be familiar with this piece, so you should not retell everything that she writes
\nabout. Instead, focus on those passages that you choose to analyze in order to build and expand your thesis. You
\nshould summarize, paraphrase and quote those passages that will help you to demonstrate the different ways that
\nDillard discusses what it means to see. Look for ways to connect those passages so that your reader can see what
\nyour analysis of them equals (thus allowing you to carefully connect everything to come to an overall conclusion
\nabout how Dillard explores what it means to see). You should demonstrate an awareness of what the essay, overall,
\nis about.
\n\uf0e0 Essay Structure: (1) Make sure your introduction establishes the nature of what Dillard does in her essay\u2014and
\nthen make sure that your introduction is introducing us to your thesis and the analysis you will be covering in your
\nbody paragraphs. (2) Your thesis should be a specific claim about how Dillard ponders what it means to see and how
\nthose different \u201cways and meanings\u201d lead to the end of her essay where she experiences a visionary-like moment. (3)
\nYour body paragraphs should connect your various analyses of the passages you cover (and directly relate to the
\nclaim that you make in your thesis and where you are going in your conclusion). They should also provide your
\nreader the material needed to understand how you came to your conclusion. (4) Your conclusion should tie together
\neverything you say in your body paragraphs and tell us, ultimately and conclusively, how Dillard\u2019s various
\nexplorations of \u201cseeing\u201d lead to the \u201ctree with the lights in it\u201d at the end of the essay. Your conclusion should be
\nspecifically connected to your thesis \/ your thesis should be specifically linked to your conclusion.
\n\uf0e0 MLA Formatting:
\n\u2022 In your introductory paragraph, refer to the title of the book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and the author\u2019s full name
\n(Annie Dillard). Make it clear that \u201cSeeing\u201d is a chapter from that book.
\n\uf0a7 In \u201cSeeing,\u201d the second chapter from her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard writes about a variety
\nof different meanings for what it means \u201cto see.\u201d
\n\u2022 For the rest of the essay, use the author\u2019s last name (Dillard). Do not repeat her full name again.
\n\u2022 Once you have mentioned the title, do not mention it again. Do not write \u201cin the essay.\u201d We will know that you
\nare discussing the essay.
\n\u2022 For in-text citations \/ quotations, use the page number from the course reader. You do not need to mention the
\nauthor\u2019s last name in the citation because once you have introduced us to the title and the author\u2019s name, we
\nwill know that you are only quoting that source because your task is to analyze that essay and that essay only
\n\u2022 Provide a works cited page. Here is the correctly formatted bibliographical citation. Pay attention to the
\nitalicized title of the course reader.
\nDillard, Annie. \u201cSeeing.\u201d English 1A Course Reader, edited by Nathan Wirth, Nathan\u2019s Mind, Inc. 2019., pp. 16-22.
\n\uf0e0 Make sure your sentences are focused and that you take the time to effectively combine sentences using
\ncoordination and subordination.
\n\uf0e0 Make sure you meaningfully and effectively use coordinators, subordinators, conjunctive adverbs and
\ntransitional expressions to provide, where appropriate, clear transitions between your ideas.
\n\uf0e0 Make sure you provide meaningful and relevant context for your quotations, paraphrasing, and summaries. Be
\nsure you also provide (a) relevant explanations of them and (b) specific analysis.
\n\uf0e0 Do not use \u201cI\u201d or \u201cyou.\u201d
\n\uf0e0 Final Draft: Upload your final draft to Canvas. Check the course schedule for due dates and the upload link.
\n\uf0e0 Process Letter: You must also include a process letter, in which you write about your writing process for the
\nessay. Please make this the first page of your document (and it does not count as one of the required pages). You
\ncan find a sample process letter in this course reader.
\n\uf0e0 Formatting: Check the formatting requirements in this course reader before you upload your essay.
\n16 | P a g e
\n“Seeing\u201d by Annie Dillard
\nThis is Chapter Two from the book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Harper Perennial, 1974)
\nWhen I was six or seven years old, growing up in Pittsburgh, I used to take a precious penny of my own
\nand hide it for someone else to find. It was a curious compulsion; sadly, I\u2019ve never been seized by it since. For some
\nreason I always \u201chid\u201d the penny along the same stretch of sidewalk up the street. I would cradle it at the roots of a
\nsycamore, say, or in a hole left by a chipped-off piece of sidewalk. Then I would take a piece of chalk, and, starting
\nat either end of the block, draw huge arrows leading up to the penny from both directions. After I learned to write
\nI labeled the arrows: SURPRISE AHEAD or MONEY THIS WAY. I was greatly excited, during all this arrow-drawing, at
\nthe thought of the first lucky passer-by who would receive in this way, regardless of merit, a free gift from the
\nuniverse. But I never lurked about. I would go straight home and not give the matter another thought, until, some
\nmonths later, I would be gripped again by the impulse to hide another penny.
\nIt is still the first week in January, and I\u2019ve got great plans. I\u2019ve been thinking about seeing. There are lots
\nof things to see, unwrapped gifts and free surprises. The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast
\nbroadside from a generous hand. But\u2014and this is the point\u2014who gets excited by a mere penny? If you follow one
\narrow, if you crouch motionless on a bank to watch a tremulous ripple thrill on the water and are rewarded by the
\nsight of a muskrat kid paddling from its den, will you count that sight a chip of copper only, and go your rueful
\nway? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won\u2019t stoop to pick up a penny.
\nBut if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since
\nthe world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What
\nyou see is what you get.
\nI used to be able to see flying insects in the air. I\u2019d look ahead and see, not the row of hemlocks across the
\nroad, but the air in front of it. My eyes would focus along that column of air, picking out flying insects. But I lost
\ninterest, I guess, for I dropped the habit. Now I can see birds. Probably some people can look at the grass at their
\nfeet and discover all the crawling creatures. I would like to know grasses and sedges\u2014and care. Then my least
\njourney into the world would be a field trip, a series of happy recognitions. Thoreau, in an expansive mood,
\nexulted, \u201cWhat a rich book might be made about buds, including, perhaps, sprouts!\u201d It would be nice to think so. I
\ncherish mental images I have of three perfectly happy people. One collects stones. Another\u2014an Englishman, say\u2014
\nwatches clouds. The third lives on a coast and collects drops of seawater which he examines microscopically and
\nmounts. But I don\u2019t see what the specialist sees, and so I cut myself off, not only from the total picture, but from
\nthe various forms of happiness. Unfortunately, nature is very much a now-you-see-it, now-you-don\u2019t affair. A fish
\nflashes, then dissolves in the water before my eyes like so much salt. Deer apparently ascend bodily into heaven;
\nthe brightest oriole fades into leaves. These disappearances stun me into stillness and concentration; they say of
\nnature that it conceals with a grand nonchalance, and they say of vision that it is a deliberate gift, the revelation of
\na dancer who for my eyes only flings away her seven veils. For nature does reveal as well as conceal: now-youdon\u2019t-
\nsee-it, now-you-do. For a week last September migrating red-winged blackbirds were feeding heavily down
\nby the creek at the back of the house. One day I went out to investigate the racket; I walked up to a tree, an Osage
\norange, and a hundred birds flew away. They simply materialized out of the tree. I saw a tree, then a whisk of
\ncolor, then a tree again. I walked closer and another hundred blackbirds took flight. Not a branch, not a twig
\nbudged: the birds were apparently weightless as well as invisible. Or, it was as if the leaves of the Osage orange
\nhad been freed from a spell in the form of redwinged blackbirds; they flew from the tree, caught my eye in the sky,
\nand vanished. When I looked again at the tree, the leaves had reassembled as if nothing had happened. Finally I
\nwalked directly to the trunk of the tree and a finally hundred, the real diehards, appeared, spread, and vanished.
\nHow could so many hide in the tree without my seeing them? The Osage orange, unruffled, looked just as it had
\nlooked from the house, when three hundred red-winged blackbirds cried from its crown. I looked downstream
\nwhere they flew, and they were gone. Searching, I couldn\u2019t spot one. I wandered downstream to force them to
\nplay their hand, but they\u2019d crossed the creek and scattered. One show to a customer. These appearances catch at
\nmy throat; they are the free gifts, the bright coppers at the roots of trees.
\nIt\u2019s all a matter of keeping my eyes open. Nature is like one of those line drawings of a tree that are
\npuzzles for children: Can you find hidden in the leaves a duck, a house, a boy, a bucket, a zebra, and a boot?
\nSpecialists can find the most incredibly well-hidden things. A book I read when I was young recommended an easy
\nway to find caterpillars to rear: you simply find some fresh caterpillar droppings, look up, and there\u2019s your
\ncaterpillar. More recently an author advised me to set my mind at ease about those piles of cut stems on the
\nground in grassy fields. Field mice make them; they cut the grass down by degrees to reach the seeds at the head.
\nIt seems that when the grass is tightly packed, as in a field of ripe grain, the blade won\u2019t topple at a single cut
\nthrough the stem; instead, the cut stem simply drops vertically, held in the crush of grain. The mouse severs the
\nbottom again and again, the stem keeps dropping an inch at a time, and finally the head is low enough for the
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\nmouse to reach the seeds. Meanwhile, the mouse is positively littering the field with its little piles of cut stems into
\nwhich, presumably, the author of the book is constantly stumbling.
\nIf I can\u2019t see these minutiae, I still try to keep my eyes open. I\u2019m always on the lookout for antlion traps in
\nsandy soil, monarch pupae near milkweed, skipper larvae in locust leaves. These things are utterly common, and
\nI\u2019ve not seen one. I bang on hollow trees near water, but so far no flying squirrels have appeared. In flat country I
\nwatch every sunset in hopes of seeing the green ray. The green ray is a seldom-seen streak of light that rises from
\nthe sun like a spurting fountain at the moment of sunset; it throbs into the sky for two seconds and disappears.
\nOne more reason to keep my eyes open. A photography professor at the University of Florida just happened to see
\na bird die in midnight; it jerked, died, dropped, and smashed on the ground. I squint at the wind because I read
\nStewart Edward White: \u201cI have always maintained that if you looked closely enough you could see the wind\u2014the
\ndim, hardly-made-out, fine debris fleeing high in the air.\u201d White was an excellent observer, and devoted an entire
\nchapter of The Mountains to the subject of seeing deer: \u201cAs soon as you can forget the naturally obvious and
\nconstruct an artificial obvious, then you too will see deer.\u201d
\nBut the artificial obvious is hard to see. My eyes account for less than one percent of the weight of my
\nhead; I\u2019m bony and dense; I see what I expect. I once spent a full three minutes looking at a bullfrog that was so
\nunexpectedly large I couldn\u2019t see it even though a dozen enthusiastic campers were shouting directions. Finally I
\nasked, \u201cWhat color am I looking for?\u201d and a fellow said, \u201cGreen.\u201d When at last I picked out the frog, I saw what
\npainters are up against: the thing wasn\u2019t green at all, but the color of wet hickory bark.
\nThe lover can see, and the knowledgeable. I visited an aunt and uncle at a quarter-horse race in Cody,
\nWyoming. I couldn\u2019t do much of anything useful, but I could, I thought, draw. So, as we all sat around the kitchen
\ntable after supper, I produced a sheet of paper and drew a horse. \u201cThat\u2019s one lame horse,\u201d my aunt volunteered.
\nThe rest of my family joined in: \u201cOnly place to saddle that one is his neck\u201d; \u201cLooks like we better shoot the poor
\nthing, on account of those terrible growths.\u201d Meekly, I slid the pencil and paper down the table. Everyone in that
\nfamily, including my three young cousins, could draw a horse. Beautifully. When the paper came back it looked as
\nthough five shining, real quarter horses had been corralled by mistake with a papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 moose; the real horses
\nseemed to gaze at the monster with a steady, puzzled air. I stay away from horses now, but I can do a creditable
\ngoldfish. The point is that I just don\u2019t know what the lover knows; I just can\u2019t see the artificial obvious that those in
\nthe know construct. The herpetologist asks the native, \u201cAre there snakes in that ravine?\u201d \u201cNosir.\u201d And the
\nherpetologist comes home with, yessir, three bags full. Are there butterflies on that mountain? Are the bluets in
\nbloom, are there arrowheads here, or fossil shells in the shale?
\nPeeping through my keyhole I see within the range of only about thirty percent of the light that comes
\nfrom the sun; the rest is infrared and some little ultraviolet, perfectly apparent to many animals, but invisible to
\nme. A nightmare network of ganglia, charged and firing without my knowledge, cuts and splices what I do see,
\nediting it for my brain. Donald E. Carr points out that the sense impressions of one-celled animals are not edited
\nfor the brain: \u201cThis is philosophically interesting in a rather mournful way, since it means that only the simplest
\nanimals perceive the universe as it is.\u201d
\nA fog that won\u2019t burn away drifts and flows across my field of vision. When you see fog move against a
\nbackdrop of deep pines, you don\u2019t see the fog itself, but streaks of clearness floating across the air in dark shreds.
\nSo I see only tatters of clearness through a pervading obscurity. I can\u2019t distinguish the fog from the overcast sky; I
\ncan\u2019t be sure if the light is direct or reflected. Everywhere darkness and the presence of the unseen appalls. We
\nestimate now that only one atom dances alone in every cubic meter of intergalactic space. I blink and squint. What
\nplanet or power yanks Halley\u2019s Comet out of orbit? We haven\u2019t seen that force yet; it\u2019s a question of distance,
\ndensity, and the pallor of reflected light. We rock, cradled in the swaddling band of darkness. Even the simple
\ndarkness of night whispers suggestions to the mind. Last summer, in August, I stayed at the creek too late.
\nWhere Tinker Creek flows under the sycamore log bridge to the tear-shaped island, it is slow and shallow,
\nfringed thinly in cattail marsh. At this spot an astonishing bloom of life supports vast breeding populations of
\ninsects, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals. On windless summer evenings, I stalk along the creek bank or straddle
\nthe sycamore log in absolute stillness, watching for muskrats. The night I stayed too late I was hunched on the fog
\nstaring spellbound at spreading, reflecting stains of lilac on the water. A cloud in the sky suddenly lighted as if
\nturned on by a switch; its reflection just as suddenly materialized on the water upstream, flat and floating, so that
\nI couldn\u2019t see the creek bottom, or life in the water under the cloud. Downstream, away from the cloud on the
\nwater, water turtles as smooth as beans were gliding down with the current in a series of easy, weightless pushoffs,
\nas men bound on the moon. I didn\u2019t know whether to trace the progress of one turtle I was sure of, risking
\nsticking my face in one of the bridge\u2019s spider webs made invisible by the gathering dark, or take a chance on seeing
\nthe carp, or scan the mudbank in hope of seeing a muskrat, or follow the last of the swallows who caught at my
\nheart and trailed after them like streamers as they appeared from directly below, under the log, flying upstream
\nwith their tails forked, so fast.
\n18 | P a g e
\nBut shadows spread, and deepened, and stayed. After thousands of years we\u2019re still strangers to
\ndarkness, fearful aliens in an enemy camp with our arms crossed over our chests. I stirred. A land turtle on the
\nbank, startled, hissed the air from its lungs and withdrew into its shell. An uneasy pink here, and unfathomable
\nblue there, gave great suggestion of lurking beings. Things were going on. I couldn\u2019t see whether that sere rustle I
\nheard was a distant rattlesnake, slit-eyed, or a nearby sparrow kicking in the dry flood debris slung at the foot of a
\nwillow. Tremendous action roiled the water everywhere I looked, big action, inexplicable. A tremor welled up
\nbeside a gaping muskrat burrow in the bank and I caught my breath, but no muskrat appeared. The ripples
\ncontinued to fan upstream with a steady, powerful thrust. Night was knitting over my face an eyeless mask, and I
\nstill sat transfixed. A distant airplane, a delta wing out of a nightmare, made a gliding shadow on the creek\u2019s
\nbottom that looked like a stingray cruising upstream. At once a black fin slit the pink cloud on the water, shearing it
\nin two. The two halves merged together and seemed to dissolve before my eyes. Darkness pooled in the cleft of
\nthe creek and rose, as water collects in a well. Untamed, dreaming lights flickered over the sky. I saw hints of
\nhulking and underwater shadows, two pale splashes out of the water, and round ripples rolling close together from
\na blackened center.
\nAt last I stared upstream where only the deepest violet remained of the cloud, a cloud so high its
\nunderbelly still glowed feeble color reflected from a hidden sky lighted in turn by a sun halfway to China. And out
\nof that violet, a sudden enormous black body arced over the water. I saw only a cylindrical sleekness. Head and
\ntail, if there was a head and tail, were both submerged in cloud I saw only one ebony fling, a headlong dive to
\ndarkness; then the waters closed, and the lights went out.
\nI walked home in a shivering daze, up hill and down. Later I lay open-mouthed in bed, my arms flung wide
\nat my sides to steady the whirling darkness. At this latitude I\u2019m spinning 836 miles an hour round the earth\u2019s axis; I
\noften fancy I feel my sweeping fall as a breakneck arc like the dive of dolphins, and the hollow rushing of wind
\nraises hair on my neck and the side of my face. In orbit around the sun I\u2019m moving 64,800 miles an hour. The solar
\nsystem as a whole, like a merry-go-round unhinged, spins, bobs, and blinks at the speed of 43,200 miles an hour
\nalong a course set east of Hercules. Someone has piped, and we are dancing a tarantella until the sweat pours. I
\nopen my eyes and I see dark, muscled forms curl out of the water, with flapping gills and flattened eyes. I close my
\neyes and I see stars, deep stars giving way to deeper stars, deeper stars bowing to deepest stars at the crown of an
\ninfinite cone.
\n\u201cStill,\u201d wrote van Gogh in a letter, \u201ca great deal of light falls on everything.\u201d If we are blinded by darkness,
\nwe are also blinded by light. When too much light falls on everything, a special terror results. Peter Freuchen
\ndescribes the notorious kayak sickness to which Greenland Eskimos are prone. \u201cThe Greenland fjords are peculiar
\nfor the spells of completely quiet weather, when there is not enough wind to blow out a match and the water is
\nlike a sheet of glass. The kayak hunter must sit in his boat without stirring a finger so as not to scare the shy seals
\naway\u2026 The sun, low in the sky, sends a glare into his eyes, and the landscape around moves into the realm of the
\nunreal. The reflex from the mirror-like water hypnotizes him, he seems to be unable to move, and all of a sudden it
\nis as if he were floating in a bottomless void, sinking, sinking, and sinking\u2026 Horror-stricken, he tries to stir, to cry
\nout, but he cannot, he is completely paralyzed, he just falls and falls.\u201d Some hunters are especially cursed with this
\npanic, and bring ruin and sometimes starvation to their families.
\nSometimes here in Virginia at sunset low clouds on the southern or northern horizon are completely
\ninvisible in the lighted sky. I only know one is there because I can see its reflection in still water. The first time I
\ndiscovered this mystery I looked from cloud to no-cloud in bewilderment, checking my bearings over and over,
\nthinking maybe the ark of the covenant was just passing by south of Dead Man Mountain. Only much later did I
\nread the explanation: polarized light from the sky is very much weakened by perfection, but the light in clouds isn\u2019t
\npolarized. So invisible clouds pass among visible clouds, till all slide over the mountains; so a greater light
\nextinguishes a lesser as though it didn\u2019t exist.
\nIn the great meteor shower of August, the Perseid, I wail all day for the shooting stars I miss. They\u2019re out
\nthere showering down, committing hara-kiri in a flame of fatal attraction, and hissing perhaps at last into the
\nocean. But at dawn what looks like a blue dome clamps down over me like a lid on a pot. The stars and planets
\ncould smash down and I\u2019d never know. Only a piece of ashen moon occasionally climbs up or down the inside of
\nthe dome, and our local star without surcease explodes on our heads. We have really only that one light, one
\nsource for all power, and yet we must turn away from it by universal decree. Nobody here on the planet seems
\naware of this strange, powerful taboo, that we all walk about carefully averting our faces, this way and that, lest
\nour eyes be blasted forever.
\nDarkness appalls and light dazzles; the scrap of visible light that doesn\u2019t hurt my eyes hurts my brain.
\nWhat I see sets me swaying. Size and distance and the sudden swelling of meanings confuse me, bowl me over. I
\nstraddle the sycamore log bridge over Tinker Creek in the summer. I look at the lighted creek bottom: snail tracks
\ntunnel the mud in quavering curves. A crayfish jerks, but by the time I absorb what has happened, he\u2019s gone in a
\nbillowing smokescreen of silt. I look at the water: minnows and shiners. If I\u2019m thinking minnows, a carp will fill my
\nbrain till I scream. I look at the water\u2019s surface: skaters, bubbles, and leaves sliding down. Suddenly, my own face,
\n19 | P a g e
\nreflected, startles me witless. Those snails have been tracking my face! Finally, with a shuddering wrench of the
\nwill, I see clouds, cirrus clouds. I\u2019m dizzy, I fall in. This looking business is risky.
\nOnce I stood on a humped rock on nearby Purgatory Mountain, watching through binoculars the great
\nautumn hawk migration below, until I discovered that I was in danger of joining the hawks on a vertical migration
\nof my own. I was used to binoculars, but not, apparently, to balancing on humped rocks while looking through
\nthem. I staggered. Everything advanced and receded by turns; the world was full of unexplained foreshortenings
\nand depths. A distant huge tan object, a hawk the size of an elephant, turned out to be the browned bough of a
\nnearby loblolly pine. I followed a sharp-shinned hawk against a featureless sky, rotating my head unawares as it
\nflew, and when I lowered the glass a glimpse of my own looming shoulder sent me staggering. What prevents men
\non Palomar from falling, voiceless and blinded, from their tiny, vaulted chairs?
\nI reel in confusion; I don\u2019t understand what I see. With the naked eye I can see two million light-years to
\nthe Andromeda galaxy. Often I slop some creek water in a jar and when I get home I dump it in a white china bowl.
\nAfter the silt settles I return and see tracings of minute snails on the bottom, a planarian or two winding round the
\nrum of water, roundworms shimmying frantically, and finally, when my eyes have adjusted to these dimensions,
\namoebae. At first the amoebae look like muscae volitantes, those curved moving spots you seem to see in your
\neyes when you stare at a distant wall. Then I see the amoebae as drops of water congealed, bluish, translucent,
\nlike chips of sky in the bowl. At length I choose one individual and give myself over to its idea of an evening. I see it
\ndribble a grainy foot before it on its wet, unfathomable way. Do its unedited sense impressions include the fierce
\nfocus of my eyes? Shall I take it outside and show it Andromeda, and blow its little endoplasm? I stir the water with
\na finger, in case it\u2019s running out of oxygen. Maybe I should get a tropical aquarium with motorized bubblers and
\nlights, and keep this one for a pet. Yes, it would tell its fissioned descendants, the universe is two feet by five, and
\nif you listen closely you can head the buzzing music of the spheres.
\nOh, it\u2019s mysterious lamplit evenings, here in the galaxy, one after the other. It\u2019s one of those nights when I
\nwander from window to window, looking for a sign. But I can\u2019t see. Terror and a beauty insoluble are a ribband of
\nblue woven into the fringes of garments of things both great and small. No culture explains, no bivouac offers real
\nhaven or rest. But it could be that we are not seeing something. Galileo thought comets were an optical illusion.
\nThis is fertile ground: since we are certain that they\u2019re not, we can look at what our scientists have been saying
\nwith fresh hope. What if there are really gleaming, castellated cities hung upside-down over the desert sand?
\nWhat limpid lakes and cool date palms have our caravans always passed untried? Until, one by one, by the blindest
\nof leaps, we light on the road to these places, we must stumble in darkness and hunger. I turn from the window
\nI\u2019m blind as a bat, sensing only from every direction the echo of my own thin cries.
\nI chanced on a wonderful book by Marius von Senden, called Space and Sight. When Western surgeons
\ndiscovered how to perform safe cataract operations, they ranged across Europe and America operating on dozens
\nof men and women of all ages who had been blinded by cataracts since birth. Von Senden collected accounts of
\nsuch cases; the histories are fascinating. Many doctors had tested their patients\u2019 sense perceptions and ideas of
\nspace both before and after the operations. The vast majority of patients, of both sexes and all ages, had, in von
\nSenden\u2019s opinion, no idea of space whatsoever. Form, distance, and size were so many meaningless syllables. A
\npatient \u201chad no idea of depth, confusing it with roundness.\u201d Before the operation a doctor would give a blind
\npatient a cube and a sphere; the patient would tongue it or feel it with his hands, and name it correctly. After the
\noperation the doctor would show the same objects to the patient without letting him touch them; now he had no
\nclue whatsoever what he was seeing. One patient called lemonade \u201csquare\u201d because it pricked on his tongue as a
\nsquare shape pricked on the touch of his hands. Of another postoperative patient, the doctor writes, \u201cI have found
\nin her no notion of size, for example, not even within the narrow limits which she might have encompassed with
\nthe aid of touch. Thus when I asked her to show me how big her mother was, she did not stretch out her hands,
\nbut set her two index-fingers a few inches apart.\u201d Other doctors reported their patients\u2019 own statements to similar
\neffect. \u201cThe room he was in\u2026 he knew to be but part of the house, yet he could not conceive that the whole house
\ncould look bigger\u201d; \u201cThose who are blind from birth\u2026 have no real conception of height or distance. A house that is
\na mile away is thought of as nearby, but requiring the taking of a lot of steps\u2026 The elevator that whizzes him up
\nand down gives no more sense of vertical distance than does the train of horizontal.\u201d
\nFor the newly sighted, vision is pure sensation unencumbered by meaning: \u201cThe girl went through the
\nexperience that we all go through and forget, the moment we are born. She saw, but it did not mean anything but
\na lot of different kinds of brightness.\u201d Again, \u201cI asked the patient what he could see; he answered that he saw an
\nextensive field of light, in which everything appeared dull, confused, and in motion. He could not distinguish
\nobjects.\u201d Another patient saw \u201cnothing but a confusion of forms and colors.\u201d When a newly sighted girl saw
\nphotographs and paintings, she asked, \u201c\u2019Why do they put those dark marks all over them?\u2019 \u2018Those aren\u2019t dark
\nmarks,\u2019 her mother explained, \u2018those have shape. If it were not for shadows many things would look flat.\u2019 \u2018Well,
\nthat\u2019s how things do look,\u2019 Joan answered. \u2018Everything looks flat with dark patches.\u2019\u201d
\n20 | P a g e
\nBut it is the patients\u2019 concepts of space that are most revealing. One patient, according to his doctor,
\n\u201cpracticed his vision in a strange fashion; thus he takes off one of his boots, throws it some way off in front of him,
\nand then attempts to gauge the distance at which it lies; he takes a few steps towards the boot and tries to grasp
\nit; on failing to reach it, he moves on a step or two and gropes for the boot until he finally gets a hold of it.\u201d \u201cBut
\neven at this stage, after three weeks\u2019 experience of seeing,\u201d von Senden goes on, \u201c\u2019space,\u2019 as he conceives it, ends
\nwith visual space, i.e. with color-patches that happen to bound his view. He does not yet have the notion that a
\nlarger object (a chair) can mask a smaller one (a dog), or that the latter can still be present even though it is not
\ndirectly seen.\u201d
\nIn general the newly sighted see the world as a dazzle of color-patches. They are pleased by the sensation
\nof color, and learn quickly to name the colors, but the rest of seeing is tormentingly difficult. Soon after his
\noperation a patient \u201cgenerally bumps into one of these color-patches and observes them to be substantial, since
\nthey resist him as tactual objects do. In walking about it also strikes him\u2014or can if he pays attention\u2014that he is
\ncontinually passing in between the colors he sees, that he can go past a visual object, that a part of it then steadily
\ndisappears from view; and that in spite of this, however he twists and turns\u2014whether entering the room from the
\ndoor, for example, or returning back to it\u2014he always has a visual space in front of him. Thus he gradually comes to
\nrealize there is also a space behind him, which he does not see.\u201d
\nThe mental effort involved in these reasoning\u2019s proves overwhelming for many patients. It oppresses
\nthem to realize, if they ever do at all, the tremendous size of the world, which they had previously conceived of as
\nsomething touchingly manageable. It oppresses them to realize that they have been visible to people all along,
\nperhaps unattractively so, without their knowledge or consent. A disheartening number of them refuse to use their
\nnew vision, continuing to go over objects with their tongues, and lapsing into apathy and despair. \u201cThe child can
\nsee, but will not make use of his sight. Only when pressed can he with difficulty be brought to look at objects in
\nhis neighborhood; but more than a foot away it is impossible to bestir him to the necessary effort.\u201d Of a twentyone-
\nyear-old girl, the doctor relates, \u201cHer unfortunate father, who had hoped for so much from this operation,
\nwrote that his daughter carefully shuts her eyes whenever she wishes to go about the house, especially when she
\ncomes to a staircase, and that she is never happier or more at ease than when, by closing her eyelids, she relapses
\ninto her former state of total blindness.\u201d A fifteen-year-old boy, who was also in love with a girl at the asylum for
\nthe blind, finally blurted out, \u201cNo, really, I can\u2019t stand it any more; I want to be sent back to the asylum again. If
\nthings aren\u2019t altered, I\u2019ll tear my eyes out.\u201d
\nSome do learn to see, especially the young ones. But it changes their lives. One doctor comments on \u201cthe
\nrapid and complete loss of that striking and wonderful serenity which is characteristic only of those who have
\nnever yet seen.\u201d A blind man who learns to see is ashamed of his old habits. He dresses up, grooms himself, and
\ntries to make a good impression. While he was blind, he was indifferent to objects unless they were edible; now, \u201ca
\nsifting of values sets in\u2026 his thoughts and wishes are mightily stirred and some few of the patients are thereby led
\ninto dissimulation, envy, theft and fraud.\u201d
\nOn the other hand, many newly sighted people speak well of the world, and teach us how dull is our own
\nvision. To one patient, a human hand, unrecognized, is \u201csomething bright and then holes.\u201d Shown a bunch of
\ngrapes, a boy calls out, \u201cit is dark, blue and shiny\u2026 It isn\u2019t smooth, it has bumps and hollows.\u201d A little girl visits a
\ngarden. \u201cShe is greatly astonished, and can scarcely be persuaded to answer, stands speechless in front of the tree,
\nwhich she only names on taking hold of it, and then as \u2018the tree with the lights in it.\u2019\u201d Some delight in their sight
\nand give themselves over to the visual world. Of a patient just after her bandages were removed, her doctor
\nwrites, \u201cThe first things to attract her attention were her own hands; she looked at them very closely, moved them
\nrepeatedly to and fro, bent and stretched the fingers, and seemed greatly astonished at the sight.\u201d One girl was
\neager to tell her blind friend that \u201cMen do not really look like trees at all,\u201d and astounded to discover that her
\nevery visitor had an utterly different face. Finally, a twenty-two-old girl was dazzled by the world\u2019s brightness and
\nkept her eyes shut for two weeks. When at the end of that time she opened her eyes again, she did not recognize
\nthe objects, but, \u201cthe more she now directed her gaze upon everything about her, the more it could be seen how
\nan expression of gratification and astonishment overspread her features; she repeatedly exclaimed: \u2018Oh God! How
\nbeautiful!\u2019\u201d
\nI saw color-patches for weeks after I read this wonderful book. It was summer; the peaches were ripe in
\nthe valley orchards. When I woke in the morning, color-patches wrapped round my eyes, intricately, leaving not
\none unfilled spot. All day long I walked among shifting color-patches that parted before me like the Red Sea and
\nclosed again in silence, transfigured, wherever I looked back. Some patches swelled and loomed, while others
\nvanished utterly, and dark marks flitted at random over the whole dazzling sweep. But I couldn\u2019t sustain the
\nillusion of flatness. I\u2019ve been around for too long. Form is condemned to an eternal danse macabre with meaning: I
\ncouldn\u2019t unpeach the peaches. Now can I remember ever having seen without understanding; the color patches of
\ninfancy are lost. My brain then must have been smooth as any balloon. I\u2019m told I reached for the moon; many
\nbabies do. But the color-patches of infancy swelled as meaning filled them; they arrayed themselves in solemn
\n21 | P a g e
\nranks down distance which unrolled and stretched before me like a plain. The moon rocketed away. I live now in a
\nworld of shadows that take shape and distance color, a world where space makes a kind of terrible sense. What
\nGnosticism is this, and what physics? The fluttering patch I saw in my nursery window\u2014silver and green and
\nshapeshifting blue\u2014is gone; a row of Lombardy poplars takes its place, mute, across the distant lawn. That
\nhumming oblong creature pale as light that stole along the walls of my room at night, stretching exhilaratingly
\naround the corners, is gone, too, gone the night I ate of the bittersweet fruit, put two and two together and
\npuckered forever my brain. Martin Buber tells this tale: \u201cRabbi Mendel once boasted to his teacher Rabbi
\nElimelekh that evenings he saw the angel who rolls away the light before the darkness, and mornings the angel
\nwho rolls away the darkness before the light. \u2018Yes,\u2019 said Rabbie Elimelekh, \u2018in my youth I saw that too. Later on you
\ndon\u2019t see these things any more.\u2019\u201d
\nWhy didn\u2019t someone hand those newly sighted people paints and brushes from the start, when they still
\ndidn\u2019t know what anything was? Then maybe we all could see color-patches too, the world unraveled from reason,
\nEden before Adam gave names. The scales would drop from my eyes; I\u2019d see trees like men walking; I\u2019d run down
\nthe road against all orders, hallooing and leaping.
\nSeeing is of course very much a matter of verbalization. Unless I call my attention to what passes before
\nmy eyes, I simple won\u2019t see it. It is, as Ruskin says, \u201cnot merely unnoticed, but in the full, clear sense of the word,
\nunseen.\u201d My eyes alone can\u2019t solve analogy tests using figures, the ones which show, with increasing elaborations,
\na big square, then a small square in a big square, then a big triangle, and expect me to find a small triangle in a big
\ntriangle. I have to say the words, describe what I\u2019m seeing. If Tinker Mountain erupted, I\u2019d be likely to notice. But if
\nI want to notice the lesser cataclysms of valley life, I have to maintain in my head a running description of the
\npresent. It\u2019s not that I\u2019m observant; it\u2019s just that I talk too much. Otherwise, especially in a strange place, I\u2019ll never
\nknow what\u2019s happening. Like a blind man at the ball game, I need a radio.
\nWhen I see this way I analyze and pry. I hurl over logs and roll away stones; I study the bank a square foot
\nat a time, probing and tilting my head. Some days when a mist covers the mountains, when the muskrats won\u2019t
\nshow and the microscope\u2019s mirror shatters, I want to climb up the blank blue dome as a man would storm the
\ninside of a circus tent, wildly, dangling, and with a steel knife claw a rent in the top, peep, and, if I must, fall.
\nBut there is another kind of seeing that involves a letting go. When I see this way I sway transfixed and
\nemptied. The difference between the two ways of seeing is the difference between walking with and without a
\ncamera. When I walk with a camera I walk from shot to shot, reading the light on a calibrated meter. When I walk
\nwithout a camera, my own shutter opens, and the moment\u2019s light prints on my own silver gut. When I see this
\nsecond way, I am above all an unscrupulous observer.
\nIt was sunny one evening last summer at Tinker Creek; the sun was low in the sky, upstream. I was sitting
\non the sycamore log bridge with the sunset at my back, watching the shiners the size of minnows who were
\nfeeding over the muddy sand in skittery schools. Again and again, one fish, then another, turned for a split second
\nacross the current and flash! The sun shot out from its silver side. I couldn\u2019t watch for it. It was always just
\nhappening somewhere else, and it drew my vision just as it disappeared: flash, like a sudden dazzle of the thinnest
\nblade, a sparking over a dun and olive ground at chance intervals from every direction. Then I noticed white
\nspecks, some sort of pale petals, small, floating from under my feet on the creek\u2019s surface, very slow and steady.
\nSo I blurred my eyes and gazed towards the brim of my hat and saw a new world. I saw the pale white circles roll
\nup, roll up, like the world\u2019s tuning, mute and perfect, and I saw the linear flashes, gleaming silver, like stars being
\nborn at random down a rolling scroll of time. Something broke and something opened. I filled up like a new
\nwineskin. I breathed an air like light; I saw a light like water. I was the lip of a fountain the creek filled forever; I was
\nether, the leaf in the zephyr; I was flesh-flake, feather, bone.
\nWhen I see this way I see truly. As Thoreau says, I return to my senses. I am the man who watches the
\nbaseball game in silence in an empty stadium. I see the game purely; I\u2019m abstracted and dazed. When it\u2019s all over
\nand the white-suited players lope off the green field to their shadowed dugouts, I leap to my feet; I cheer and
\ncheer.
\nBut I can\u2019t go out and try to see this way. I\u2019ll fail, I\u2019ll go mad. All I can do is try to gag the commentator, to
\nhush the noise of useless interior babble that keeps me from seeing just as surely as a newspaper dangled before
\nmy eyes. The effort is really a discipline requiring a lifetime of dedicated struggle; it makes the literature of saints
\nand monks of every order East and West, under every rule and no rule, discalced and shod. The world\u2019s spiritual
\ngeniuses seem to discover universally that the mind\u2019s muddy river, this ceaseless flow of trivia and trash, cannot be
\ndammed, and that trying to dam it is a waste of effort that might lead to madness. Instead you must allow the
\nmuddy river to flow unheeded in the dim channels of consciousness; you raise your sights; you look along it,
\n22 | P a g e
\nmildly, acknowledging its presence without interest and gazing beyond it into the realm of the real where subjects
\nand objects act and rest purely, without utterance. \u201cLaunch into the deep,\u201d says Jacques Ellul, \u201cand you shall see.\u201d
\nThe secret of seeing is, then, the pearl of great price. If I thought he could teach me to find it and keep it
\nforever I would stagger barefoot across a hundred deserts after any lunatic at all. But although the pearl may be
\nfound, it may not be sought. The literature of illumination reveals this above all: although it comes to those who
\nwait for it, it is always, even to the most practiced and adept, a gift and a total surprise. I return from one walk
\nknowing where the killdeer nests in the field by the creek and the hour the laurel blooms. I return from the same
\nwalk a day later scarcely knowing my own name. Litanies hum in my ears; my tongue flaps in my mouth Ailinon,
\nalleluia! I cannot cause light; the most I can do is try to put myself in the path of its beam. It is possible, in deep
\nspace, to sail on solar wind. Light, be it particle or wave, has force: you rig a giant sail and go. The secret of seeing
\nis to sail on solar wind. Hone and spread your spirit till you yourself are a sail, whetted, translucent, broadside to
\nthe merest puff.
\nWhen her doctor took her bandages off and led her into the garden, the girl who was no longer blind saw
\n\u201cthe tree with the lights in it.\u201d It was for this tree I searched through the peach orchards of summer, in the forests
\nof fall and down winter and spring for years. Then one day I was walking along Tinker Creek thinking of nothing at
\nall and I saw the tree with the lights in it. I saw the backyard cedar where the mourning doves roost charged and
\ntransfigured, each cell buzzing with flame. I stood on the grass with the lights in it, grass that was wholly fire,
\nutterly focused and utterly dreamed. It was less like seeing than like being for the first time seen, knocked
\nbreathless by a powerful glance. The flood of fire abated, but I\u2019m still spending the power. Gradually the lights
\nwent out in the cedar, the colors died, the cells unflamed and disappeared. I was still ringing. I had been my whole
\nlife a bell, and never knew it until at that moment I was lifted and struck. I have since only very rarely seen the tree
\nwith the lights in it. The vision comes and goes, mostly goes, but I live for it, for the moment when the mountains
\nopen and a new light roars in spate through the crack, and the mountains slam.
\n23 | P a g e
\nAn Outline of the Essential Key Points of Dillard\u2019s Essay
\nI. Story about Hiding the Penny
\nA. The value of encountering the surprise
\nB. The arrows and words that lead one to the surprise
\nII. She equates the value of the surprise of finding a penny to the value of encountering the quick
\nglimpses of the things she encounters in nature
\nA. The value of encountering these quick glimpses is not a monetary \/ material value
\nB. These quick glimpses are very much a \u201cnow-you-see-it, now-you-don\u2019t\u201d experience
\nC. Nature reveals and conceals
\n1. Example of the blackbirds suddenly flying out of the Osage Orange tree
\nD. Knowledge improves your chances of seeing these things that are often hidden (you have a
\nbetter chance of finding where they are hidden if you have knowledge)
\nE. Natural Obvious
\n1. How you biologically and neurologically see (the literal sense of \u201cseeing\u201d)
\nF. Artificial Obvious
\n1. All the ways we see that lie beyond the biological and neurological (the figurative
\nsense of \u201cseeing\u201d)
\nG. Misty fog covers the pines (example of conceal \/ reveal) leads to next section about how
\ndarkness light conceals
\n1. We edit what we see (in other words, we do not look at everything so that we can
\nfocus on specific things)
\nIII. She stays too late at Tinker Creek (a section that looks at our vision being blinded, obscured,
\nlessened, tricked)
\nA. Fading light as twilight transitions into dark
\nB. Seeing in the dark (even though she cannot \u201csee,\u201d her eyes are still processing)
\nC. Too much light blinds \/ heavy glare confuses
\nD. How our vision can be confused
\n1. binoculars \/ observatory
\nE. Do we really see what we see (in other words, is our knowledge of \u201cwhat things are\u201d and \u201chow
\nthey are what they are\u201d accurate?)
\nIV. She writes about formerly blind people who struggle with learning how to see?
\nA. They cannot, at first, discern shapes, space, distance, depth, etc.
\n1. They had not learned how to as we have\u2014so they must learn to see
\nB. In general, they see the world in \u201ccolor patches\u201d
\nC. She is particularly fascinated by the image of the \u201ctree with the lights in it\u201d (important later in
\nthe essay)
\nV. She, imaginatively speaking, sees color patches (in other words, she is trying to see in the way those
\nwho had not yet learned how to see are seeing).
\nA. But you cannot undo how you have learned to see (you cannot \u201cunpeach a peach\u2019).
\nVI. Seeing is a matter of verbalization
\nA. In other words, seeing, which is bound to experience and knowledge, is bound to language.
\nB. When we see, we use language.
\n24 | P a g e
\nVII. She suggests there is another kind of seeing, one in which we attempt to \u201clet go\u201d of being bound to
\nverbalization.
\nA. She offers the example of seeing with a camera vs. seeing without a camera
\nVIII. She describes seeing the minutiae at Tinker Creek as if she becomes these things.
\nA. An example of \u201cletting go\u201d
\nB. An attempt to see in a way that is not bound to knowledge and experience
\nC. She claims this is seeing more truly
\n1. It is \u201cmore true\u201d because it is not as edited and not as bound to how we have learned
\nto understand the things we see
\nIX. One cannot sustain this for very long because we provide ourselves a never-ending dialog in our head
\nthat \u201cnarrates\u201d everything we see (constant verbalization of what we perceive and see and know and
\nponder, etc.)
\nA. We, again, cannot cause things we wish to see to appear
\n1. Conceal \/ Reveal \u2013 Now you see it, now you don\u2019t
\n2. The secret of \u201cseeing\u201d gives great reward (associated with insight \/ spiritual
\nillumination) but it also cannot be demanded and called for \u2013 you encounter it when you
\nencounter it)
\nB. She associates light with spiritual illumination (deep understanding \u2013 a kind of understanding
\nthat lies beyond \u201creason,\u201d a moment of insight (deeper understanding) \uf0df totally related to
\n\u201cartificial obvious\u201d
\nC. We cannot call for the light \/ illumination to appear; all we can do is place ourselves in its path
\nwhen it is there.
\n1. See the \u201carrows\u201d that lead to the \u201cpennies\u201d when they are there.
\n2. Ride the solar wind (the continual flowing of particles from the sun that permeate
\nthe entire solar system).
\nX. She ends by describing a \u201cvison-like\u201d moment that is manifested by her finally seeing \u201cthe tree with
\nthe lights on it\u201d
\nA. Vision = an experience that appears visibly to the mind, but it is not present
\nB. She wanted to see it \/ had looked for it
\nC. When she encountered it, she was not thinking about it
\nD. What she describes lies outside of \u201creason,\u201d outside of the natural obvious (she had never
\nseen it before)
\nE. But she was aware of it \/ open to its possibility
\nF. It was a now you see it, now you don\u2019t moment
\nG. It was a \u201cprecious penny\u201d \/ it was a different kind of seeing
\nH. She compares herself to a bell that has finally been rung
\n25 | P a g e
\nSample Paragraphs for Writing about Annie Dillard\u2019s \u201cSeeing\u201d
\nNote: This would not be an introduction\u2014 more likely the first two body paragraphs of an essay
\nDillard begins her exploration of seeing by offering a story from her childhood, when she used to
\nhide pennies, among other places, in the nooks and crannies of the street and a sycamore tree. To ensure
\nthat people would find the pennies, she drew arrows and labels with chalk in order to lead people to the
\nhidden pennies that she quite clearly saw as treasures. However, she never waited around to witness
\nanyone encountering them. Dillard\u2019s retelling of this story illustrates how enamored she still is with the
\njoy of leading someone to discover the unexpected little surprises she left behind, her fascination focused
\non the pleasure and value of encountering the unexpected. After all, she never waited around to witness
\nthe person happening upon the penny, such a stance implying a very different kind of seeing because it
\ntakes the experience of witnessing something with one\u2019s eyes and infuses it with the excited feeling one
\nhas when one encounters the unexpected (even if that something has an arrow pointing to it). After all,
\nmany would pass by the seemingly-obvious, chalk-drawn arrows and labels without noticing them, in part,
\nbecause one might just not care about such things or be far too preoccupied with other concerns and
\nthoughts. Dillard\u2019s story not only illustrates her own passion for encountering such moments but also
\nrecognizes how easily such things pass by us unnoticed\u2014 even the more obvious and common ones. For,
\nas she explains, nature is \u201cvery much a now-you-see-it, now-you-don\u2019t affair,\u201d adding later that it is also a
\n\u201cnow-you-don\u2019t-see-it, now-you-do\u201d experience (18, 19). Indeed, for Dillard the surprise of the
\nexperience of seeing such \u201cpennies\u201d\u2014 whether they be a flash of a bird or a splash of a muskrat or a
\nfish\u2014 is equally important to the actual experience of witnessing them\u2014especially since they pass us by
\nso quickly: there in a flash and gone in a flash. Her story reminds one that while finding a penny or
\nwitnessing fleeting, quick moments in nature may not be so valuable in monetary and material terms, one
\ncan find riches in the experiences of encountering such things. All in all, such experiences are very much a
\nmatter of how one sees\u2014 literally in the sense that our eyes witness them when we encounter them and
\nfail to see them when they pass us by\u2014 but also figuratively in the sense of the meanings and
\ninterpretations that we bring to them as well as how we remember them, recreate them, describe them.
\nDillard represents this value of encountering such moments by describing the experience of
\nseeing an Osage orange tree that, at first, appeared simply as all trees do\u2014 as a large trunk with branches
\nand leaves\u2014 but suddenly and unexpectedly hundreds of blackbirds take off into flight. At first, she
\nexplains the wonder she feels for witnessing such a sight, but soon she processes her description of what
\nshe literally saw with her eyes and reimagines it in far more poetic terms:
\nNot a branch, not a twig budged: the birds were apparently weightless as well as
\ninvisible. Or, it was as if the leaves of the Osage orange had been freed from a spell in
\nthe form of redwinged blackbirds; they flew from the tree, caught my eye in the sky,
\nand vanished. When I looked again at the tree, the leaves had reassembled as if
\nnothing had happened (19).
\nShe recreates, even reimagines, the experience of beholding such a sight through a creative expression of
\nthe tree\u2019s leaves seemingly casting off some magical spell that transforms the leaves into birds, the tree
\nthen magically reassembling itself. Dillard\u2019s shift from the actual to an other further illustrates how seeing
\nis both literal\u2014 in the sense that the tree and seeing the birds take flight from it is what it is, and
\nfigurative, by the way she richly and poetically describes the experience, transforming it into a metaphor
\nthrough which she compares the tree and the birds taking flight to something it is not, a tree whose
\nleaves are freed as if part of some magical spell. Her comparison adds a sense of wonder to her
\nexperience, a sense of awe, a sense of mystery, and even a sense of reverence. Such metaphors are key
\nto how Dillard explores, throughout the entire chapter, what it means to see. On the one hand, she
\nrecognizes the possibilities and limitations of our eyes\u2019 ability to visually take in what we encounter, but,
\non the other, she explores what it means to observe, witness, perceive, interpret, remember, create,
\nrecreate, and imagine\u2014 all verbs that find their root experience in how we understand and process what
\nour eyes visualize, each of these verbs having to do with understanding and realizing and elaborating on
\nwhat we simply see with our eyes.
\nFor Dillard, seeing more clearly and fully is inextricably bound to knowledge and language \u2026
\n26 | P a g e
\nEssay 3: Personal Essay — \u201cAllegiance to Gratitude\u201d (50 pts.) Length: 4-6 pgs. Due Date: Check Canvas
\nIn \u201cAllegiance to Gratitude,\u201d Robin Wall Kimmerer introduces the Thanksgiving Address used by indigenous people to
\ngive thanks to the land. She states that \u201cit is the credo for a culture of gratitude\u201d (115). In fact, throughout the
\nchapter she writes about gratitude and reciprocity:
\nYou can\u2019t listen to the Thanksgiving Address without feeling wealthy. And, while expressing gratitude
\nseems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, contentment is a radical
\nproposition. Recognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by
\ncreating unmet desires. Gratitude cultivates an ethic of fullness, but the economy needs emptiness.
\nThe Thanksgiving Address reminds you that you already have everything you need. Gratitude doesn\u2019t
\nsend you out shopping to find satisfaction; it comes as a gift rather than a commodity, subverting the
\nfoundation of the whole economy (33-34).
\n———————————————————————————
\nCultures of gratitude must also be cultures of reciprocity. Each person, human or no, is bound to every
\nother in a reciprocal relationship. Just as all beings have a duty to me, I have a duty to them. If an
\nanimal gives its life to feed me, I am in turn bound to support its life. If I receive a stream\u2019s gift of
\npure water, then I am responsible for returning a gift in kind. An integral part of a human\u2019s education
\nis to know those duties and how to perform them (36-37).
\nHow can having an outlook of gratitude and reciprocity change one\u2019s view of one\u2019s relationship with the world and
\nits, to quote Emerson, \u201cnatural objects?\u201d How could the Thanksgiving Address help us to address the natural world
\nmore fully and meaningfully?
\nTask: Write a personal essay in which you address the quotations and questions outlined
\nabove. In addition to the quotations above\u2014 find, explain and respond to a minimum of three
\nother passages \/ quotations.
\nBecause this is a personal essay, you do not need a formal introduction or conclusion, nor should you include a
\ntraditional thesis statement, but you do need to craft an organized narrative that addresses these questions in a
\npersonal way– and that narrative needs to lead to your final insights and answers. You can consider the following
\noutline if you think it would help you to organize your writing.
\n1. Begin by introducing your reader to the fact that you are considering these questions (introduce us to the title,
\nthe author, a brief and general summary of what the chapter is about and then the nature of the questions). I
\nwould like you to frame your discussion around a story (for example going for a walk and thinking about these
\nthings\u2014or visiting a specific place). A personal essay is both formal and creative. The story helps the reader to
\nbetter understand the nature of why you are pursuing answers to this question (something much more
\ninteresting and valuable than the reality that I told you to address these questions).
\n2. In order to offer your very personal views about these questions, discuss and analyze some of the key passages
\nin the chapter. Make sure that you specifically analyze and explain those passages before you discuss your views
\non them. As with the analysis essays you have already written, do not state that Kimmerer says anything she
\ndoes not actually say.
\n3. For the final paragraph, take everything you have discussed and analyzed and come to a final insight about your
\nviews.
\nNote: This is not a formal essay; however, you still need to pay attention to your writing and make sure that you
\norganize your narrative carefully. You are allowed, for this essay, to use \u201cI\u201d or \u201cyou.\u201d
\n\uf0e0 MLA Formatting:
\n1. In your introductory paragraph, refer to the title of the book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,
\nScientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants and the author\u2019s full name (Robin Wall Kimmerer). Make
\nit clear that the \u201cessay\u201d you are writing about is a chapter from that book. Example\uf0e0
\n\u2022 In \u201cAllegiance to Gratitude,\u201d from her book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific
\nKnowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer writes about the importance of gratitude
\nand reciprocity.
\n2. For the rest of the essay, use the author\u2019s last name (Kimmerer). Do not repeat her full name again.
\n3. Once you have mentioned the title, do not mention it again. Do not write \u201cin the essay.\u201d We will know that
\nyou are discussing the essay.
\n27 | P a g e
\n4. For in-text citations \/ quotations, use the page number from the course reader. You do not need to mention
\nthe author\u2019s last name in the citation because once you have introduced us to the title and the author\u2019s
\nname, we will know that you are only quoting that source because your task is to analyze that essay and
\nthat essay only.
\n5. Provide a works cited page. Use the course reader as your source for the essay and the \u201cThanksgiving
\nAddress.\u201d
\n\uf0e0 Checklist
\n\uf0e0 Make sure your sentences are focused and that you take the time to effectively combine sentences using
\ncoordination and subordination. Make sure that you are taking advantage of adjective clauses and noun phrase
\nappositives.
\n\uf0e0 Make sure you meaningfully and effectively use coordinators, subordinators, conjunctive adverbs and
\ntransitional expressions to provide, where appropriate, clear transitions between your ideas.
\n\uf0e0 Make sure you provide meaningful and relevant context for your quotations, paraphrasing, and summaries. Be
\nsure you also provide (a) relevant explanations of them and (b) specific analysis.
\n\uf0e0 Do not use \u201cI\u201d or \u201cyou.\u201d
\n\uf0e0 Final Draft: Upload your final draft to Canvas. Check the course schedule for due dates and the upload link.
\n\uf0e0 Process Letter: You must also include a process letter, in which you write about your writing process for the
\nessay. Please make this the first page of your document (and it does not count as one of the required pages). You
\ncan find a sample process letter in this course reader.
\n\uf0e0 Formatting: Check the formatting requirements in this course reader before you upload your essay.
\n28 | P a g e
\nHaudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
\nGreetings to the Natural World
\nPronounced: HO DEN OH SAW NEE
\nThe People
\nToday we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to
\nlive in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds
\ntogether as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Earth Mother
\nWe are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports
\nour feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from
\nthe beginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Waters
\nWe give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength.
\nWater is life. We know its power in many forms- waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and
\noceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Fish
\nWe turn our minds to the all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the
\nwater. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So,
\nwe turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Plants
\nNow we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working
\nmany wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and
\nlook forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Food Plants
\nWith one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the
\nbeginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many
\nother living things draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together as one and
\nsend them a greeting of thanks.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Medicine Herbs
\nNow we turn to all the Medicine herbs of the world. From the beginning they were instructed to take
\naway sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us
\nthose special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, we send
\ngreetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines.
\n29 | P a g e
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Animals
\nWe gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They
\nhave many things to teach us as people. We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we
\nmay use their bodies as food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests.
\nWe are glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so.
\nNow our minds are one
\nThe Trees
\nWe now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who have their own
\ninstructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other
\nuseful things. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one
\nmind, we greet and thank the Tree life.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Birds
\nWe put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads.
\nThe Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The
\nEagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the Birds-from the smallest to the largest-we send our
\njoyful greetings and thanks.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Four Winds
\nWe are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air
\nas they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help us to bring the change of seasons. From
\nthe four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send
\nour greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Thunderers
\nNow we turn to the west where our grandfathers, the Thunder Beings, live. With lightning and
\nthundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We are thankful that they keep
\nthose evil things made by Okwiseres underground. We bring our minds together as one to send
\ngreetings and thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Sun
\nWe now send greetings and thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the
\nsky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one
\nmind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nGrandmother Moon
\nWe put our minds together to give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the
\nnight-time sky. She is the leader of woman all over the world, and she governs the movement of the
\nocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival
\n30 | P a g e
\nof children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the
\nMoon.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Stars
\nWe give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in the night,
\nhelping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When
\nwe travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send greetings
\nand thanks to the Stars.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Enlightened Teachers
\nWe gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help
\nthroughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were
\ninstructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring teachers.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Creator
\nNow we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the
\ngifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love
\nthat is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings
\nand thanks to the Creator.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nClosing Words
\nWe have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was
\nnot our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to
\nsend such greetings and thanks in their own way.
\nNow our minds are one.
\n—————————————————————————————————————————-
\nThis translation of the Mohawk version of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address was developed,
\npublished in 1993, and provided, courtesy of: Six Nations Indian Museum and the Tracking Project All
\nrights reserved.
\nThanksgiving Address: Greetings to the Natural World English version: John Stokes and Kanawahienton
\n(David Benedict, Turtle Clan\/Mohawk) Mohawk version: Rokwaho (Dan Thompson, Wolf
\nClan\/Mohawk) Original inspiration: Tekaronianekon (Jake Swamp, Wolf Clan\/Mohawk)
\n31 | P a g e
\nAllegiance to Gratitude by Robin Wall Kimmerer
\n(from her book: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants)
\nThere was a time, not so long ago, when my morning ritual was to rise before dawn and start the
\noatmeal and coffee before waking the girls. Then I would get them up to feed the horses before school. That
\ndone, I would pack lunches, find lost papers, and kiss pink cheeks as the school bus chugged up the hill, all before
\nfilling bowls for the cats and dog, finding something presentable to wear, and previewing my morning lecture as I
\ndrove to school. Reflection was not a word frequently on my mind those days.
\nBut on Thursdays, I didn\u2019t have a morning class and could linger a little, so I would walk the pasture to
\nthe top of the hill to start the day properly, with birdsong and shoes soaked in dew and the
\nclouds still pink with sunrise over the barn, a down payment on a debt of gratitude. One Thursday I was distracted
\nfrom the robins and new leaves by a call I received from my sixth-grade daughter\u2019s teacher the night before.
\nApparently, my daughter had begun refusing to stand with the class for the Pledge of Allegiance. The teacher
\nassured me she wasn\u2019t being disruptive, really, or misbehaving, but just sat quietly in her seat and wouldn\u2019t join
\nin. After a couple of days other students began following suit, so the teacher was calling \u201cjust because I thought
\nyou\u2019d like to know.\u201d
\nI remember how that ritual used to begin my day, too, from kindergarten through high school. Like the
\ntap of the conductor\u2019s baton, it gathered our attention from the hubbub of the school bus and the jostling
\nhallway. We would be shuffling our chairs and putting lunch boxes away in the cubbies when the loudspeaker
\ngrabbed us by the collar. We stood beside our desks facing the flag that hung on a stick at the corner of the
\nblackboard, as ubiquitous as the smell of floor wax and school paste.
\nHand over heart, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge was a puzzlement to me, as I\u2019m sure it
\nis to most students. I had no earthly idea what a republic even was, and was none too sure about God, either.
\nAnd you didn\u2019t have to be an eight-year-old Indian to know that \u201cliberty and justice for all\u201d was a questionable
\npremise.
\nBut during school assemblies, when three hundred voices all joined together, all those voices, in
\nmeasured cadence, from the gray-haired school nurse\u2019s to the kindergarteners\u2019, made me feel part of something.
\nIt was as if for a moment our minds were one. I could imagine then that if we all spoke for that elusive justice, it
\nmight be within our reach.
\nFrom where I stand today, though, the idea of asking schoolchildren to pledge loyalty to a political
\nsystem seems exceedingly curious. Especially since we know full well that the practice of recitation will largely be
\nabandoned in adulthood, when the age of reason has presumably been attained. Apparently my daughter had
\nreached that age and I was not about to interfere. \u201cMom, I\u2019m not going to stand there and lie,\u201d she explained.
\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s not exactly liberty if they force you to say it, is it?\u201d
\nShe knew different morning rituals, her grandfather\u2019s pouring of coffee on the ground and the one I
\ncarried out on the hill above our house, and that was enough for me. The sunrise ceremony is our Potawatomi
\nway of sending gratitude into the world, to recognize all that we are given and to offer our choicest thanks in
\nreturn. Many Native peoples across the world, despite myriad cultural differences, have this in common\u2014we are
\nrooted in cultures of
\ngratitude.
\nOur old farm is within the ancestral homelands of the Onondaga Nation and their reserve lies a few
\nridges to the west of my hilltop. There, just like on my side of the ridge, school buses discharge a herd of kids who
\nrun even after the bus monitors bark \u201cWalk!\u201d But at Onondaga, the flag flying outside the entrance is purple and
\nwhite, depicting the Hiawatha wampum belt, the symbol of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. With bright
\nbackpacks too big for their little shoulders, the kids stream in through doors painted the traditional
\nHaudenosaunee purple, under the words Nya wenhah Ska: nonh a greeting of health and peace. Black-haired
\nchildren run circles around the atrium, through sun shafts, over clan symbols etched on the slate floor.
\nHere the school week begins and ends not with the Pledge of Allegiance, but with the Thanksgiving
\nAddress, a river of words as old as the people themselves, known more accurately in the Onondaga language as
\nthe Words That Come Before All Else. This ancient order of protocol sets gratitude as the highest priority. The
\ngratitude is directed straight to the ones who share their gifts with the world.
\nAll the classes stand together in the atrium, and one grade each week has responsibility for the oratory.
\nTogether, in a language older than English, they begin the recitation. It is said that the people were instructed to
\nstand and offer these words whenever they gathered, no matter how many or how few, before anything else was
\ndone. In this ritual, their teachers remind them that every day, \u201cbeginning with where our feet first touch the
\nearth, we send greetings and thanks to all members of the natural world.\u201d
\nToday it is the third grade\u2019s turn. There are only eleven of them and they do their best to start together,
\ngiggling a little, and nudging the ones who just stare at the floor. Their little faces are screwed
\n32 | P a g e
\nup with concentration and they glance at their teacher for prompts when they stumble on the words. In their own
\nlanguage they say the words they\u2019ve heard nearly every day of their lives.
\nToday we have gathered and when we look upon the faces around us
\nwe see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to
\nlive in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So
\nnow let us bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and
\nthanks to each other as People. Now our minds are one.10
\nThere is a pause and the kids murmur their assent.
\nWe are thankful to our Mother the Earth, for she gives us everything
\nthat we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her.
\nIt gives us joy that she still continues to care for us, just as she has
\nfrom the beginning of time. To our Mother, we send thanksgiving, love,
\nand respect. Now our minds are one.
\nThe kids sit remarkably still, listening. You can tell they\u2019ve been raised in the longhouse.
\nThe Pledge has no place here. Onondaga is sovereign territory, surrounded on every side by the
\nRepublicforwhichitstands, but outside the jurisdiction of the United States. Starting the day with the Thanksgiving
\nAddress is a statement of identity and an exercise of sovereignty, both political and cultural. And so much more.
\nThe Address is sometimes mistakenly viewed as a prayer, but the children\u2019s heads are not bowed. The
\nelders at Onondaga teach otherwise, that the Address is far more than a pledge, a prayer, or a poem alone.
\nTwo little girls step forward with arms linked and take up the words again:
\nWe give thanks to all of the waters of the world for quenching our
\nthirst, for providing strength and nurturing life for all beings. We know
\nits power in many forms\u2014waterfalls and rain, mists and streams,
\nrivers and oceans, snow and ice. We are grateful that the waters are
\nstill here and meeting their responsibility to the rest of Creation. Can
\nwe agree that water is important to our lives and bring our minds
\ntogether as one to send greetings and thanks to the Water? Now our
\nminds are one.
\nI\u2019m told that the Thanksgiving Address is at heart an invocation of gratitude, but it is also a material,
\nscientific inventory of the natural world. Another name for the oration is Greetings and Thanks to the Natural
\nWorld. As it goes forward, each element of the ecosystem is named in its turn, along with its function. It is a
\nlesson in Native science.
\nWe turn our thoughts to all of the Fish life in the water. They were
\ninstructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves
\nto us as food. We are grateful that they continue to do their duties and
\nwe send to the Fish our greetings and our thanks. Now our minds are
\none.
\nNow we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the
\neye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain
\nmany life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks
\nand look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nWhen we look about us, we see that the berries are still here,
\nproviding us with delicious foods. The leader of the berries is the
\nstrawberry, the first to ripen in the spring. Can we agree that we are
\ngrateful that the berries are with us in the world and send our
\nthanksgiving, love, and respect to the berries? Now our minds are one.
\n10 *The actual wording of the Thanksgiving Address varies with the speaker. This text is the widely publicized version of John
\nStokes and Kanawahientun, 1993.
\n33 | P a g e
\nI wonder if there are kids here who, like my daughter, rebel, who refuse to stand and say thank you to
\nthe earth. It seems hard to argue with gratitude for berries.
\nWith one mind, we honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest
\nfrom the garden, especially the Three Sisters who feed the people with
\nsuch abundance. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables,
\nbeans, and fruit have helped the people survive. Many other living
\nthings draw strength from them as well. We gather together in our
\nminds all the plant foods and send them a greeting and thanks. Now
\nour minds are one.
\nThe kids take note of each addition and nod in agreement. Especially for food. A little boy in a Red Hawks
\nlacrosse shirt steps forward to speak:
\nNow we turn to the Medicine Herbs of the world. From the beginning
\nthey were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting
\nand ready to heal us. We are so happy that there are still among us
\nthose special few who remember how to use the plants for healing.
\nWith one mind, we send thanksgiving, love, and respect to the
\nMedicines and the keepers of the Medicines. Now our minds are one.
\nStanding around us we see all the Trees. The Earth has many
\nfamilies of Trees who each have their own instructions and uses. Some
\nprovide shelter and shade, others fruit and beauty and many useful
\ngifts. The Maple is the leader of the trees, to recognize its gift of sugar
\nwhen the People need it most. Many peoples of the world recognize a
\nTree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind we greet and
\nthank the Tree life. Now our minds are one.
\nThe Address is, by its very nature of greetings to all who sustain us, long. But it can be done in
\nabbreviated form or in long and loving detail. At the school, it is tailored to the language skills of the children
\nspeaking it.
\nPart of its power surely rests in the length of time it takes to send greetings and thanks to so many. The
\nlisteners reciprocate the gift of the speaker\u2019s words with their attention, and by putting their minds into the place
\nwhere gathered minds meet. You could be passive and just let the words and the time flow by, but each call asks
\nfor the response: \u201cNow our minds are one.\u201d You have to concentrate; you have to give yourself to the listening. It
\ntakes effort, especially in a time when we are accustomed to sound bites and immediate gratification.
\nWhen the long version is done at joint meetings with non-Native business or government officials, they
\noften get a little fidgety\u2014 especially the lawyers. They want to get on with it, their eyes darting around the room,
\ntrying so hard not to look at their watches. My own students profess to cherish the opportunity to share this
\nexperience of the Thanksgiving Address, and yet it never fails that one or a few comment that it goes on too long.
\n\u201cPoor you,\u201d I sympathize. \u201cWhat a pity that we have so much to be thankful for.\u201d
\nWe gather our minds together to send our greetings and thanks to all the
\nbeautiful animal life of the world, who walk about with us. They have many
\nthings to teach us as people. We are grateful that they continue to share their
\nlives with us and hope that it will always be so. Let us put our minds together as
\none and send our thanks to the Animals. Now our minds are one.
\nImagine raising children in a culture in which gratitude is the first priority. Freida Jacques works at the
\nOnondaga Nation School. She is a clan mother, the school-community liaison, and a generous
\nteacher. She explains to me that the Thanksgiving Address embodies the Onondaga relationship with the world.
\nEach part of Creation is thanked in turn for fulfilling its Creator-given duty to the others. \u201cIt reminds you every day
\nthat you have enough,\u201d she says. \u201cMore than enough. Everything needed to sustain life is already here. When we
\ndo this, every day, it leads us to an outlook of contentment and respect for all of Creation.\u201d
\nYou can\u2019t listen to the Thanksgiving Address without feeling wealthy. And, while expressing gratitude
\nseems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition.
\nRecognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desires.
\nGratitude cultivates an ethic of fullness, but the economy needs emptiness. The Thanksgiving Address reminds
\nyou that you already have everything you need. Gratitude doesn\u2019t send you out shopping to find satisfaction; it
\n34 | P a g e
\ncomes as a gift rather than a commodity, subverting the foundation of the whole economy. That\u2019s good medicine
\nfor land and people alike.
\nWe put our minds together as one and thank all the birds who move and fly
\nabout over our heads. The Creator gave them the gift of beautiful songs. Each
\nmorning they greet the day and with their songs remind us to enjoy and
\nappreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader and to watch over the
\nworld. To all the Birds, from the smallest to the largest, we send our joyful
\ngreetings and thanks. Now our minds are one.
\nThe oratory is more than an economic model; it\u2019s a civics lesson, too. Freida emphasizes that hearing the
\nThanksgiving Address every day lifts up models of leadership for the young people: the strawberry as leader of
\nthe berries, the eagle as leader of the birds. \u201cIt reminds them that much is expected of them eventually. It says
\nthis is what it means to be a good leader, to have vision, and to be generous, to sacrifice on behalf of the people.
\nLike the maple, leaders are the first to offer their gifts.\u201d It reminds the whole community that leadership is rooted
\nnot in power and authority, but in service and wisdom.
\nWe are all thankful for the powers we know as the Four Winds. We
\nhear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air
\nwe breathe. They help to bring the change of seasons. From the four
\ndirections they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength.
\nWith one mind we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nAs Freida says, \u201cThe Thanksgiving Address is a reminder we cannot hear too often, that we human beings
\nare not in charge of the world, but are subject to the same forces as all of the rest of life.\u201d
\nFor me, the cumulative impact of the Pledge of Allegiance, from my time as a schoolgirl to my adulthood,
\nwas the cultivation of cynicism and a sense of the nation\u2019s hypocrisy\u2014not the pride it was meant to instill. As I
\ngrew to understand the gifts of the earth, I couldn\u2019t understand how \u201clove of country\u201d could omit recognition of
\nthe actual country itself. The only promise it requires is to a flag. What of the promises to each other and to the
\nland?
\nWhat would it be like to be raised on gratitude, to speak to the natural world as a member of the
\ndemocracy of species, to raise a pledge of Interdependence? No declarations of political loyalty are required, just
\na response to a repeated question: \u201cCan we agree to be grateful for all that is given?\u201d In the Thanksgiving
\nAddress, I hear respect toward all our nonhuman relatives, not one political entity, but to all of life. What happens
\nto nationalism, to political boundaries, when allegiance lies with winds and waters that know no boundaries, that
\ncannot be bought or sold?
\nNow we turn to the west where our grandfathers the Thunder Beings
\nlive. With lightning and thundering voices they bring with them the
\nwater that renews life. We bring our minds together as one to send
\ngreetings and thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers.
\nWe now send greetings and thanks to our eldest brother the
\nSun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west,
\nbringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life.
\nWith one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.
\nNow our minds are one.
\nThe Haudenosaunee have been recognized for centuries as masters of negotiation, for the political
\nprowess by which they\u2019ve survived against all odds. The Thanksgiving Address serves the people in myriad ways,
\nincluding diplomacy. Most everyone knows the tension that squeezes your jaw before a difficult conversation or a
\nmeeting that is bound to be contentious. You straighten your pile of papers more than once while the arguments
\nyou have prepared stand at attention like soldiers in your throat, ready to be deployed. But then the Words That
\nCome Before All Else begin to flow, and you start to answer. Yes, of course we can agree that we are grateful for
\nMother Earth. Yes, the same sun shines on each and every one of us. Yes, we are united in our respect for the
\ntrees. By the time we greet Grandmother Moon, the harsh faces have softened a bit in the gentle light of
\nremembrance. Piece by piece, the cadence begins to eddy around the boulder of disagreement and erode the
\nedges of the barriers between us. Yes, we can all agree that the waters are still here. Yes, we can unite our minds
\n35 | P a g e
\nin gratitude for the winds. Not surprisingly, Haudenosaunee decision\u00ac making proceeds from consensus, not by a
\nvote of the majority. A decision is made only \u201cwhen our minds are one.\u201d Those words are a brilliant political
\npreamble to negotiation, strong medicine for soothing partisan fervor. Imagine if our government meetings
\nbegan with the Thanksgiving Address. What if our leaders first found common ground before fighting over their
\ndifferences?
\nWe put our minds together and give thanks to our oldest
\nGrandmother, the Moon, who lights the nighttime sky. She is the
\nleader of women all over the world and she governs the movement of
\nthe ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time and it is the
\nMoon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. Let us
\ngather our thanks for Grandmother Moon together in a pile, layer
\nupon layer of gratitude, and then joyfully fling that pile of thanks high
\ninto the night sky that she will know. With one mind, we send
\ngreetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.
\nWe give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like
\njewelry. We see them at night, helping the Moon to light the darkness
\nand bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel
\nat night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered as one, we
\nsend greetings and thanks to all the Stars. Now our minds are one.
\nThanksgiving also reminds us of how the world was meant to be in its original condition. We can
\ncompare the roll call of gifts bestowed on us with their current status. Are all the pieces of the ecosystem still
\nhere and doing their duty? Is the water still supporting life? Are all those birds still healthy? When we can no
\nlonger see the stars because of light pollution, the words of Thanksgiving should awaken us to our loss and spur
\nus to restorative action. Like the stars themselves, the words can guide us back home.
\nWe gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who
\nhave come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in
\nharmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as
\npeople. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring
\nTeachers. Now our minds are one.
\nWhile there is a clear structure and progression to the oratory, it is usually not recited verbatim or
\nexactly the same by different speakers. Some renditions are low murmurs, barely discernible. Some are nearly
\nsongs. I love to hear elder Tom Porter hold a circle of listeners in the bowl of his hand. He lights up every face and
\nno matter how long the delivery, you wish it was longer. Tommy says, \u201cLet us pile up our thanks like a heap of
\nflowers on a blanket. We will each take a corner and toss it high into the sky. And so our thanks should be as rich
\nas the gifts of the world that shower down upon us,\u201d and we stand there together, grateful in the rain of
\nblessings.
\nWe now turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send
\ngreetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need
\nto live a good life is here on Mother Earth. For all the love that is still
\naround us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest
\nwords of greetings and thanks to the Creator. Now our minds are one.
\nThe words are simple, but in the art of their joining, they become a statement of sovereignty, a political
\nstructure, a Bill of Responsibilities, an educational model, a family tree, and a scientific inventory of ecosystem
\nservices. It is a powerful political document, a social contract, a way of being\u2014all in one piece. But first and
\nforemost, it is the credo for a culture of gratitude.
\nCultures of gratitude must also be cultures of reciprocity. Each person, human or no, is bound to every
\nother in a reciprocal relationship. Just as all beings have a duty to me, I have a duty to them. If an animal gives its
\nlife to feed me, I am in turn bound to support its life. If I receive a stream\u2019s gift of pure water, then I am
\nresponsible for returning a gift in kind. An integral part of a human\u2019s education is to know those duties and how
\nto perform them.
\nThe Thanksgiving Address reminds us that duties and gifts are two sides of the same coin. Eagles were
\ngiven the gift of far sight, so it is their duty to watch over us. Rain fulfills its duty as it falls, because it was given
\nthe gift of sustaining life. What is the duty of humans? If gifts and responsibilities are one, then asking \u201cWhat is
\n36 | P a g e
\nour responsibility?\u201d is the same as asking \u201cWhat is our gift?\u201d It is said that only humans have the capacity for
\ngratitude. This is among our gifts.
\nIt\u2019s such a simple thing, but we all know the power of gratitude to incite a cycle of reciprocity. If my girls
\nrun out the door with lunch in hand without a \u201cThanks, Mama!\u201d I confess I get to feeling a tad miserly with my
\ntime and energy. But when I get a hug of appreciation, I want to stay up late to bake cookies for tomorrow\u2019s lunch
\nbag. We know that appreciation begets abundance. Why should it not be so for Mother Earth, who packs us a
\nlunch every single day?
\nLiving as a neighbor to the Haudenosaunee, I have heard the Thanksgiving Address in many forms,
\nspoken by many different voices, and I raise my heart to it like raising my face to the rain. But I am not a
\nHaudenosaunee citizen or scholar\u2014just a respectful neighbor and a listener. Because I feared overstepping my
\nboundaries in sharing what I have been told, I asked permission to write about it and how it has influenced my
\nown thinking. Over and over, I was told that these words are a gift of the Haudenosaunee to the world. When I
\nasked Onondaga Faithkeeper Oren Lyons about it, he gave his signature slightly bemused smile and said, \u201cOf
\ncourse you should write about it. It\u2019s supposed to be shared, otherwise how can it work? We\u2019ve been waiting five
\nhundred years for people to listen. If they\u2019d understood the Thanksgiving then, we wouldn\u2019t be in this mess.\u201d
\nThe Haudenosaunee have published the Address widely and it has now been translated into over forty
\nlanguages and is heard all around the world. Why not here in this land? I\u2019m trying to imagine how it would be if
\nschools transformed their mornings to include something like the Thanksgiving Address. I mean no disrespect for
\nthe whitehaired veterans in my town, who stand with hand on heart as the flag goes by, whose eyes fill with tears
\nas they recite the Pledge in raspy voices. I love my country too, and its hopes for freedom and justice. But the
\nboundaries of what I honor are bigger than the republic. Let us pledge reciprocity with the living world. The
\nThanksgiving Address describes our mutual allegiance as human delegates to the democracy of species. If what
\nwe want for our people is patriotism, then let us inspire true love of country by invoking the land herself. If we
\nwant to raise good leaders, let us remind our children of the eagle and the maple. If we want to grow good
\ncitizens, then let us teach reciprocity. If what we aspire to is justice for all, then let it be justice for all of Creation.
\nWe have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the
\nthings we have named, it is not our intention to leave anything out. If
\nsomething was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such
\ngreetings and thanks in their own way. And now our minds are one.
\nEvery day, with these words, the people give thanks to the land. In the silence that falls at the end of those words
\nI listen, longing for the day when we can hear the land give thanks for the people in return.
\n37 | P a g e
\nResearch Essay: Why Do We Garden? (200 Points) Length: 8-10 pages Check Canvas for Due Dates
\nThe Task: Craft a thesis that explores and addresses the connections between the following questions:
\n(1) What is a garden (in other words\u2014what makes a garden a garden, what defines it)?
\n(2) Why do we garden (what are we looking for in the art– the pastime, the pleasure, the challenge, the
\nsatisfaction, the escape, the sanctuary– of gardening)?
\nPlease note that it is absolutely essential that you specifically and thoroughly address and respond to these
\nquestions in your essay. In other words, your essay must provide possible answers to BOTH of these questions
\nand show the inherent link between them. If you do not do this or you only do so vaguely, you will not have
\nfulfilled the task.
\nQuick List of Assignments Required for the Project (Due Dates for Each Can Be Found on Canvas)
\n(1) Online Library Skills Workshops (See Canvas for schedule, links and due dates \u2013 Upload Badges to Canvas)
\n(2) Garden Visits (5 points) \uf0e0 Upload to Canvas
\n(3) Garden Supply Stores Visits (5 points) \uf0e0 Upload to Canvas
\n(4) Interviews (5 points) \uf0e0 Upload to Canvas
\n(5) Prospectus (5 points) \uf0e0 Upload to Canvas
\n(7) Annotated Bibliography (10 points) \uf0e0 Upload to Canvas
\n(8) Final Draft (200 points) \uf0e0 Upload to Canvas
\nMany of you more than likely have little or no experience with gardening. This is precisely why you will need to
\nresearch what gardens are and why many choose to garden (and why many choose to stop gardening). Please keep
\nin mind that you may not end up using all of your research. The advantage of completing all of these tasks is that
\nthey will help you to better understand what a garden is and why people garden. To best familiarize you with
\ngardening and prepare you for writing this research essay, you must complete the following steps.
\nStep 1. Completing the Online Library Tutorials: Failure to complete them will result in a loss of your entire
\nparticipation grade (25 points). The required workshops are listed on Canvas, where you will also find a link to the
\nlibrary website where the tutorials are offered (as well as links to upload your badges that prove you completed the
\nworkshop).
\nStep 2. Garden Visits: Visit a minimum of two \u201ckinds\u201d of gardens (a public garden, a friend or acquaintance\u2019s
\ngarden, a community garden, your own garden, a radically different kind of garden). As you visit these places, take
\nnotes about your observations and ask yourself, based on what you observe, \u201cwhat a garden is\u201d and \u201cwhy we
\ngarden.\u201d Then write a 3-page informal narrative (basically a free write) that explains how what you saw helps you
\naddress these questions (and provide some possible answers). The more detailed and informative your discussion,
\nthe more points you will receive. Your task is to begin writing your thoughts about how to answer these questions.
\nDouble spaced. Check Canvas for due date. (10 pts)
\nStep 3. Garden Supply Store Visit: Visit at least one store that sell plants and gardening supplies (e.g. Sloat
\nGarden Center, Home Depot, Orchard Supply Hardware, a local nursery). As you visit this store (or these stores),
\ntake notes about your observations and ask yourself, based on what you observe, \u201cwhat a garden is\u201d and \u201cwhy we
\ngarden.\u201d Then write a 3-page informal narrative (basically a free write) that explains how what you saw helps you
\naddress these questions (and provide some possible answers). For this assignment, also include what you learned
\nfrom visiting the two different gardens and how visiting a garden supply store has contributed to your further
\nunderstanding of these questions. Double spaced. Check Canvas for the due date. (10 pts)
\nStep 4. Interviews: Interview at least three people and ask them \u201cwhat a garden is\u201d and \u201cwhy we garden\u201d\u2014as well
\nas any other questions that you think will be relevant to your research. Note: try and talk to people who have
\ngardens or gardening experience. (Hint: interview people at the gardens and garden supply stores that you visit; you
\ncan even interview me if you wish!). Then write a 3-page informal narrative (basically a free write) that explains how
\nthe answers to your interview questions help you address those questions. For this assignment, also include what
\nyou learned from visiting the two different gardens and a garden supply store and how these interviews have
\ncontributed to your further understanding of these questions. Double-spaced. Check Canvas for due date. (10 pts)
\n38 | P a g e
\nStep 5. The Prospectus: Sit down and prepare a prospectus that outlines what you intend to research\/ write
\nabout. Your prospectus should introduce your basic working thesis, the research you intend to pursue, and the basic
\noutline of how you plan to present it. You should already be coming to some conclusions about \u201cwhat a garden is\u201d &
\n\u201cwhy we garden\u201d so that you will have something specific to explore. Check Canvas for due date. (5 pts)
\n\uf0e0 You are not bound to your prospectus. You are allowed to change your mind. However, if you do change
\nyour mind \/ direction significantly, please submit a new prospectus for my approval.
\n\uf0e0 Your prospectus must be more specific than, \u201cI plan to do research and find out why people garden and
\nwhat a garden is.\u201d
\nI am looking for the specific direction and an outline of at least several things you wish to research.
\nStep 6. Do Your Research
\nKeeping in mind your specific focus, research everything you can about
\n(A) Gardens (e.g. their history, practices, garden styles)
\n(B) Reasons why people garden (e.g. spiritual, practical, relaxation, challenges, etc.)
\n(C) The specific direction you have chosen to research
\nNote: You are required to use and quote William Fitzgerald\u2019s \u201cThe Impermanence of Order,\u201d Jim Nollman\u2019s \u201cThe
\nHow-To Garden,\u201d and Michael Pollan\u2019s \u201cGardening Means War.\u201d
\nNote: You must find and use a minimum of six additional sources. Two of those sources may come from Internet
\nsites, but the other four must come from printed sources. However, if your source was originally a printed source but
\nhas since been stored electronically online, then you may use that source (for example, articles, essays or books
\nfound through an online database).
\nNote: The best approach for a research project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) is to gather more information than you need for the essay. Your goal
\nis to find a substantial amount of research to draw from while writing your essay. Also keep in mind, that you will
\nnot necessarily find sources that specifically address these questions. You will need to process and think critically
\nabout the information you find and ask yourself how your research can help you address the questions of what a
\ngarden is and why we do it.
\nNote: As you work on your research, you don\u2019t need to know exactly what you are going to write about, but you
\nshould have a general goal. Think of the research portion of this essay as an opportunity to let your experiences and
\nobservations help you figure out what you later want to write about. However, everything you gather and think
\nabout should be focused on answering the questions put forth in this prompt: \u201cwhat a garden is\u201d and \u201cwhy we
\ngarden.\u201d
\nStep 8. Annotated Bibliography: List the sources you will be using for your essay. Do not number the sources.
\nYou must follow all the MLA formatting rules for biographical citations (see the course reader for correct formatting
\nand a sample annotated bibliography). Check Canvas for the due date. 10pts.
\n\uf0e8 Below each citation, you must provide a short summary of what, overall, the source is about and how you intend
\nto use that source. Your summary must be very, very, very specific. I am not looking for generalizations. Make
\nsure that the summary of the source is on a different line than the citation itself (refer to the sample annotated
\nbibliography in the course reader).
\n\uf0e8 Remember: you need a total of 9 sources: (1) Michael Pollan\u2019s \u201cGardening Means War,\u201d (2) William Fitzgerald\u2019s
\n\u201cThe Impermanence of Order,\u201d and (3) Jim Nollman\u2019s \u201cThe How-To Garden\u201d PLUS six additional sources that you
\nfind via research.
\n\uf0e8 Of those six additional sources, two may come from Internet sites, but the other four must come from printed
\nsources. However, if your source was originally a printed source but has since been stored electronically online,
\nthen you may use that source (for example, articles, essays or books found through an online database).
\n\uf0e8 For the articles in this course reader, use this reader as your source (use the page numbers from this reader).
\nFor example (note the exact formatting):
\n39 | P a g e
\nThings That You Must Do\/Remember (Check this List Before You Are Ready to Upload Your Final Draft)
\n1) Your essay must follow the requirements listed in this prompt and respond to the questions asked in the task
\n(What is a Garden? \/ Why do we Garden?). If you go way off topic (sample nursing essay examples by the best nursing assignment writing service) or do not address the questions, your essay
\nwill not be successful.
\n2) Important: this is not an essay about your experiences visiting gardens and stores to gather information; rather,
\nit is an essay that explains what a garden is and why we garden\u2014 nor is it a personal essay about why you like or
\ndon’t like gardening (or even what you, personally, think about gardening). To that end, you are not allowed to
\nuse \u201cI\u201d in the essay (or \u201cyou\u201d).
\n3) As we will have discussed in class, your essay is not a dumping ground for quotations. Keep in mind our
\ndiscussions about using research to meaningfully contribute to the discussion in your essay (use your sources to
\nsupport points, to address ideas and possibilities, to provide valuable insights for answering these questions,
\netc.). Remember our class discussions about providing context for the sources that you use. Many students,
\nover the years, have told me in their process letters that they struggled to find sources that agree with and\/or
\nsupport their ideas and points. This is not the correct approach to a research essay. You are supposed to learn
\nfrom your research; in other words, your research should lead you to new insights and help you shape your
\nresponses to these questions.
\n4) You must write a minimum of eight full, complete pages and no more than twelve. Essays that do not reach the
\nrequired minimum might receive less points and \/ or not receive a passing grade.
\n5) You must include a formal, properly formatted works cited page (do not use your annotated bibliography).
\nMake sure that you also follow all of the proper MLA formatting for in-text citations. If you have many MLA
\nerrors and \/ or no works cited page, I will have to reduce your grade, so make sure that you take the time to
\nproperly format your in-text citations \/ works cited page.
\n40 | P a g e
\nSAMPLE PROSPECTUS
\nMiley Cyrus
\nEnglish 1A
\nProspectus for Gardening Research Paper
\nProspectus
\nI am going to explore the idea that a garden only maintains its shape as long as one does the upkeep. This
\nreality, in my opinion, defines a garden. No matter what kind of design one chooses, that design will only last if
\nyou do the work necessary to preserve it. Furthermore, I want to explore the idea that many of us garden because
\nwe love the challenge of that upkeep. Many of us also garden because even though it is very hard work, we find it
\npeaceful and rewarding\u2014even spiritual.
\nIn order to explore these ideas, I plan to research several different kinds of gardens.
\n(1) The formal English garden.
\n(2) The Zen Garden
\n(3) Natural Gardens
\n(4) Guerilla Gardening
\nBy looking at the differences between these garden styles, I plan to discuss how the different designs and
\napproaches reveal the various ways we shape the garden. These gardens range from rigid designs to random seed
\ndispersion, but all of them reflect the intention and desire of the \u201cgardener.\u201d Why does the gardener wish to
\npursue any of these? What satisfaction does she get from all the hard work? Finding answers to these questions
\nshould help me better understand how these different styles appeal to different people. Furthermore, I plan to
\nexplore how these designs help us to understand what a garden is\u2014 and how these designs reflect our desire to
\n\u201ccontrol\u201d and \u201cshape\u201d nature (knowing full well that it will last only as long as we put the work in).
\n41 | P a g e
\nSAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (Follow the Formatting EXACTLY)
\nMiley Cyrus
\nEnglish 1A
\nAnnotated Bibliography for Gardening Research Paper
\nKunitz, Stanley. The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden. Norton, 2005.
\nKunitz\u2019s book explores his love for gardening and how it has shaped his attention to poetry. His
\nbook reflects the gardener who has become very old and knows that he will soon die and that his
\ngarden will not likely last once he is gone. I plan to use this to help support the spiritual benefits
\nof gardening.
\nPollan, Michael. Second Nature: A Gardener\u2019s Education. Grove, 1991. Pollan explores the gardener\u2019s
\nalmost intimate relationship with nature. The various essays in the book reflect his successes
\nand his many failures with gardening. He considers the ways that the garden permits us to study
\nwilderness while at the same time admitting the folly of our desire to control it. I think Pollan\u2019s
\nbook will be very useful for supporting my discussions about the gardener\u2019s desire to control
\nnature\u2014and the likely inevitably that we will ultimately fail.
\nYamaguchi, Akira. \u201cThe Essence of Nature and Spirit in the Placing of Stones.\u201d Sacred Space: The Art of
\nthe Zen Garden. Vintage, 1978. pp. 134-141. Yamaguchi discusses the spiritual aesthetics of the
\nZen garden by exploring how it reflects nature. I plan to use this source to show that even
\nthough the rock garden typically has few or no plants, it requires a significant amount of
\nmaintenance. Furthermore, the typical Zen gardener continually changes and moves around the
\nelements of the garden while also accepting that nature will inevitably undo his patterns and
\ndesigns. Spiritual at their core, these gardens reflect a gardener\u2019s perception of nature.
\nZucher, Brown. \u201cThe Free Form Garden: Beyond Tradition.\u201d Gardening, 24 Jan 72, pp 29-38.
\nThroughout much of the article, Zucher argues that the free form garden offers the perfect
\nopportunity for someone to watch nature freely form in the confines of the garden, but he also
\nrecognizes that even though this kind of garden is random, it still reflects some kind of intention
\nby the gardener. I think this will be very helpful for my thesis that gardening is very significantly
\nbound to the intent of the gardener.
\n42 | P a g e
\nA Sample Outline for a Possible Research Essay (Not what you are required to do \u2013 just a suggestion)
\nI. Introduction (could be more than one paragraph)
\nA. Establish the questions
\n1. What is a garden? and Why do we garden?
\nB. Ponder possible answers
\n1. The idea is to possible ways that we might consider what a garden is and why we do it
\nC. Thesis: Your specific response to the questions (DO NOT USE \u2026 People garden for many different reasons and
\ngardens mean different things to different people or In this essay I will explore the different ways \/ reasons, etc.
\nINSTEAD, BE SPECIFIC … MAKE A CLAIM)
\nII. Rose Gardens (could easily be more than one paragraph)
\nA. Provide a transition from the introduction \/ thesis that shows \/ explains to your reader why considering different
\ngarden styles will help answer these questions.
\nB. Describe, specifically, what a rose garden is
\n1. What are its various elements?
\na) Order? \/ Structure? \/ Formal?
\n2. Rules \/ Requirements
\nC. Why do people choose to cultivate a rose garden?
\n1. This should be various things \u2013 each of which helps to explain why \/ what
\nD. Your conclusions about how your discussion of a rose garden answers the questions why people garden \/ what a
\ngarden is.
\nIII. Natural Gardens (could easily be more than one paragraph)
\nA. Provide a transition from the previous paragraph(s) about Rose Gardens. Something that picks up off of the
\nconclusion about what makes a rose garden a rose garden and how this relates to why people garden \/ what a garden
\nis.
\nB. Describe, specifically, what a natural garden is
\n1. What are its various elements?
\na) Order? \/ Structure? \/ Formal?
\n2. Rules \/ Requirements
\nC. Why do people choose to cultivate a natural garden as opposed to a more traditional garden?
\n1. This should be various things \u2013 each of which helps to explain why \/ what
\nD. Your conclusions about how your discussion of a natural garden design answers the questions why people garden \/
\nwhat a garden is.
\nIV. You should draw some conclusions about how your discussion of the two garden forms so far helps us to understand what a
\ngarden is and why we garden. Think of this as an opportunity to give relevance to your discussions of the two garden forms.
\nA. Take some time to consider how they are different but only do this so that you can consider what is similar about
\nthem.
\nB. From these conclusions, transition into the next garden form.
\nV. Zen Gardens (could easily be more than one paragraph)
\nA. Provide a transition from the previous paragraph to this third garden style. How is it different from the other two \u2013
\nbut is still similar and how does it help us to understand why people garden \/ what a garden is.
\nB. Describe, specifically, what a Zen garden is
\n1. What are its various elements?
\ni. Order? \/ Structure? \/ Formal? \/ symbolism?
\n2. Rules \/ Requirements
\nC. Why do people choose to cultivate a Zen garden?
\n1. This should be various things \u2013 each of which helps to explain why \/ what
\nD. Your conclusions about how your discussion of a Zen garden answers the questions why people garden \/ what a
\ngarden is.
\nVI. Conclusion (could easily be more than one paragraph)
\nA. What the various styles \/ forms considered together tell us about what a garden is
\n1. How those differences still help us to understand how \/ why \/ what
\n2. How, despite their differences they all help us to understand how\/ why \/ what
\nB. What, ultimately, are your responses to the questions?
\n1. What is a garden?
\n2. Why do people garden?
\nPlease keep in mind that this is only an example, one that serves the purpose of providing a means for discussion about structure
\n\/ transitions \/ etc. There are many different ways that you could organize \/ discuss \/ research \/ consider your responses to the
\ntask set forth in the essay prompt. In other words, you can use this outline, but you are not required to follow this direction.
\n43 | P a g e
\nThe Impermanence of Order: The True Nature of Gardens by William Fitzgerald
\nGardening is not a rational act.
\n– Margaret Atwood –
\nThe earliest evidence of gardening takes civilization back to the symmetrical rows of acacia and
\npalms found in 15th century B.C. Egyptian tomb paintings; in fact, even the most perfunctory survey of
\ngardening throughout its long history reveals an attention to symmetry\u2014 a conclusion that suggests a
\nsignificant element of gardening is grounded in the aesthetic and practical desire to bring order to things.
\nThe poet Stanley Kunitz wrote that \u201cthe garden is a domestication of the wild, taking what can be random
\nand, to a degree, ordering it so that it is not merely a transference from the wild\u201d (13). Kunitz\u2019s
\nobservation emphasizes that gardening is not just a happenstance practice of transferring a perennial, a
\nshrub, or a tree from one part of nature to another, but, rather, a planned act\u2014 one that reminds us that
\nthis ordering can only be accomplished \u201cto a degree,\u201d that the design, the shape, of a garden can be as
\nformal as the gardens of Versailles or as haphazard as randomly disseminating seeds into a backyard and
\nwaiting to see what happens. In other words, even the most disorganized, seemingly random garden
\nreflects some form of human instrumentality, some act of creation. As a result, gardens\u2014 like almost any
\ncreative endeavor\u2014 represent and reflect the human struggle to bring harmony to disorder, that order, in
\nthis case, being the manipulation of nature. This is, perhaps, what most significantly differentiates the
\ngarden from the wild. Indeed, in the end, the gardener, wishing, perhaps, to play God, to be a creator,
\nimposes his own sense of order onto a world of randomness, but that same world will reclaim any effort
\nhe has made to shape it as soon as he loses interest in the back-breaking labor it takes to sustain that
\noften creative imposition.
\nAnyone who wants to create a garden has a plan, some kind of design\u2014 even those who want to
\ndevelop something decidedly un-garden-like. Indeed, even the goal of making a garden as \u201cun-gardenly\u201d
\nas possible requires at least some thought, some purposeful act. Most gardeners, however, have a
\nspecific design in mind, and typically both the seasoned and would-be gardener shapes their patch of land
\nin organized clusters of rows, circles, rectangles, triangles and squares. Humans tend to be naturally
\ndrawn to the beauty of symmetry, and while one might argue that the symmetry of a garden stands in
\ndirect contrast to the randomness of the wild, making it almost the opposite of what nature intends, such
\nan observation fails to recognize how we see nature. At the very least, if one looks more closely, one sees
\nsuch beauty and balance in the shape of a leaf, in the curve of a trunk, in a splash of color, and even in the
\nfragmented oval shape of a pond of water after heavy rainfall. The symmetry we so relish comes from
\nnature itself, from those places and moments where the shapes and curves of mountains, rivers, and
\ntrees seem almost planned by human intervention or a benevolent being that shares our love for the
\npotential harmony of order. But it is equally important to recognize that even though we first recognized
\nthis sense of symmetry in nature, we, through the language of experience, impose our sense of symmetry
\nonto nature. A shrub does not know it grows in a conical shape, or that it spreads across the ground like a
\ncarpet, nor does a flower know that it has a bulbous shape or that its oval splotches of purple balance
\nperfectly with its white petals. These observations, as well as our language of understanding them as
\nsuch, belong only to us\u2014 and the garden, in a sense, reflects our desire to recreate that same symmetry
\nhowever we see fit.
\nSo, on the one hand, the design of a garden reflects the way we see nature, but, on the other, it
\nis entirely an illusion. A garden only retains the shape that we impose on it for as long as we are willing to
\nsustain that imposition. One might take this thought a step further, as Michael Pollan does in his book
\nSecond Nature, and recognize that nature will eventually reclaim anything that we create. As he takes a
\nwalk in the woods near his house, Pollan, who is in a battle with the inevitable forces of animals and pests
\nthat want to eat the vegetation of his garden, realizes that \u201cevery weed I pulled, every blade of grass I
\nmowed, each beetle I crushed\u2014 all was done to slow the advance of the forest\u201d (46). Pollan comes to
\nthis conclusion after he discovers that these woods have reclaimed what used to be an agricultural
\nvillage\u2014 and through this experience he realizes that the forest is what is normal, and that \u201cthe lawns and
\npavements and, most spectacularly, the gardens\u201d are an \u201cecological vacuum that nature will not abide for
\nlong\u201d (46). Indeed, if nature itself is a constant reminder of the impermanence of things, then the garden
\nserves as a profound reminder that any human attempt to force purpose or design upon it only ends in its
\neventual reclamation.
\nIf nature is an inevitable force of reclamation, then how does one stall this affront long enough to
\nsustain the aesthetic shape of the garden\u2014no matter how illusionary and impermanent it may be? The
\nobvious answer should be: through hard, back breaking work. Indeed, the design and purpose of nature,
\nif we choose to anthropomorphize it as such, is to grow, evolve and survive, a process that consumes and
\n44 | P a g e
\nrecycles everything in its path. Nature is not concerned about death or destruction or preservation.
\nDeath, destruction, famine, floods, fire, and extinction are nature\u2014 just as aphids, snails, gophers and
\nblights are nature. Such forces are, after all, merely doing what they do. We, in the end, are the ones
\nthat are working against the natural flow of things. Pollan suggests that a garden is \u201ca place that is at
\nonce of nature and unapologetically set against it,\u201d an observation that cautions the gardener to be aware
\nhe is cultivating something impermanent (53). The poet Robert Frost once famously wrote, in his poem
\n\u201cNothing Gold Can Stay,\u201d that \u201cNature\u2019s first green is gold \/ Her hardest hue to hold\u201d (1-2). Frost\u2019s poem
\nreveals the melancholy beauty of the transience of nature, and life itself, through these fleeting flashes of
\nbrilliance found in the first budding leaves of early spring, which begin to fade as soon as they have
\nopened. The gardener lives for those mere hours before \u201cleaf subsides to leaf,\u201d and knows that the
\nmeasure of the seasons brings blistering cold, searing heat, flooding rains and generous measures of light
\nand life-giving drops of rain. Eleanor Per\u00e9nyi, in her book Green Thoughts, cautions that \u201cthe seasons
\ncan\u2019t be rushed, or halted\u201d (68). The would-be gardener who does not understand these subtleties soon
\nlearns that he must learn them because\u2014 if one wants to play god and shape their own slice of nature\u2014
\nthere are rules, rules that even the seasoned gardener looking for a risk or two cannot always overcome.
\nOne might argue that nature, in all of its randomness, has no rules or that, even if it does have
\nthem, those rules often change on a whim, but when one imposes design, shape, and symmetry onto
\nnature, one, as Pollan suggests, is doing something that is \u201cunapologetically set against\u201d nature (46). In
\nother words, if one seeks the beauty found in the folds of a rose, one must realize that (a) one will not be
\nrewarded with those fragrant swirls of petals until the summer and (b) one should not plant a rose in a
\nrainy climate because the moisture will lead to mildewed leaves. If a gardener loves the brilliant
\nexplosion of leafless flowers on a cherry tree, he will only witness them in the early weeks of spring. If a
\ngardener wants a beautiful showy garden of petunias, violets, zinnias, snapdragons and daisies he cannot
\nplant them in the sand outside a beach house. And, perhaps most importantly, whatever a gardener
\nwants in a garden, it will not survive without water\u2014 which often means he must bring the water to the
\ngarden (as well as sometimes having to figure out a way to channel the excess water out of the garden).
\nIn the \u201creal world\u201d of nature, plants develop to particular kinds of soil, frequencies of rainfall, and
\nexposure to light\u2014 so one might well think that all one needs to do is to choose the plants that best
\nmatch the soil and climate of one\u2019s little patch of earth. Many gardeners, however, often want what they
\nwant when they want it and where they want it, so, if one wishes to experiment, one must know at least
\nsomething about each plant\u2019s limitations.
\nAnd where does one find this knowledge: books, magazines, websites, garden nurseries, friends
\nwho garden, professional gardeners? All these equally helpful sources are part of a culture\u2019s folklore, a
\nrich history of tips and methods culled from centuries of gardening. As Noel Kingsbury, author of The New
\nPerennial Garden, points out, whatever \u201cthe exact nature of a particular natural garden\u201d might be, \u201cit is
\nalmost inevitably managed in some way; in other words, it is still a cultural artifact\u201d (102). Kingsbury is
\nwriting specifically about the natural garden, a style of gardening that involves much less human
\nintervention than more formal gardens, but his observation applies to all gardens. In other words, anyone
\nwho gardens takes part in a cultural act that has a long and varied tradition\u2014 regardless of whether they
\nare planting a small vegetable patch, creating the splashes of color found in a cottage garden, or planting
\nflowers and trees in plastic tubs in a back alley in a poor neighborhood\u2014 a tradition that stretches even
\nfurther back than those 15th Century B.C. Egyptian tomb painting and as far forward as gardens created by
\nthe homeless in New York slums.
\nIn his book Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition, Robert Pogue Harrison, an Italian
\nliterature professor at Stanford University, writes about his fascination with these New York slum gardens,
\nwhich are made up of objects and items found in the streets, things that might be thought of as garbage
\nby most. What fascinates him, however, is not the fact that this kind of garden stretches our idea of what
\na garden is or can be, but that it asks questions about what motivates these people, who have virtually
\nnothing, to spend so much of their time and effort finding and arranging items when none of it helps
\nthem with the basics of surviving (42). At the very least, they are motivated, as most gardeners are, to
\ncreate, to \u201cexpress, fashion and beautify,\u201d a kind of self-expression that Harrison reminds us is \u201ca basic
\nhuman urge\u201d (42). This spark of creativity, this desire to create, to design, to shape, is part of what sets
\ngardening apart from farming. Indeed, no one actually knows which came first, but conventional theories
\nsuggest that gardening is either a creative response to farming or a kind of prototype for agriculture.
\nHarrison, however, argues that one could just as easily recognize that the earliest primitive gardens were
\ncreated for ritual purposes, citing the \u201cfundamental\u201d craving \u201cin human beings to transfigure reality, to
\nadorn it with costume and illusion, and thereby to respiritualize our experience of it\u201d (40). Harrison\u2019s
\nobservation reminds us that the garden can be a cultural expression of art, one that not only reflects the
\ncreativity, skills, and vision of its creator, but also the visitor\u2019s appreciation of and desire for beauty,
\n45 | P a g e
\nsymmetry, and harmony. And it is this creative spark that often draws both creator and appreciator to
\nthe garden.
\nEven a superficial consideration of writings about gardening reveals that many gardeners and
\ngarden visitors are looking for such seemingly disparate experiences as escape, solitude, purpose, peace,
\nspiritual grounding, pride, privacy, control, blessings, freedom, self-expression, silence, and a communal
\nrelationship with nature. All of these suggest something entirely self-absorbed about the experience of
\neither creating or visiting a garden. We often want to be alone with our thoughts as we soak in the
\nbeauty or to escape from our worries as we bury ourselves in the labor of cultivation. Indeed, many
\ngardeners simply want the escape from their daily lives and obligations and, instead, embrace the
\nopportunity to be alone with soiled hands and knees. However, many people have a garden simply
\nbecause they want to impress others, some even hoping to earn bragging rights. In this light, many
\ngardeners strive not only for their own sense of perfection but what they think others see as perfection.
\nOften this need to \u201cshow off\u201d applies to those who hire gardeners and designers to create something for
\nthem. Indeed, gardening is not for the lazy, for it requires constant maintenance and many are unwilling
\nor unable to commit to such an enterprise. Anyone who has tried to plant a garden and then given up can
\nattest to both the frustration and inevitability of how easily and quickly plants and shrubs resist your will
\nto shape them to your vision. Perhaps even more curious is the fact that many home owners feel
\nculturally obligated to have a garden because that is what is expected of a homeowner (many
\nneighborhood associations even require homeowners to have a well-kept, well-manicured garden lawn in
\nfront of their homes). In the end, the reasons for planting and creating one, or simply having it all done by
\nsomeone else, are as varied as the many different styles of gardens and flora to choose from.
\nSo, why then do people garden? Whatever the exact answer to that question might be, its
\npossible answers are inextricably bound to what makes a garden a garden, a question that also has a
\nmyriad of possible answers. At the very least, gardening continues to be as popular as ever, evidenced by
\nthe multi-billion-dollar industry that has grown around it, a thriving industry that offers the tools,
\nmaterials, and cultural expectations that every seasoned and newbie gardener could ever possibly need.
\nFurthermore, every style, every garden form, has its own jargon, its own books, its own tools, its own
\nstyles. For example, a traditional English garden features very formal elements such as a graveled
\nwalkway, a birdbath or gazebo, and organized beds of flowers. The traditional rose garden showcases
\none\u2019s favorite, prize roses in order to highlight their various colorful and fragrant qualities. In fact, many
\ngardens simply highlight various colors and fragrances and various shapes and symmetries organized to
\nbe visually appealing\u2014 sometimes very symmetrically and other times somewhat haphazardly. Some
\ngardeners specifically design their creations to attract desired visitors such as hummingbirds and
\nbutterflies. Some disperse seeds with reckless abandon and wait to see what springs from the ground.
\nSome people grow food. Some only garden in containers placed on apartment decks because they have
\nno other space. Others garden inside, bringing tropical plants into their various rooms. Others turn to
\ndecidedly very un-garden-like styles such as Zen gardens, which typically eschew plants in favor of
\norganized rocks and raked patterns in the sand that, symbolically, reflect the forces and shapes of the
\nlarger natural world. One can even see something very gardenlike in a single bonsai, a miniature tree that
\nhas been carefully shaped and cultivated in a small pot or tray.
\nGardens also stretch beyond the cultivators and designers to the garden visitor, thus allowing
\none to include public parks, which people can wander around in or simply sit and relax, and community
\ngardens, which provide urban gardeners with no space of their own to plant food and flowers. Many
\nprisons have gardening programs so that inmates can learn the value and satisfaction of hard work while
\nalso producing something they can eat (also serving as a system to reward good behavior). Guerilla
\ngardeners sneak into private property, often abandoned, and plant a garden as a political statement that
\nseeks to question the neglect and misuse of that property. Each of these\u2014 even though they take us
\naway from the garden as a home-based endeavor\u2014 are still bound to ideas of cultivation, order, and
\nintent, three very specific elements that clearly help us to understand what a garden is and why so many
\ndo it. Indeed, to cultivate is to work and prepare the land, which both gardeners and farmers do. Indeed,
\nto plant is to labor. Both farmers and gardeners order, or organize, the plants; however, farmers tend to
\nlimit such organization to even rows so that they can easily harvest their crops. Consequently, even
\nthough farms are bound to a kind of symmetry, the intent of such order and structure is purely to yield a
\nproduct for profit in the most efficient way possible. Gardeners, on the other hand, typically seek
\nsymmetry as a creative act, one that can be bound to an artistic-like vision or simply just the desire to
\nplant something of one\u2019s own, to create something from seemingly nothing. In the end, one can argue
\nincessantly about whether gardens and farms are really all that different, neither side of the argument
\never offering anything entirely conclusive or undebatable. Nevertheless, much of gardening is bound to
\naesthetics and personal satisfaction and goals\u2014 and on a dramatically smaller scale than farming, which is
\n46 | P a g e
\nfar more associated with commercial activity practiced on large tracts of land. If we boil down everything
\ndiscussed in this essay, we see that the typical gardener seeks something personal\u2014 the typical garden
\noccupying a limited space that is manipulated and ordered to some specific end. And while the
\ncircumstances and intentions are as varied as the possible styles and approaches, all of them are bound to
\nsome form of expression or purpose, one that often fulfills a specific goal or vision.
\nSo, ultimately, what exactly is a garden? Is it merely a matter of: it all depends on what one
\ncultivates, where one cultivates, how one cultivates, and why one cultivates? Simply stated: a garden can
\nbe planted for various reasons, cultivated and ordered in a variety of styles, but all of it, in the end, is
\nmerely an illusion of order imposed on the chaos of nature, for no matter how or why or what one plants,
\nsuch an imposition of structure and order can only last if one invests the time and work into cultivating
\nsuch an illusion. This, however, does little to stop anyone who wishes to garden from gardening, for such
\nis the very essence of all gardens and the act of gardening itself. In fact, if one wished to be so bold, one
\nmight very well conclude that the act of cultivating something that cannot, ultimately, last\u2014 something
\nthat is inevitably fated to one day be reclaimed by the very nature that a garden reflects, something
\nwhose success is subject to the whims and stresses of our busy lives\u2014 curiously mirrors the very fact of
\nthe impermanence of our own lives. Therefore, one might conclude that we garden because we wish to
\nshape our surroundings for as long as we remain alive.
\n47 | P a g e
\nBasic Outline of \u201cThe Impermanence of Order\u201d (What is a Garden? | Why do we garden?)
\nI. Introduction Question(s) Addressed
\nA. Gardens have been bound to symmetry since their inception What is a Garden?
\n1. Symmetry comes from appreciation of \/ the desire to organize things What is a Garden?
\nB. Symmetry is designed What is a Garden?
\n1. Such design is related to our desire to create Why do we garden?
\n2. Symmetry is related to our desire to bring harmony to dis order Why do we garden?
\nThesis: By gardening, we impose order on that which cannot retain order. Both questions.
\nNote: The first paragraph introduces the reader to the main focus of the essay: that gardens, in general, are creative expressions
\nof symmetry and order in the face of the reality that this order is imposed and will not last unless one does the necessary upkeep
\nto sustain that shape, that imposition. Moreover, gardeners wish to bring harmony to disorder–all of which serves as an
\nintroduction to not only the overall essay and eventual conclusion but also, quite specificall, in this paragraph, the thesis. (This is
\nthe real purpose of an introduction).
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————
\nII. Garden Design and Symmetry Question(s) Addressed
\nA. All gardeners have a design \/ plan What is a Garden?
\nB. Symmetry comes from nature What is a Garden?
\nC. We recreate that symmetry found in nature What is a Garden?
\nNote: The first body paragraph builds off the thesis and introduction by furthering the discussion about how most gardens are
\nbased on designs \u2026 and that many of those designs are based in symmetry, which comes from our perceptions, fully realized or
\nnot, of the shapes found in nature.
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————
\nIII. Garden Design \/ Shape is an Illusion Question(s) Addressed
\nA. Shape is only retained if we do the upkeep What is a Garden?
\nB. Pollan story about Dudleytown What is a Garden?
\n1. Illustrates how nature reclaims anything we design \/ plant What is a Garden?
\nNote: This paragraph connects to the previous paragraph by transitioning into the fundamental fact that the imposed shape
\nand design of a garden will only last as long as its upkeep. Pollan\u2019s story of encountering Dudleytown illustrates this point,
\nfollowed by an explanation for why that illustration is relevant.
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————
\nIV. Maintaining the Shape \/ Design Question(s) Addressed
\nA. One needs to do the necessary upkeep What is a Garden?
\nB. Nature is always trying to reclaim through its agents of reclamation What is a Garden? ?
\nC. Frost poem reveals nothing lasts \/ everything is impermanent What is a Garden?
\nD. To keep shape, one must follow the rules What is a Garden?
\nNote: This paragraph connects to the previous paragraph by exploring how nature continually seeks to reclaim anything we
\nplant or create. The Frost poem serves as an illustration for the impermanence of all things. One must, therefore, know the
\nrules in order to keep the illusion of shape \/ order.
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————
\nV. The Importance of the Rules of Gardening Question(s) Addressed
\nA. A Garden goes against the rules of nature What is a Garden?
\nB. Examples of rules that must be followed (growing requirements\/water) What is a Garden?
\nC. Necessity of knowing the rules What is a Garden?
\nNote: This paragraph connects to the previous paragraph by building off of that necessity for knowing the rules by illustrating
\nsome of the rules of gardening and why it is necessary to know them.
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————
\nVI. The Culture and Knowledge of Gardening Question(s) Addressed
\nA. Gardening knowledge can be found in a variety of places What is a Garden?
\nB. Gardening and the knowledge of it are part of culture What is a Garden?
\nC. It is a cultural act that stretches over time What is a Garden?
\n1. Goes back to Egyptian tomb paintings of early gardens What is a Garden?
\n2. And stretches forward to slum gardens, which are quite un-gardenlike What is a Garden?
\n48 | P a g e
\nNote: This paragraph connects to the previous paragraph by illustrating some of the sources for where one can acquire the
\nknowledge of those rules and then transitioning into a discussion of how all those sources are bound to culture (thus showing
\nthat gardening\u2014even the most un-garden-like forms\u2014 is, by its very nature, a cultural act).
\nSee Next Page\uf0e0
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————
\nVII. The Creative Impulse of Gardening Question(s) Addressed
\nA. Harrison considers slum gardens (an illustration) What is a Garden?
\n1. They are very un-gardenlike What is a Garden?
\n2. They reflect the need to express creativity Why do we garden?
\nB. Creativity is an essential part of why we garden Why do we garden?
\nNote: This paragraph connects to the previous paragraph by picking up from the previous paragraph\u2019s discussion of slum
\ngardens. Harrison\u2019s discussion of slum gardens illustrates the fact that most gardens are born from a desire to create, to
\nexpress.
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————
\nVIII. Many Reasons for Why People Garden Question(s) Addressed
\nA. List of experiences \/ needs that gardeners and garden visitors seek to fulfill Why do we garden?
\nB. People, in the end, garden for many reasons Why do we garden?
\nNote: This paragraph connects to the previous paragraph by building off the need to express and offering a series of
\nillustrations that offer a myriad of possible reasons \/ emotions \/ experiences and desires for why people garden. The paragraph
\nmore or less ends the body paragraphs by concluding that the reasons for why people garden are many (which paves the way
\nfor the concluding paragraphs to consider possible answers to the question more deeply). Please note this serves as a way to dig
\ndeeper into the question and not to just say that there are many reasons and be done with it.
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————
\nIX. Conclusion Begins \u2013 Why People Garden Bound to What a Garden Is Question(s) Addressed
\nA. The answer to why people garden is bound to what a garden is Both questions.
\nB. Multibillion dollar industry serves the needs of those who wish to do it Both questions.
\nC. Different garden forms \/ styles have their own jargon rules Both questions.
\n1. list of different styles and their goals Both questions.
\nNote: The first conclusion paragraph begins to provide possible answers to the questions by linking them together. After a quick
\ndiscussion of gardening industry the paragraph then segues into some of the different kinds of gardening styles.
\n[Yes, the conclusion is three paragraphs long. The overall goal of a conclusion is to build off the body paragraphs and come to
\nan actual conclusion about why we garden and what a garden is. A conclusion is not simply a restatement of what you have
\nsaid; instead, it is what you have been arguing towards for the whole essay. These paragraphs set up the opportunity to
\nconsider the commonalities found in the differences, allowing one to show the relationship between gardens and gardening.
\nThese paragraph notes clearly show how the body paragraphs are connected\u2014along with their overall line of reasoning]
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————
\nX. More Conclusion: Cultivation \/ Order \/ Intent Question(s) Addressed
\nA. Cultivate: How different and similar to farming Both questions.
\nB. Order: How different and similar to farming Both questions.
\nC. Intent: How different and similar to farming Both questions.
\n1. How intent really differentiates gardening from farming Both questions.
\nD. Cultivation, order, intention all bound to expression, goals, and purpose. Both questions.
\nNote: The second conclusion paragraph transitions from the common garden styles traditional home gardeners follow to the
\npublic types so that the commonalities that are shared between all of the garden styles and approaches can be discussed\u201d
\ncultivate, order, and intent. The discussion of these three common elements is presented through a discussion of how farming
\nand gardening are different in order to better demonstrate what makes a garden a garden and why people do it (the overall
\ngoal of the entire essay).
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————
\nXI. Final Conclusion Question(s) Addressed
\nA. Reconsiders and expands on thesis Both questions.
\n1. We impose order on that which cannot retain order Both questions.
\n2. But this does not stop us from doing it anyways Both questions.
\nNote: The final conclusion paragraph reconsiders the initial thesis that a garden is a specific design that we impose and that
\nimposition only lasts as long as we do the work that is necessary to keep that design. This does not stop us from gardening\u2014
\nand this also approach to the impermanence of the garden reflects how we shape our lives in the face f our impermanence.
\n49 | P a g e
\nGardening Means War by Michael Pollan
\nI CAME TO THE COUNTRY from the city and brought along many of the city man’s easy ideas about the
\nlandscape and its inhabitants. One had to do with the problem of pests in the garden, about which I carried the
\nusual set of liberal views. To nuke a garden with insecticide, to level a rifle sight at the back of a woodchuck in flatfooted
\nretreat, to erect an electric barricade around a vegetable patch: such measures struck me as excessive, even
\nirresponsible.
\nRespect for nature’s fragility was an article of faith with me. Deploying superior firepower to crush local
\nopposition to my plans for the land seemed a reckless act of environmental imperialism. Besides, these animals had
\narrived long before the gardener, so who was the interloper? And what was gardening about if not working out a
\nmore harmonious relationship with nature?
\nOne of gardening’s virtues is to clear the mind of easy sentiments about nature in general, and its fauna in
\nparticular. The first challenge to your romance of animals comes in April, after you’ve turned the soil, humped
\nheavy bags of peat moss and manure from the car trunk to the garden, dug these in by pitchfork, and then laid out
\nin scrupulous rows the seedlings of early crops\u2014lettuce, broccoli, cabbage. Do all that, then see how you feel next
\nmorning when that orderly parade ground of seedlings has been mowed down by a woodchuck out snacking.
\nIt’s not just the wasted time, effort and cash. Consider the forlorn appearance of the mowed-down
\nseedlings, neatly snipped off a half-inch above the ground, as if by someone with a pair of scissors and all the time
\nin the world. This is what tells you a woodchuck is responsible: they devour a crop systematically, whereas a deer\u2014
\nnervous, and possessing perhaps a more developed sense of shame\u2014will snip a shoot here and there, and then,
\nstartled by a falling leaf or something equally perilous to a 200-pound mammal, will dash off before the meal is
\ndone. The woodchuck approaches your plants less as a thief than a relative. He does not worry that you will
\ninterrupt his repast, and he fully intends to return tomorrow for seconds.
\nAnd the gardener will oblige. He is not about to fold his garden in the face of this impertinence. A rodent
\nwhose cerebrum could be packed into a thimble might win a battle or two, but finally the war must go to the larger,
\nmore developed brain. What is our species doing on this planet if not winning precisely this kind of contest?
\nAt least, that’s how I saw matters the first time, a year or two ago, when I awoke to the evidence of a
\npredawn April raid on my freshly planted vegetable garden. I thought the problem through, and determined to take
\nthe battle to the woodchuck’s own territory, I went looking for his burrow.
\nMy vegetable garden is laid out on a small, flat lawn that ends at the base of a small slope, which is covered
\nby a tangle of blackberry bushes and a couple of Russian olive trees\u2014perfect cover for a woodchuck burrow, and
\nnot five chuck-size paces from the nearest garden row. Woodchucks, nearsighted and slow-footed, prefer to set up
\nhouse as close to their favorite dining spot as prudence will allow. I whacked at the brush with a machete, and there
\nit was: a large, ugly mouth set into the hillside, with a pile of freshly dug soil arranged beneath it like a fat bottom
\nlip. This woodchuck was not only visiting my garden, he had moved in for the summer.
\nThis called for a program of behavior modification. I gathered a half dozen fist-size rocks and squeezed
\nthem into the hole. Then I mounded a few shovelfuls of earth on top and stomped on it a few times to jam the rock
\nand earth down into the tunnel. This ought to persuade him to move elsewhere, I thought, with the confidence of
\nsomeone who understood not the first thing about woodchucks.
\nThe next day the hole had yawned open and spit out the rocks and the soil. Hungry from his excavation
\nwork, the woodchuck had polished off a fresh row of lettuce seedlings.
\nTHE READER MIGHT REASONABLY wonder why I had no fence. I can offer a few practical explanations\u2014expense,
\nbuilding competence\u2014but the real reasons, I suspect, were more visceral. Fences just didn’t accord with my view of
\ngardening. A garden should be continuous with the natural landscape, in harmony with its surroundings. The idea
\nthat a garden might actually require protection from nature seemed absurd.
\nI had also absorbed the traditional American view that fences were Old World, out of place in the American
\nlandscape, a notion that crops up repeatedly in 19th-century American writing about the landscape. Early landscape
\narchitects, such as Frank Scott, campaigned tirelessly against the fence, which was considered a feudal holdover
\nfrom Britain. In 1870, Scott wrote that ”to narrow our own or our neighbor’s views of the free graces of Nature”
\nwas selfish and undemocratic.
\nThe American prejudice against fences probably has its origins in the first settlers’ views of nature. The
\nPuritans saw the American landscape as sacred. The transcendentalists, too, considered nature ”God’s second
\nbook,” and taught us to read it for moral instruction. Residues of this view persist. It may be that in nature writing
\ntoday guilt has taken the rhetorical place of transcendentalist ecstasy, but the essential religiosity remains.
\nOnce we accept the landscape as a moral and spiritual space, how can we presume to remake God’s
\nlandscape? It is one thing to cultivate the earth for our sustenance\u2014the Bible speaks of that\u2014but to do so for
\nesthetic reasons has until very recently struck Americans as frivolous, or worse. Even when we plan gardens today,
\n50 | P a g e
\nwe avoid anything that looks designed or artificial. We favor gardens that resemble natural landscapes, and that
\nleaves little room for fences.
\nMY OWN EFFORTS to design a perennial border that flowed seamlessly into the surrounding landscape met
\nwith derision from the local inhabitants, who quickly took advantage of my naive romanticism. The deer feasted on
\nthe young day lily and delphinium shoots. The grasses from the meadow have found that so-called hardy perennials
\nare, in fact, pushovers. Instead of the flower border pushing back toward the meadow, the meadow is pushing
\nforward to the house. Without my intervention, the border would not have stood the season.
\nUnder the pressure of this many-fronted assault, I have come to understand the distance between
\nnaturalists, who gaze benignly on all of nature’s operations, and the experienced gardener, who perforce has
\ndeveloped a somewhat less sentimental view. Particularly toward woodchucks. I am not ready to see them
\nbanished from the planet altogether\u2014they must have some ecological purpose\u2014but I seriously doubt that news of
\nsome form of woodchuck megadeath in this part of the country would put me in an elegiac frame of mind.
\nBut in giving up my romantic views of the local fauna, I may have gone overboard in the opposite direction.
\nI tried everything I could think of to eliminate my woodchuck problem, in an escalating series of measures William
\nWestmoreland would have understood. I started with elaborate campaigns of behavior modification\u2014my send-in-afew-
\nadvisers phase, in which I confidently deployed the accumulated wisdom of Western civilization. I had done my
\nreading and learned that woodchucks can’t stand getting their fur dirty. Thinking I had located my adversary’s
\nAchilles’ heel, I introduced a few choice items into his tunnel: a dozen eggs, smashed and dribbled down its side; a
\njar of molasses; half a can of motor oil; a dead field mouse. And, lastly, a quart of creosote, vile stuff so sticky he’d
\nneed his fur steam-cleaned.
\nWhen this didn’t work\u2014evidently, my woodchuck lacked his species’ Felix Unger gene\u2014I found myself
\nattracted to less cerebral approaches. It’s astonishing, actually, how much anger an animal’s infiltration of your
\ngarden can incite. I would not, after all, go hungry as a result of his depredations. No, this was no longer about any
\ncool calculations of self-interest. This was about winning.
\nA rifle was out of the question; I’ve always been afraid of guns, and have never owned one. But I came up
\nwith something equally unsentimental: I found a somewhat flattened woodchuck along the highway, scooped it into
\na crate and brought it home. I hacked the corpse into several pieces and jammed them into the burrow. This
\namounted to terrorism, I admit. But either he did not get it, or he did not care, because in two days’ time he had
\ndug a detour around the corpse and the pillaging resumed.
\nNext, I decided to incinerate the woodchuck in his burrow. I poured maybe a gallon of gasoline down his
\ntunnel, waited a few minutes for it to fan out along the various passageways, and struck a match.
\nEvidently, there was not enough oxygen down there, because the flames shot in the wrong direction\u2014up,
\ntoward my face. I leapt back before I was singed too badly, and watched a black-orange fountain of flame flare up
\ntoward an olive tree. I managed to smother the fire with earth before the entire garden went up. I guess this was
\nmy destroy-the-village-in-order-to-save-it phase.
\nMY BRUSH WITH CONFLAGRATION among the vegetables shocked me out of my Vietnam approach to
\ngarden pests before I had a chance to defoliate the neighborhood. I also began to think that there might be more
\ngoing on here than a cartoonish war between me and a woodchuck.
\nI realized that during a long walk one late afternoon last April in the woods near my house. Most of the
\nland around here is post-agricultural hardwood forest; the farms were abandoned starting around the turn of the
\ncentury, and the forest has made quick work of reclaiming large parts of the countryside. You might think this oak
\nforest was primordial if not for the stone walls and other lingering signs of one-time cultivation: wolf trees
\n(specimens with broad crowns, signifying they matured in open, uncompetitive spaces); the anomalous bloom of a
\ngarden flower, faint plow furrows visible in the snow cover.
\nBut on this particular walk I found an even ghostlier set of signs. Following an old logging trail, I came to an
\narea that somehow seemed more ordered than the surrounding woods. On both sides of the trail were stone
\nwalls\u2014linear piles, really\u2014marking small rectangular enclosures among the trees. Within each square was a
\nrectangular pit lined with stones: the foundation of a small house.
\nI HAD STUMBLED UPON Dudleytown, an abandoned 19th-century settlement that I had often been told
\nwas nearby but had never been able to locate. Traces of former habitation were everywhere, like shadows on the
\nlandscape, even though the forest had completely recolonized the area. Oaks, hickories, ash and sycamores had
\nspread out evenly over the village like a blanket, rising up in the former yards and fields and even in the middle of
\ncellar pits, jutting heedlessly through spaces that once had been organized into kitchens and bedrooms, warm
\nspaces that had vibrated with human sounds.
\nIf you blotted the trees from sight and followed the contours of the land, you could make out the
\norganization of the village. Houses lined a main street. The stone walls marked each family’s yard; in some stood
\n51 | P a g e
\ngnarled apple trees on their last legs, starved for sunlight by the new forest canopy. A few clumps of day lily
\nsurvived, along with deep green patches of myrtle and vinca: remnants of dooryard gardens that the forest had
\nfailed to defeat. Some yards opened onto what must have been fields or pastures. Stone walls, which had once
\nmarked boundaries and kept cows from straying, threaded arbitrary paths through the trees, accomplishing
\nnothing.
\nTo the gardener in me, Dudleytown quickly assumed a spectral presence. Every weed I pulled, every blade
\nof grass I mowed, each beetle I crushed\u2014all was done to slow the advance of the forest that had reclaimed
\nDudleytown. It made me see that the woodchuck was no free-agent pest, snacking strictly on his own account. He
\nlabored on behalf of the oncoming forest. Not only the animals, but the insects, the weeds, even the fungi and
\nbacteria, were working together to erase my garden\u2014and after that, my lawn, my driveway, my patio, even my
\nhouse.
\nMy experience as a gardener has taught me that nature resents our presence. She deploys her various
\nagents to undo our work in the garden. But to what end? Now I grasped her local teleology: Dudleytown.
\nThe forest, I now understand, is ”normal”; everything else\u2014the fields and meadows, the lawns and
\npavements and, most spectacularly, the gardens\u2014is an ecological ”vacuum” that nature will not abide for long.
\nHere the soil is richest and most frequently turned over. What softer, sweeter, more hospitable bed could an
\nairborne weed seed ever find to lie down on? Other weeds don’t even have to find your garden: thousands of their
\nseeds lie dormant in every cubic foot of garden soil, patiently waiting for a pleasing combination of light and
\nmoisture so they can move on your plants.
\nAnd your plants are sitting ducks. Just as cultivated soil constitutes a kind of vacuum in the environment, so
\ndo most of the plants grown in it. Most cultivated fruits and vegetables contain nutrients in greater concentration
\nthan ordinary plants. They stick out in the natural landscape like rich kids in a tough neighborhood. Enter the
\nanimals. The woodchucks and deer are the flora’s great levelers, making sure there are no undue concentrations of
\nnutritional wealth in the landscape. They want to redistribute my protein.
\nShould the vertebrates fail to drive me out of my garden, a dozen insect species, each with its own
\ndistinctive tactics, will march on my plants in a series of waves beginning in April and unrelenting till frost:
\ncutworms, which saw off seedlings at ground level; aphids, specks of pale green that cluster on the undersides of
\nleaves, sucking the vital fluids; loathsome slugs, naked bullets of flesh that emerge at sunset to travel the garden on
\ntheir own avenues of slime; and last to arrive, the vast, farflung beetle family, which mounts a massive airborne
\ninvasion beginning in midsummer.
\nLike the vertebrates, this exoskeletal mob is drawn by the nutritional extravagance of the vegetable
\ngarden, as well as by the fact that most garden plants are nature’s weaklings. We breed garden plants for qualities
\nthat appeal to us, not ones that might help insure survival. Rather than school them in the martial arts, we enter
\ninto a tacit pact with our plants: in exchange for their beauty and utility, we shield them from the horrors of
\nDarwinian struggle.
\nSo please don’t talk to me about the harmony of gardens and the natural landscape. The forest is so
\nvigorous around here, so well served by its advance guard of animals, bugs and weeds, that a single season of
\nneglect would blast my garden back to meadow; a decade would find the forest licking at my front stoop. And in 50
\nyears: Dudleytown. A cellar pit with a sycamore rising through it.
\nWHAT WAS THE right approach to pests in the garden? How could I halt the advance of Dudleytown
\nwithout turning my garden into a toxic waste site? These questions quickly led to bigger ones about how we choose
\nto confront the natural landscape. Domination or acquiescence? As developers or naturalists? I no longer think the
\nanswers are so obvious.
\nDomination, in suburban or rural terms, means lawn, a demilitarized zone patrolled weekly with a rotary
\nblade. The lawn holds great appeal; it looks sort of natural\u2014it’s green, it grows. But, in fact, it represents a
\nsubjugation of the forest as utter as a parking lot. Every species is forcibly excluded from the landscape but one, and
\nthis is forbidden to grow longer than the owner’s little finger. A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule.
\nOn the other side is acquiescence: the benign gaze of the naturalist. Certainly, his ethic sounds nice and
\nresponsible, but have you ever noticed that the naturalist never tells you where he lives? Unless you live in the city
\nor a tent, the benign gaze is totally impractical\u2014sooner or later it leads to Dudleytown.
\nThe trick is somehow to find a middle ground. That is what gardening is, or should be: a midspace between
\nDudleytown and the parking lot, a place that admits of both nature and human habitation.
\nThe choice is not, as Americans often seem to assume, simply between raping the land or sealing it away in
\na preserve. That the first approach is bankrupt goes without saying. Yet, right as it sounds, the second one is a dead
\nend, too. We need not, like the naturalist, shrink before our own power to alter nature. To renounce that power is
\nin some sense to renounce our humanity\u2014our nature, which is no less real than the nature we seem to think exists
\nonly out there. Shakespeare’s Polixenes has it right in ”The Winter’s Tale.” In response to Perdita, who rejects the
\nhybridized flower as unnatural, he says: ”This is an art\/ Which does mend nature\u2014change it rather; but\/ The art
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\nitself is nature.”
\nFor the gardener, breaking free of the notion that art negates nature is liberating. A promising strategy
\nagainst pests can begin to take shape. For starters, one can re-examine the American taboo against fences. Fences
\nmay offend American ideas about democracy, limitlessness and the landscape’s sanctity, but perhaps we need to
\nconsider the possibility that their absence offends the idea of a garden.
\nFOR MOST OF HISTORY, people have been making gardens, and most of their gardens have been walled or
\nfenced. ”Garden” derives from the Old German word for enclosure, and the Oxford English Dictionary definition
\nbegins ”an enclosed piece of ground. . . .” (Compare that to American dictionary definitions, which omit the idea of
\nenclosure.) The long history of gardens, which traverses many very different cultures, suggests that perhaps there is
\nsomething natural about erecting a wall against the landscape on one side and society’s gaze on the other. We
\nnumber the beaver dam among nature’s creations; why not also the garden wall?
\nIT WAS TIME FOR ME to put up a fence. I went with five feet of galvanized steel mesh stretched across
\nposts that had been treated with arsenic to resist rot and then sunk three feet into the earth. The bottom edge of
\nthe fence runs a foot underground, to deter tunnelers. It doesn’t look at all bad, and even though you can see
\nthrough the wire mesh, when I close the garden gate behind me I feel as though I’ve entered a privileged space.
\nBut more important, the woodchuck so far respects the fence; the cabbages have reached softball size
\nunmolested. He has not abandoned his burrow, however, and I picture him jealously pacing the garden perimeter at
\ndawn, scheming, looking for an angle. I remain on alert.
\nNow four feet of fence won’t impede a doe with snap beans on her mind, but I can take care of that. Six
\ninches above the top of the fence, I’ll string a wire that pulses every second with several hundred volts of electric
\ncurrent. I’ve been told to smear the wire with peanut butter in order to introduce the deer to the unprecedented
\nand memorable sensation of electric shock, after which they should be gone for good. The power will run off a solar
\npanel that sits atop one of the posts, reaching toward the sun like some gigantic high-tech blossom. This last touch
\nstrikes me as a nice bit of jujitsu, turning nature’s power against a few of her own.
\nIntervening against the insects is not so straightforward; but here, too, there may be an art that ”itself is
\nnature.”
\nThe key to eliminating an insect from the garden is knowledge: about its habits, preferences and
\nvulnerabilities. Most chemical pesticides represent a crude form of knowledge about insects: that, for example, a
\npowerful chemical, such as malathion, cripples the nervous system of most organisms, so a little of the stuff should
\nkill bugs but (probably) not bigger creatures.
\nEven though this knowledge has been produced by humans wearing lab coats, it is not nearly as
\nsophisticated or precise as the knowledge a ladybug, say, possesses on the subject of aphids. The ladybug is not
\nsmart, but she knows one thing exceedingly well: how to catch 40 or 50 aphids every day without hurting anybody
\nelse. If you think of evolution as a billion-year-long laboratory experiment, and the gene pool as the store of
\ninformation accumulated during that experiment, then you realize that nature has far more extensive knowledge
\nabout her operations than we do. The trick is to put her knowledge to our purpose in the garden.
\nSo far, the only way to harness the ladybug gene for aphid capture is by obtaining whole ladybugs, and this
\ncan be done through the mail. For about $10, you can order 3,500 ladybugs from a company that specializes in
\n”biological controls.” The ladybugs come in a drawstring pouch that can be kept in the refrigerator; you spoon out
\nthe bugs onto the leaves of infested plants. They also sell praying mantis egg cases, which should be sewn onto a
\ntree branch near the garden; when the weather warms in spring, the nymphs emerge, to take up stations on the
\nupper leaves of your plants. Their patience and stillness are extraordinary, as are their reflexes: a praying mantis can
\nsnatch flying insects right out of the air.
\nNot all of the biological controls on the market are insects; some are bacteria. You can buy a powder
\ninoculated with Bacillus thuringiensis, for example, and start a plague among the cabbage loopers and other leafeating
\ncaterpillars without harming anything else.
\nBiological controls won’t solve every pest problem\u2014there are still too few controls, for one thing. But the
\napproach holds promise, and suggests what can be accomplished when we learn to exploit nature’s self-knowledge
\nand stop thinking of art and technology as being necessarily opposed to nature. For how are we to categorize
\nBacillus thuringiensis as a form of human intervention in the landscape? Is it technological, or natural? The
\ncategories are no longer much help, at least in the garden.
\nI won’t know until the end of the season whether I’ve completely solved my pest problem. But, puttering in
\nmy newly fenced garden, watching the mantises standing sentry on the tops of my tomatoes and the ladybugs
\nrunning search-and-destroy missions among the eggplants, I feel a lot more relaxed about it. Though Dudleytown
\nremains over the next hill, I know I can stall its advance for as long as I continue to put my thought and sweat into
\nthis patch of land. There are going to be setbacks; gardening is not a once-and-for-all thing. But I think I’ve drawn a
\nworkable border between me and the forest. Could it prove to be a Maginot line? I don’t think so\u2014it doesn’t
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\ndepend on the invincibility of technology. Nor does it depend on the benignity of nature. It depends on my acting
\nlike a sane human, which is to say as a creature whose nature it is to remake his surroundings and whose culture
\ncan guide him on questions of esthetics and ethics. What I’m making here is a middle ground between nature and
\nculture, a place that is at once of nature and unapologetically set against it; what I’m making is a garden.
\nThe How-To Garden by Jim Nollman (from his book Why We Garden)
\nAlthough there are many books and courses on the subject of how to garden, ultimately we learn about
\ngardening by doing it. The how-to garden is thus defined as the place we go to encounter our own gardening
\neducation. Like the sentient garden, this one is an experiential garden. That is the reason the story of a howto
\ngarden\u2019s planning, digging, and planting is also told most accurately in the first person. Also like the
\nsentient garden, this garden clearly speaks to us, offering counsel in its own good time. Unlike the sentient
\ngarden, the how-to garden is rarely a self-conscious garden that persistently focuses our sensibilities upon
\nitself. The how-to garden is more passive, more like a playing field that focuses our sensibilities upon the
\nactivity manifested within its borders.
\nSo far, this book has referred to my personal garden only obliquely\u2014as if it were a diving board from
\nwhich I continually spring off into large notions about a sense of place, paradise, sentience, history, the future,
\nand so on. It now seems an appropriate moment to step off that conceptual diving board to sketch in an
\nexperiential biography of one particular how-to garden as told through the eyes of its own pet gardener,
\nnamely me.
\nBecause any account of the how-to garden is inevitably strung together from a framework of the firstperson
\nvoice, its telling occasionally stumbles on the same problems of distancing that confront proud parents
\ndiscussing their children. Before segueing into this discussion of my own how-to garden, we might all benefit
\nfrom first considering the strange case of the fictitious botanist Kamikochi Kiyomasa, who ran into his own
\nproblem of distancing while studying the equally fictitious flower Anadea taludensis:
\nKamikochi decided to take a closer look at the flowers and so started walking towards the
\nhilltop. On the way he realized that something very bizarre was taking place. Unlike what
\nusually happens when we approach an object we have seen from a distance\u2014it gradually
\nappears larger until, when we are near enough to touch it, it assumes its proper
\ndimensions\u2014these plants did not seem to get any bigger as the biologist approached
\nthem. When Kamikochi reached the hilltop they turned out to be just as small as they had
\nappeared from a hundred meters away.
\nI started my garden ten years ago by focusing entirely on masses of colorful annuals. The bigger and brasher
\nthe hybrid the better it would look in my brand-new garden. I was the guy standing in front of you in line at
\nthe local gardening store juggling ten six-packs of those red-and-white-striped petunias with the blue-andwhite
\nmottled rim that spelled out the message \u201cSupport our troops.\u201d
\nBut seriously, although they provide an instant blaze of bright color, hybrid bedding annuals like
\npetunias and begonias often trumpet a grand statement of impermanence born of gardening inexperience. By
\nthe end of that first season gardening on six very wild acres, I watched the petunias and the potted geraniums
\nwither into oblivion and realized that I had planted nothing whatsoever to nurture a deeper connection
\nbetween myself and this unique place that surrounds me\u2014even though the connection to this place would
\nprobably endure through the rest of my life.
\nI sought an enduring garden.
\nThere are annuals, and then there are annuals. The term annual simply defines any herbaceous plant
\nthat germinates, flowers sets seed, and dies all in one season. This succinct life cycle also signifies that an
\nannual follows a survival strategy that devotes all its energy toward effusive flower production capable of
\nattracting whatever pollinator it needs in order to achieve the goal of generous seed production. As all this
\noversimplified botany refers to gardening, the primary virtue of any annual is providing an instant splash of
\ncolor to patch up the tattered spaces in a garden bed.
\nLikewise, there are splashes, and there are splashes. Six-packs of so-called improved mixed colors
\nactually means that some marketing person sitting within the bowels of some seed company office has
\ndecided to employ the great American advertising gambit of playing on the customer\u2019s vanity by naming
\nsomething the slightest bit new and unusual as, well improved. It is a word germinated in the very same bed
\nas seed catalogs that describe each of twenty different broccoli varieties as being the best of the best; this fact
\nis ostensibly demonstrated by the glossy inclusion of twenty one-inch-square photographs that look
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\nsuspiciously like the very same broccoli plant shot from twenty different angles using twenty different lens
\nfilters.
\nImproved rarely means \u201cbetter,\u201d only occasionally means \u201cdifferent,\u201d sometimes means \u201cmore\u201d or
\n\u201clarger,\u201d and always means \u201cbuy.\u201d It almost always means \u201chybrid,\u201d going a long way to explain why the seed
\ncatalogs lavish so many extra columnar inches promoting them. A hybrid, for the uninitiated gardening pennypincher,
\nmight be defined this way; If we happen to like that pack of \u201cimproved mixed colors,\u201d we are going to
\nhave to buy another pack of twenty sees at $1.98 next year from that same company, because probably none
\nof the thousand seeds we might have saved from this year\u2019s model will reseed true to form. The parents are
\ndifferent, the underlying genetics don\u2019t equate. Those thousand seeds will germinate, instead, into smaller
\nplants bearing smaller flowers. If we are very lucky, we won\u2019t start cursing the progeny of the hybrids,
\nreferring to them as weeds when they start popping up uninvited everywhere we never planted them. We
\ngardeners refer to these uninvited as volunteers. I suppose it is an attempt to put a positive spin on what
\noften amounts to many hours of extra weeding. Mixed is another dubious adjective. Unfortunately, mixed
\ncolors of just about anything planted in a garden rarely achieve more than a grand confusion to the eye while
\ntrumpeting a lack of clarity by the gardener. Mixed colors sit in the bed as a sampler of the hybridist\u2019s art, a
\nsummation of all the possibilities on the same order as those six-packs of cold cereal we buy to decide which
\nflavor we actually like. Planted together, mixed colors treat the garden as a container of tints, and variations
\non some company\u2019s marketing scheme. At best, they may elicit the collector\u2019s curious emotion of having one
\nof each. If there are annuals and annuals, splashes and splashes, then \u201cimproved mixed colors\u201d might best be
\nregarded as the horticultural equivalent to splashing into a kid\u2019s plastic wading pool. The one that was never
\nmeant to last beyond one season.
\nDespite the very striking petunias planted at key locations around the perimeter of the house, the
\nflowers that actually held my attention the longest that first summer were the so-called old-fashioned
\nannuals. If improved mixed annuals are the Billboard Top Ten of flowers, the old-fashioneds are the old
\nstandards\u2014the ones that have stood the test of time\u2014like purple bachelor\u2019s buttons (Centaurea), yellow
\ncalendulas, and the extraordinary, spidery, gray-blue love-in-a-mist (Nigellla).
\nEach of these pieces grew, flowered and set seed without much watering on my part. And today,
\nnearly ten years later, the progeny of those same three standards still grace the edges of several borders. All
\nit takes to ensure their return each year is to grab a handful of seed heads and cast them a bit beyond what
\nthe plants are able to muster on their own. Sometimes I forget to do this. And yet, like reruns of \u201cStar Trek,\u201d
\nthe \u201cold-fashioned\u201d always return. Like rereading Moby Dick for the tenth time, they still pique my senses all
\nover again. Significantly, the so-called improved species never last, which seems another way of saying that
\nthe ability to bond to place is bred right out of them.
\nAt the end of my first gardening season, I had also learned the names, favored habitat, and flowering
\nperiod of several of the tiny wildflower species that flourish at the edge of the woods. I paid close attention to
\nthe fact that early dandelions are soon followed in quick succession by pink filarees, followed by calypso
\norchids, buttercups, chocolate lilies, oral root, camas, and centaury. Roughly in that order. By the following
\nspring I added my first long-term investments in what was still a highly unformed gardening vision: in this
\ninstance, the relatively foolproof choices of a red-leafed Japanese maple and a star magnolia. In my ignorance
\nI had thought I was buying trees that would eventually shade a substantial area. What I got was trees the size
\nof shrubs. After nearly ten years, the maple had grown to seven feet tall, and the magnolia barely to six. In
\nanother twenty years, I and told, neither should attain more than twice its current height. I have long grown
\nto love both trees, although for reasons a nongardener can hardly hope or appreciate second-hand.
\nThe star magnolia\u2019s primary trait is its awesome ability to unfold a lavish spread of the softest white,
\nfragrant, and exceedingly thick-pedaled flowers. Quite honestly, if I did not personally experience my own
\nfront walk glowing with the show of those four-inch-wide flowers in early spring and someone chose to slop
\nme a photo of this same tree in full bloom, I might believe the photo to be a practical joke: the canny result of
\na trickster pinning huge tissue-paper blooms on the branches just to test the limits of my credulity.
\nThis floor show of a bloom lasts less than three weeks. It leaves behind a fond memory of the
\nflower\u2019s sweet vanilla fragrance, and occasional out-of-sync bloom in mid-August, and a thickly leaved, twotrunked
\nshrub with otherwise unremarkable characteristics. If the star magnolia had nothing to offer besides
\na three-week bloom\u2014no matter how spectacular\u2014I would have planted it at the end of some garden cul-desac,
\nthus precipitation an annual spring pilgrimage just to pay homage to a very special tree in full bloom. But
\nI planted it, instead, right beside the front porch. That\u2019s because I also observe it to be the most hopeful plant
\nin the entire garden (although someone else might continue calling it a trickster). It wins that appellation by
\nvirtue of the forty of fifty flower buds that bloom to such excess in April. Those buds start showing themselves
\nway back in September. Its display of swelling buds continues throughout the winter.
\nThe general effect on my own state of mind is joyous anticipation. By late January\u2014when almost
\nnothing else in the garden is happening, and the ground is soggy and sometimes frozen, and normal human
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\nbeing can\u2019t seem to put his finger on what the world spring actually refers to \u2013 chancing upon those magnolia
\nbuds growing slightly larger every day offers a generous ray of hope as well as a grand illusion of all that is to
\ncome. By late January, the buds have developed a furry silver casing that makes them look not unlike a
\nhyperthyroid pussy willow. Every bud shouts out that spring is not far away. But it is still only January. Spring
\nseems very far away indeed. And the hopeful magnolia has tricked me again.
\nThe Japanese maple achieves an entirely different effect. Whereas the magnolia looks remarkable
\nfor a very short time and then transforms into a hopeful trickster for most of the rest of the year, the maple
\nputs on a worthy display just about all the time. The leaves are a brilliant red, especially during the spring
\nwhen they first unfurl. The high sun of early June reflects through those bloodred leaves, causing them to
\nlight up from right inside themselves. The tree glows as it were a cultivar introduced from a collection Moses
\nhimself brought down from Mount Sinai. The maple puts me in a paradise garden anytime I choose to visit it.
\nIf the effect of the magnolia is hopeful, the effect of the maple is unexpectedly nostalgic, I\u2019m lying on
\nthe ground just to the north of that tree on a breezy June afternoon, head propped up on my elbows. The
\ntree appears to pulse in time with each gust of the soft breeze. The sun tosses shards of bloodred light
\nthrough the shimmery fingerlike leaves; the audacious flicker soon causes me to reminisce about a time, many
\nyears ago now, when we were all younger and mind-altering drugs enjoyed a brief meteoric renaissance
\nbefore being relegated, once again, to the death row of societal icons. Sixties songs like \u201cLucy in the Sky with
\nDiamonds,\u201d sixties images like Jimi Hendrix in full psychedelic regalia, start flashing in front of my eyes. I see
\nthe rockets\u2019 red glare of Southeast Asia, and it rekindles in me the experience of that crazy, inspiring, youthful,
\ndangerous counterculture.
\nBut then the breeze stops gusting; the tree lies inert. Just as suddenly, I intuit what it was that caused
\nthe psychedelic generation to vanish until who knows when. No pun intended. Still, the answer, my friend, is
\nblowing in the wind\u2026
\nNostalgic is the only word for that tree. Yet I also imagine the Japanese maple being favored by
\narchitects. The leaves possess a wonderful structure of their own. The Japanese Bloodgood maple is one
\ncultivar whose twiny branches and bowl-like shape invoke a splendid garden architecture even when devoid of
\nleaves. The tree is a sight to behold even during the dead of winter when the leaves and all their
\nreminiscences are fast asleep waiting for spring.
\nKnowledge and experience. Some garden writers assert that a mastery of their art occurs primarily
\nthrough an accumulation of knowledge wed to the direct experience of plant identification, soil chemistry,
\nlandscape design, and perhaps the finer points of the color spectrum. Once we learn enough of these basics,
\nwe should be ready to set off on our own to exert that blessed sense of control over nature that is the
\ncontemporary definition of gardening.
\nHowever, any thorough examination of the science of horticulture\u2014when to plant, what to plant,
\nwhy to plant, et cetera\u2014will also be seen to offer nothing at all in the way of explaining the process by which a
\ncasual gardener suddenly explodes full-blown upon the scene as a compulsive gardener.
\nThe analytical approach to gardening mainly offers up choice tips and pointers to aid in the education
\nof a gardener. But mere knowledge rarely leads to mastery because it overlooks both the sweaty passion and
\nthe poetry. As the nowhere garden has already foretold, gardening is creativity on a grand Utopian scale. We
\nconsult a nonexistent compass and so set off on a journey to Eden, which actually ends when we encounter a
\nsense of place. The how-to garden teaches us grounding: how to keep our eyes firmly locked on the path and
\nnot lose our way.
\nOur lives are constantly bombarded with information. One result is that most of us \u201cknow\u201d more
\nthan we experience. Some of us go so far as to believe, erroneously, that knowing is in fact the same thing as
\nexperiencing. But what that conviction primarily lacks is grounding. To quote an old saw, experience is the
\nbest teacher\u2014not our thoughts and stories about our experiences; and certainly no the data we may collect
\nwhile experiencing. The practice of gardening offers on of the premier pathways leading ot a direct
\nexperience of the Earth. It does so far ore directly than any discussion about gardening. It does so even better
\nthan the production of that practice: the garden itself.
\nA first-rate education grows in our own backyards. The education displays all the characteristics of
\nmatriculation, final exams, degree credits, failing and passing grades. A gardening education combines the
\nunexpected and the revelations with the methodical. I plant a Japanese maple in my own how-to-garden not
\nonly because the color and shape are right for any particular spot but because the tree possesses an
\nunexplainable charisma capable of lifting my spirits to crazy daydreaming on a sunny June afternoon. The
\nunpredictable process of choosing that tree thus borrows as much from spiritual development as it does from
\ncraft or science. I would submit that it is to the bones-throwing, entrails-divining, and especially sweatproducing
\naspects of the gardening experience that we must surrender if we are to transform our controlling
\nhand into a nurturing one.
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\nA key aspect of my own epiphany occurred shortly after I discovered the gift of the glacier. A glacier
\nretreated across the land I garden about fifteen thousand years ago. I am told that the ice was three thousand
\nfeet thick, which explains why the surface of my front yard is mostly a slab of polished granite bedrock. The
\nscarring and gouging of the rock runs decidedly southeast to northwest. The knoll drops off precipitously to
\nthe northwest. When my wife and I first moved here and built our house, the flat plain beyond the edge of
\nthis northwest-facing cliff was composed entirely of scrubby Oregon grape alder, and willow. The very
\nnoticeable lack of forest trees indicated that the ground there probably had no topsoil. The presence of the
\nmoisture-loving alders and willows strongly hinted at a local water-retentive blue clay. When we dug a pond
\non that spot five years later, we were very happy, although not surprised, that the clay plunged below ground
\nto a depth greater than our fifteen-foot hole. When the winter rains do their job and fill the pond to overflow,
\nTarzan himself could dive off that cliff and hit deep water.
\nThe opposite edge of the knoll, the southeast quadrant, possesses a very different sort of geology.
\nThis is a gradual slope that descends into a second-growth fir, madrones and pine forest possessed of an
\nunderstory of serviceberry trees that fill the forest with white flowers each April. Between the bedrock knoll
\nand the beginning of the forest there is a uniquely bumpy ground of widely spaced, stunted trees. While
\ndigging there seven years ago in preparation for an eventual artichoke bed, I discovered a jumble of pumpkinsized
\nboulders covered over by just a few inches of topsoil. Since no human being had ever lived here before, I
\ndeduced that the stone must have been deposited in the same glacial withdrawal that left so much clay on the
\nopposite side of the knoll. These heavy boulders were the detritus given up by the ice in its northwest retreat
\nacross the boulder catcher that was my knoll.
\nThe discovery of a seemingly bottomless pile of boulders has since proven to be the most influential
\nfactor in determining both the shape and the form of the resultant garden. I started excavating the fifty-to-ahundred-
\npound boulders, on at a time, by pick and shovel and wheelbarrow and soon started mortaring them
\ntogether to construct terraced garden beds all along the varying slopes of the bedrock. Over the years these
\nterraces have grown ever more sophisticated and ambitious as my skills increased. While most of the
\nboulders are of the same mineral composition as the bedrock itself. I have also discovered bubbly pieces of
\nlava, large quartz crystals, and even a heavy piece of lumpy iron that looks suspiciously like a meteorite. They
\nare all gifts of the glacier-rocks, each one with a story of its own to tell; each one adding to the composition of
\nthe growing garden.
\nI do most of the rock work in the late fall, during the two-month period when the garden is going to
\nsleep but the cold weather has not yet arrived to mar he setup time of mortar. When the rocks are in place, I
\nimmediately start filling the boulder-framed beds with whatever organic material I have on hand. My main
\nsource of the gardener\u2019s gold and diamonds known as compost is kitchen scraps mixed with barrels of
\nseaweed and bales of hay, augmented with the abundant horse manure I gather by the truckload from a
\nneighboring stable. When the bed is full, I let the mass simmer for a winter or even longer, until nothing
\nremains but sweet-smelling compost. Since the finished product is much denser than the original, I start
\nadding in more wheelbarrowsful of decomposed horse manure until the top of the terrace is overflowing with
\nit. I let it sit for another few weeks and then plant.
\nI follow no recipe for building compost and therefore provide no fount of knowledge about how
\nanyone else should proceed. With a plethora of how-to books on the market, I have preferred to consult my
\nhow-to garden directly. Actually, there are many excellent books teaching a gardener how to build a proper
\ncomposter. Every book recommends that we turn the mess regularly with a fork, adding as much air as
\npossible for the benefit of the aerobic bacteria. Turning also kills the stench. I have not yet discovered,
\nhowever, any how-to book that will tell me how to deal with garbage when it\u2019s thirty degrees outside and the
\ncomposter itself is already overflowing and the breakdown of all that organic matter is progressing so much
\nmore painfully slow than the how-to book says it\u2019s supposed to do. And every time I put a fish carcass in the
\ncomposter, some dog or raccoon manages to get into it and makes a mess all over the year. But I can\u2019t figure
\nout how the animal gets in. Then again, maybe that dog is doing me a favor. She is turning the compost and
\nI\u2019m not, which accounts for both the overflow and the stench.
\nActually, my own bottom-line advice about composters is less than clinical. It demands that instead,
\nwe follow the advice of an old pop song. Get whatever composter suits your fancy. Build it, buy it, dig it, do it.
\nPlace if as far from your house as is geographically possible without also getting yourself into a lawsuit
\nwhenever the wind shifts toward your neighbors. Turn it every so often. Buy a few bales of hay. Whenever
\nyou empty the garbage can into the bins, heap a few wads of hay on top. Besides that simple advice, que sera-
\n\u2014whatever will be, will be. Flies, smells messes; one or another of them is going to creep up once in a while,
\nno matter how sanitary a person tries to be\u2014and no matter how many times that how-to book says it
\nshouldn\u2019t happen.
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\nMy own rock terrace cum composters have been developing for several years now. Constructing the
\nboulders into terraces, filling them with garbage, planting them several seasons later, and building stone
\nstairways to connect them all have since turned into the most labor-intensive tasks of my life. Reiterating the
\ngoals of Joe Hollis\u2019 paradise garden, terrace building offers me the reintegration of my leisure activities. It is
\nthe ongoing source of my physical well-being\u2014my jogging, elliptical trainer, and aerobics. It is the largest art
\nproject ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) I will ever confront, a labor of love and spirit that now writhes across the knoll like a series of waves. I
\ncould never have imagined the extent of these terraces in advance. They were completed on at a time. And
\nonly when the current terrace is finished do I start imagining the placement and depth of the next one. They
\nare all constructed to the shape of the land, out of the land, and filled to the brim with yet more of the same
\nland.
\nNotice that this description has made no mention of the plants that ended up in the various terraces.
\nThis points out an important distinction between gardening and landscaping. If gardening is the experience of
\ngrowing plants, then landscaping is the experience of growing gardens. Gardeners keep their eyes to the
\nground and the greenery. Landscapers develop a peripheral vision, always scanning the larger environment
\ncalled home. In many ways, the two terms, gardening and landscaping, are not much more than two different
\nviewpoints of the same relationship to place. In this book I sometimes use the two terms synonymously.
\nIn my confusion of suddenly facing so many new unplanted gardening beds, the how-to garden spoke
\nto me of the virtues of setting seed in one season, then herbaceous perennials grow year after year if sited in
\nan auspicious location. They put down roots both literally and figuratively. It was during the fall of my third
\ngardening season that I started accumulating perennials. As perennials tend to do, the newly planted peonies,
\noriental poppies, lychnis, and polemonium soon taught me the important lesson of appreciating leaf texture
\nand plant shape as easy equals to the lavishness of their flowers. Over time, I find myself personally favoring
\nflowers on the blue end of the spectrum and round, mounding plants over tall or short ones. Captivated by
\nthose two criteria, I convinced myself that the round ball of a crater-lake veronica, with its bluest of blue
\nflowers, must be the epitome of flowering perennials. But when that pregnant mound of greenery grew so
\nlarge that it finally collapsed outward under its own weight, I concluded that its new bird\u2019s-nest shape looked
\ninelegant and sloppy or even wrong. I fought the sprawl by artfully employing green twine to lasso the
\ncollapsed bundle into a mound again. Success was a twine skeleton that could hardly be seen at all.
\nTwo years later, while immersed in the now-established task of stringing up the veronica to fit my
\nagenda, I suddenly recognized that the plant\u2019s yearly collapse closely reflected the process that individual
\nflowers undergo when they open their petals from the center outward. Here was a plant busily engaged in its
\nown normal growth cycle, and I wanted to incarcerate it inside a green string prison for committing the crime
\nof aesthetic disobedience. I stopped tying ad soon started observing the veronica\u2019s outward sprawl as an
\nopportunistic strategy evolved for dropping seeds over a far greater plot of ground than a tight mound would
\never permit.
\nAs one might guess, this was also the year I developed an appreciation for the sprawling, falling,
\nground-hugging torus shape. This kindergartener finally listened to the solicitations of a humble veronica and
\nwas soon taught to observe the self-seeding of perennials as nature\u2019s way of cultivating groups of plants
\nrather than individual specimens. This newfound sensitivity to the growth dynamics of a crater-lake blue
\nveronica had surely affected my gardening aesthetic. It also gave me my first tantalizing peek at the Mayan
\ncompass, which set me on a long faltering journey leading to an ever-increasing relinquishment of control over
\nmy garden.
\nThe how-to garden soon pointed me towards unusual perennials, downright Dr. Seuss-looking
\nperennials, so that soon I was choosing such relative rarities as rosey incarvilleas, twirling euphorbias, and
\nspiny everlasting eryngiums over the much more common salvias and rudbeckias. I became transfixed by
\nformerly unheeded gardening events, perhaps exemplified by the remarkable way the Alchemilla mollis
\nfocuses a dewdrop right at the center of its thick, perfectly round, blue-green leaves.
\nPerennials teach gardeners to look beyond the climax of flower blooming and to appreciate, with
\nequanimity, every aspect of a flowering plant\u2019s growing cycle. In my case, I started to pay closer attention to
\nthe moment a perennial first breaks soil, noticing, for instance, that a large grouping of columbines are up and
\nspurting toward the sky long before the platycodons show anything at all. When the platycodons make their
\nanticipated appearance at soil level they look a lot like a colony of tiny asparagus. A week after that event, I
\nfinally notice that one of the plants I formerly identified as a columbine is actually a thalictrum with
\ncolumbine-shaped leaves. As another week comes and goes, the columbine remains close to soil level and has
\nstarted to plump up its stems. Meanwhile, the individual stems and leaves of the thalictrum have started to
\nlook much more delicate than any columbine. Within another week the thalictrum has grown a foot taller
\nthan either the columbines or the platycodons.
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\nSo it goes throughout the seasons. This recognition of attributes beyond just flower was a sure sign
\nthat I had ascended onto another gardening level.
\nThe classical approach to landscape gardening insists we learn our own personal gardening aesthetic
\nafter first immersing ourselves in the best of the traditional styles. It is an approach borrowed from traditional
\nart education. Students first study the theories and techniques utilized by masters like Cezanne and
\nRembrandt and Picasso before they ever allow themselves to experiment on their own. We draw a better
\npicture and, by inference, plant a better garden after we learn the technique and tolls of the masters.
\nCertainly, it\u2019s all useful, all helpful. Ad I followed this model, I would have adopted on faith specific
\nplantings utilized by, for instance landscape architect Russell Page and probably would have learned to
\nappreciate conifers a good ten years before I actually did so. Today those conifers would be ten years fuller
\nand more mature than the trees I finally got around to planting last spring. On the other hand, ten years ago I
\nhad not yet discovered the local resource of buried boulders and so had not yet begun building terraces. With
\na front ear of bedrock, I did not yet possess deep enough beds to plant those hypothetical conifers. Ten years
\nago I would have viewed those conifers as \u201celement\u201d in my own version of a four-tree garden. And alas, it
\nseems quite certain that they would be long gone by now, scarified on the altar of their own exuberant
\ngrowth.
\nIt is said that the difference between successful people and those who just get by is that successful
\npeople tend to fail more often. One important lesson that the classical approach sometimes forgets to
\nmention is that the vast majority of the so-called masters were renegades or outright failures in their own
\ntime. They were revolutionaries who believed that relying on too many old-fashioned rules stifles creativity.
\nAs that statement pertains to music, I once knew a local subculture of five year olds who loved to play music.
\nThey continued loving to play music until they started taking violin lessons at six and had their creativity
\nsuffocated in favor of a rote recitation of the classical technique. None of them picked up and instrument
\nagain until they turned thirteen and had recovered from their former torture enough to pick out their own
\nfavorite tunes to play on a piano and guitar.
\nAs the premise relates to gardening, the Japanese garden style, as one example, developed over
\nseveral hundred years. Its basic principles were constantly being refined and expanded upon by inspired
\nalthough rebellious gardeners who continually rejected and refurbished the established rules of the time. In
\nother words, straying from anyone\u2019s idea of the traditional path does not imply either weakness of tradition or
\nlack of talent. It is the tradition and leads to the continued evolution of artistic expression. It is therefore best
\nto regard the old revered traditions no as laws set in stone, but as free tips by long dead masters.
\nMuch of what passes for gardening aesthetics (including my own developing style) is actually a
\nfashion statement masquerading as objectivity. Orthodox call about height, color, texture, and the like have
\nmore to do with correctness than truth. They mirror any issue of Vogue magazine where the models are
\nsupposed to represent the perfect woman, though in fact only a certain stratum of the female population
\ncovets that hollow-cheeked, gaunt look.
\nReflecting the Vogue vision of female perfection, some gardening styles have likewise become
\ninstitutionalized. There is a good reason for this: style offers guidance to people unable, for whatever reason,
\nto work things out for themselves. It is, in many ways, the horticultural equivalent of those picture books
\nwhere children connect the dots and so draw a clever picture. Watching my own children connect the dots
\nwith great concentration, I cannot say that the pastime has either helped or hindered their ability to draw on
\ntheir own. Likewise, following preconceived notions of style provides an easy roadmap leading to a
\nrudimentary sense of place. It neither helps nor hinders the development of a knockout garden.
\nIf any particular style persists for a long enough period of time, we start referring to it as a classic.
\nHaving stood the test of time, the classics are internally integrative, always historically pertinent, and
\noccasionally beautiful. The redwood deck, for instance, has emerged as a classic gardening element in the
\nUnited States.
\nGet enough of these classic gardens started in one locale and a tradition emerges: the French
\ntradition, the English landscape tradition, the Italian tradition, and so on If the various classical traditions often
\nreflect a sense of the place they originated (although not necessarily anywhere else), they likewise reflect a
\nstrong sense of the lifestyle and fashion tastes of the landed aristocracy of that particular place. The
\ntraditional French garden, for example, follows a set of conventions dictating geometrically sheared hedges
\nenclosing great beds of monochromatic flowers. It is a landscape invented for the precise purpose of being
\nviewed from above, from great terraces and bedroom patios, and granting much the same overall effect of a
\ngiant Persian rug covering the floor of one\u2019s grand landscaped estate. The French garden thus necessitates a
\nlarge manor for viewing, a large staff for maintenance, and inevitably, a bottomless financial capability to pay
\nfor that high maintenance and control.
\n59 | P a g e
\nThe English landskip tradition is the direct ancestor of the modern American garden. It is perhaps
\nbest exemplified by the work of one Lancelot Brown, better known to history as Capability brown. Brown
\nmeticulously constructed naturalistic appearing pastoral landscapes (landskips) that presumed to emulate
\nArcadia, the bucolic Greek paradise garden where centaurs and fauns were said to reside. Brown\u2019s
\nconstructed view of paradise can be seen in Walt Disney\u2019s Fantasia, which includes a segment with Arcadia as
\nthe visual accompaniment to Beethoven\u2019s Pastoral Symphony.
\nThe man\u2019s work seems a paradox. This \u201ccapability\u201d of his caused Brown to sacrifice great parcels of
\nthe natural ecosystem of England\u2014as well as many of the formal gardens constructed during the English
\nRenaissance\u2014in the cause of creating a naturalistic artifact meant to resemble an idealized Greek image of
\nparadise. Brown leveled entire villages to the ground just to keep the view around the manor open and
\nnaturalistic. But he is also responsible for tree planting on a vast scale. His staff planted one hundred
\nthousand trees on the estate of Lord Donegall alone.
\nThe English landskip tradition has exerted an enormous effect upon twentieth century Western
\nculture, perhaps best reflected in that exemplar of the modern garden: the clipped lawn. In many respects,
\nthe idea of a vast stretch of lawn was splendidly matched to the English countryside and the aristocratic
\nlifestyle from which it originated. The upkeep of the baronial lawn was overseen by a large workforce of
\ngardeners whose fastidious maintenance of acres upon acres of grass was attained entirely by driven
\nmachines. It has even been argued that the landskip tradition was socially beneficial because it proved to be
\nsuch a bountiful employer of the otherwise disenfranchised servant class. This high-maintenance task was
\nutterly dependent upon the abundant rainfall, deep soils, and clement temperature variations of the English
\ncountryside.
\nThe idea of emulating the garden tradition of one specific culture and place doesn\u2019t always translate
\nwell into other cultures and other places. While the lawn was once the highly refined gardening tradition of a
\nfew hundred wealthy scions of Empire on the grand scale, it is now the garden clich\u00e9 of tens of millions of
\nhomeowners on a much-reduced scale. Over the past hundred years, the lawn has democratized and
\nhumbled itself and finally emerged as the quintessential icon of suburban America. Yet it rarely receives
\neither the traditional high-maintenance hand care or the climactic blessings that did so well to mediate an
\nequilibrium between British culture and the British ecosystem.
\nIf the physical necessities of that original balance have essentially vanished in places like Tucson,
\nMinneapolis, and Orlando, what is retained from the original is its insidious cultural base: the definition of a
\ngarden as a place to be controlled. Where place is unfriendly, culture turns more assertive. In places like
\nSpokane, Palm Springs, Houston, and Montreal, achieving the ideal of a beautiful lawn often develops into a
\nmatter of poisoning the ecosystem.
\nOur lawn-tending ways have led to an ecological crisis of some magnitude. The highnitrogen
\nfertilizer needed to keep any lawn green also pollutes any body of water located downstream. Fifty
\nbillion acres of American lawn at an annual maintenance cost of thirty billion dollars(2) demands vast footacres
\nor irrigation, which places unendurable stress upon already diminished water supplies across North
\nAmerica. The amount of herbicides utilized to keep the creeping incursion of weeds at bay far outweighs the
\namounts used even by commercial farming. Because herbicides harm many other organisms in their path\u2014
\nwhether they be out-of-sight fish swimming downstream, or pets and children who happen to play on the
\ntypical lawn\u2019s well-poisoned surfaces\u2014the choice of planting a lawn today shares something essential with
\nother ecological irresponsibilities such as refusing to recycle, buying gas-hogging cars, driving off-road vehicles
\nto tour the desert, et cetera, ad infinitum. In every case, a once socially acceptable action continues to be
\nfostered in an increasingly overpopulated world and without any consideration of its cumulative detriment.
\nThere are, of course, other ways to cover up dirt in a suburban front yard without recruiting artificial
\nfertilizers, excessive watering, and herbicidal poison. Discover ground covers. Or cordon off a little parcel of
\nthe front yard and plant low-maintenance grasses, which don\u2019t demand artificial stimulation. We might also
\nstart to regard the lawn the same way many semivegetarians now regard meat: as a condiment rather than as
\nthe main course. Surround a much-reduced lawn with flowerbeds and shrubs. In the process, reinvent yet
\nanother English landscaping style known as the garden room.
\nAlthough my how-to garden has as yet resisted the temptation of the lawn, it has borrowed several
\nconventions from the Japanese gardening tradition. The Japanese developed their elegant style within a
\ntemperate and wet climate bestowed with natural stylistic elements (e.g., moss, river-polished rocks, water,
\nand dense evergreens) interpenetrating with vistas of natural features (e.g., mountains and sky). These
\nattributes closely reflect my own environment. The rules that embody the Japanese style demand a close
\nadherence to shape, shadow, light reflection, and greenery. Those gardens that mirror the rules most strictly
\nare often very subdued. Like the English landskip tradition, they are \u201cnaturalistic\u201d devices that skillfully hide
\n60 | P a g e
\nthe controlling hand of the gardener. They are planted primarily as a source of serenity. And when done well,
\nthey often achieve their purpose.
\nRegard the concept of shakkei, (3) which translates literally as \u201cborrowed landscape.\u201d An already
\nexistent view of a mountain, a pond, perhaps a temple, or a waterfall, is incorporated into the general garden
\ndesign by carefully framing it with trees. In a few exceptional cases, every single tree, herbaceous plant, and
\nmanmade addition to the garden is placed not so much to hold one\u2019s attention through its own individualistic
\nbeauty but rather to lead the eye naturally to the view beyond. Pruning the trees to frame the vista has
\ntransformed into a high art form. No saw cuts are ever seen by a visitor\u2019s casual glance at the trunk.
\nShakkei and the English lawn are both landscape devices, although the former is a perceptual device,
\nwhile the latter is physical. Shakkei exists independent of place. The Japanese physical prerequisites of stone,
\nwater, and climate need not necessarily be adopted. What is pivotal, instead, is the view itself and the subtle
\nway we go about framing it. The lawn, by contrast, is a physical entity that demands green grass wherever it
\ngrows.
\nIn my own attempt to adapt shakkei, I have never fretted very much if the trees are planted in such a
\nway as to make some prototypical Mr. Toyota break out in deep contented grunts. I also find that when the
\nconcept of shakkei is adopted successfully the result is so exceedingly subtle that most observers rarely
\nperceive that the plantings were made specifically to blend and focus any particular view. Shakkei also serves
\nas its own garden compass. The eye is led to a specific viewpoint and the feet soon follow down that path.
\nThe garden and the view interpenetrate to accent a sense of place.
\nThe how-to garden spoke strongly to me during the winter of my fifth season on the land. The
\ngarden was in hibernation, and quite honestly, there was little to enjoy besides the boulders, the wild Oregon
\ngrape that frequents so much of the Pacific Northwest, the fir trees, and an exceedingly mossy hillside. Of
\nthose things I had planted myself, the bare but evocative Japanese maple proved to be the one notable
\nexception. By now it had spread more outward than up, and a few of the mahogany-colored branches were
\nsnaking around one another like braided rope dispensing a wonderful shape and tint to the otherwise drab
\nwinter garden.
\nOne day in early December my family visited the Seattle Zoo, where I found myself more mesmerized
\nby the bunches of luminous lavender berries crowding the branches of a Callicarpa bush than by any of the
\nsadly aloof caged animals. These berries were as brilliant as any flower, and yet four inches of snow lay on the
\nground. It caused me to embark on a study of the relative merits of shrubs and small trees, and to conclude
\nthat shrubs are obviously an expression of commitment and longevity in the garden. Flowers come and go,
\nbut shrubs and trees are permanent. Book after book on the subject reinvoked the basic concept that shrubs
\nand small conifers are best thought of as the bones of a garden. It is an apt metaphor. Evidently my garden
\nwas telling me that it lacked bones.
\nThe resultant acquisition of several shrubs and trees presented a practical solution to a perennial
\ngarden that was consuming entirely too much time and precious water. Any gardener with an unlimited
\nappetite for increased garden area must eventually realize that all those enormously fanciful gardens
\nphotographed in so many coffee table gardening books are predominantly the playthings of the wealthy or the
\noutright obsessive. My actual garden area encompassed nearly an acre. Being neither wealthy nor obsessive,
\nany serious consideration about further expansion hinged upon what I have named the three garden
\nconstraints of time, money, and environment.
\nFirst, time. My career is not farming, gardening, or landscaping. The labor commitment to my
\ngardening avocation was now displaying signs of strain. If I wished to expand yet again, then every other part
\nof the entire garden had to become commensurately more self-sufficient. My choice of plants altered
\ndrastically toward the self-sufficient, the long-term, and away from the needy. I sought out plants capable of
\ntaking care of themselves without extra pampering from me.
\nI became a fledgling botanist noticing that bearded irises and peonies thrive in conditions far drier
\nthan we gardeners usually allot them\u2014a function of their Spanish and Central Asian heritage. I stopped
\nwatering them altogether. I noticed those places where sun and trees created shadows during the long hot
\ndays of August and planted accordingly. A frost pocket got a different planting. A west-facing rocky outcrop
\nthat baked during the summer got something else.
\nI commenced a garden worthy of winter by acquiring two Callicarpa bushes. Another choice was a
\nVibernum Burkwoodii, a shrub possessing the dual virtues of shiny evergreen leaves of great merit and clusters
\nof exceedingly fragrant white flowers produced profusely very early in spring. Continuing my love for blue
\nflowers, I bought several evergreen ceanothus, a xeriscaping species capable of thriving on no water at all
\nthrough the thirsty days of late summer.
\n61 | P a g e
\nThe second constraint is money. The purchase of new plants and gardening hardware costs plenty. I
\ndiscovered that a $1.98 packet of buddleia seeds proved no more difficult to germinate than radishes, and I
\nsoon had more six-inch pots filled with one foot-tall buddleias than I could ever use myself. They proved
\nwonderful presents for gardening friends, some of whom had never heard of the plant. Buddleias have the
\nadded advantage of attaining up to ten feet in height and flowering late during their first season. They put out
\nlong racemes of sweetly fragrant flowers during August when not much else is blooming. They attract
\nbutterflies better than anything else this side of a bergamot. Certain cultivars seem to possess an ability to
\nattract ants, which don\u2019t seem to damage the shrub. I soon planted several in places far away from the house
\nwhere I could appreciate the endemic ant mounds. I like to think that the buddleias keep the ants happy, in
\neffect communicating a contractual agreement, a coexistence ideogram analogous to my chicken-wire fence
\nideogram. Likewise, the buddleias teach me the difficult lesson of how to coexist with ants. The source of all
\nthis robust growth, fragrance, color, butterfly feast, and ant retreat starts life as a seed no larger than a
\nparticle of dust.
\nThe third constraint is environment. Whatever I choose to plant, I could not permit myself to further
\nstrain the limited natural resources, especially a limited water supply. Gardening thus becomes a matter of
\nwhat we manifest when we have the time, the money, and the natural resources. From then on, the three
\nconstraints dictated my growing style every bit as much as my love for blue flowers.
\nAnother year passed. Ornamental fruit trees were the next season\u2019s great discovery. Because
\nornamentals feed the eye and not the stomach, the nonutilitarian \u201cidea\u201d of them seemed disdainful or my
\ndeeply ingrained obeisance to the great American work ethic. In the process of discovering them, I also
\nrecognized that apple pie is the yardstick by which we measure traditional American values because apple
\ntrees themselves are such halcyon edproducers. But one day, mostly in response to a ridiculously low price, I
\nresponded to a local nursery offering Prunus (Japanese cherries) and Malus (crab apple) species. They now
\nflourish along the rim of my pond like a line of prima ballerinas whose outstanding virtues include striking red
\nbud color followed by profuse pink flower production, interesting bark texture, and an unusual reddish-green
\nleaf color in summer and fall. The waxy yellow crab apples that hang from the bare limbs of the Brandywine
\ncrab apple have long since become one of the high-lights of my winter garden. Crab apples also meet the
\ndemands of the third constraint. They never need extra watering no matter how hot and dry the summer
\ngets.
\nInexpensive ornamentals unveil a hidden bonus of the second constraint, finances. Because shrubs
\nand trees cost so much, what better reason to study up on all those mysterious crafts utilized by the nursery
\ntrade? In fact, learning how to propagate all manner of plants through layering and grafting need not be any
\nmore difficult to master than learning to tile a bathroom or setting up a computer database.
\nTwo years ago I received the wonderful gift of a beautiful and relatively expensive mock orange
\ncultivar. I immediately scraped a bit of bark off the soil side of six branch nodules and dropped those branches
\n(still attached to the mother plant) under the dirt with a rock on top to keep them down. Twelve weeks later I
\nhad rooted six additional mock oranges. I cut the branches just above the roots and a year later had
\nsucceeded at naturalizing mock oranges all over this land. No doubt due to the origination of its wild ancestor
\nin central Oregon, all those naturalized plants now seem much happier in their untended, unamended dirt
\nthan the original did in its rich bed of topsoil with weekly watering. Like buddleias, mock oranges are now
\namong the most appreciated gifts I give to others.
\nOr another easy gift: start lilacs by planting the seed heads gathered from an existing plant. Like
\nbuddleias, lilac seeds are no more difficult to germinate than radishes. However, quite unlike radishes, the
\nplants may take seven or eight years to grow large enough to reach flowering size. Then again, any such
\nintimation of the tortoise timetable always proves to be an important gift on its own behalf. The slow passage
\nof time counted from the yearly growth of shrubs and trees pays homage to the fact that the giver knows the
\nrecipient is home.
\nI cannot leave this quirky education from my garden without mentioning the conifers\u2014the cone
\nbearers\u2014a class of tree that has taken me nearly eight years to learn \u201chow to\u201d admire. The reason for that
\ninsensitivity relates directly to place. My knoll is surrounded by a thick second-growth forest composed
\npredominantly of conifers. Planting conifers directly into the knoll\u2019s terraced beds seemed too much like
\ncarrying coals to Newcastle.
\nThe change in my attitude came in a flash. I was at a nursery, being shown the location of a shrub,
\nwhen the proprietor stopped to admire the beauty of a Boulevard cypress just then in the process of opening
\nnew needles. This is a slow growing columnar-shaped conifer of the Chamaecyparis genus that may
\neventually grow to fifteen feet high and six feet wide. Its bark is a deep red-brown, which provides a striking
\ncontrast to the thick, silvery-blue needles that seem to corkscrew like a Shirley Temple hairdo. \u201cI\u2019ve never
\n62 | P a g e
\nappreciated conifers,\u201d I remarked to the salesman. He looked me over as if I had just announced that I\u2019ve
\nnever appreciated love or beauty, and commented, \u201cI look at conifers as the fur and feather bearers of the
\nplant world. Very sensual stuff.\u201d
\nA customer soon pulled the salesman away, leaving me to wander the aisles on my own. I ended up
\nin the conifer section. Rubbing my palm against the soft bristles of an arborvitae, the feathery plumage of an
\nincense cedar, the hedgehog prickliness of a blue spruce, and the downy softness of an Austrian pine, I was
\nsuddenly transformed into a true believer.
\nI purchased two tine Boulevard cypresses, two Elwood cypresses, two blue-green Irish junipers, a
\nyellow-ochre-colored Rheingold arborvitae, a spidery-branched golden conifer known as a thujopsis, and the
\nfateful sequoia that soon got planted into a one-tree garden. The next two are more rounded and squat and
\nseem lit up from inside when spied from a distance. The sequoia is of course, an ambassador to future
\ngenerations.
\nAs both my garden and I enter middle age, the established beds seem ever more capable of taking
\ncare of themselves. I have tried many different gardening fashions, committed several monumental planting
\nblunders, and felt compelled to try more categories of plants than either this limited history or the soil is able
\nto nurture. I now find myself looking away from the actual plants and toward the landscape as a unity,
\nalthough I am also convinced that this project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)ed sense of unity is as much a matter of self-deception\u2014smoke
\nand mirrors\u2014as it is the result of sophisticated planting technique. For example, every place my bedrock knoll
\ndrops off toward forest or pond offers a natural cascade of rock outcroppings, moss, lichen, sedum, and
\nwildflowers. A rock gardener in the Japanese style might spend an entire lifetime trying to emulate what
\nthose cliffs gather to themselves naturally. But whereas I once considered the cliffs to be \u201cwild,\u201d meaning
\noutside my gardening domain, a slight shift in perception now lets me regard them as exemplars of the wellintegrated
\ngarden. Yet I have planted nothing on those cliffs besides a few scattered hen-and-chickens. Any
\nmore tampering would simply cause one or another of the three constraints (time, money, or resources) to
\nrear its ugly head.
\nThis sensibility for wild areas is an example of the Findhorn (4) notion of always leaving one area in a
\ngarden as a natural sanctuary. Consider it safe ground, sacred ground, and an homage to the biota that
\npreceded the garden. Garden ecologist Forest Shomer asserts that the sanctuary \u201crepresents the mystery or
\nunconscious from which non-mental possibilities can emerge and is the resting place of the nature spirits and
\nelementals who don\u2019t often take up residence in the control areas of the garden.\u201d(5)
\nThis perception of a wild area harmonizing with the cultivated garden now seems the next direction
\nto explore. It also implies its opposite\u2014that the cultivated garden is capable of being perceived as an
\nintegrated extension of the wild environment. In such a manner, the garden offers a heightened perception of
\nnature in microcosm.
\n63 | P a g e
\nReading & Writing Project for The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
\nParts One through Four: Read each section assigned below\u2014and, as you do so, take note of
\nthree passages that you feel are especially interesting (a minimum of several sentences each)
\nand then, after you have finished reading, do a free write about your thoughts for why they are
\nsignificant. Please note that a free write is simply the process of writing whatever comes to your
\nmind. Your writing should not follow any formal format (no introduction, thesis, conclusion,
\netc.). Simply write whatever comes to your mind. Please do pay attention to your sentence
\nstructure and make sure that you proofread.
\nEach assignment should be a minimum of one to two full pages of double-spaced writing.
\nUpload these to Canvas. Check Canvas for Due Dates. Completed \/ Incomplete
\nPart One \uf0e0 Introduction: The Human Bumblebee & Chapter One \u2013 Check Canvas for Due Date
\nPart Two \uf0e0 Desire: Beauty \/ Plant: The Tulip \u2013 Check Canvas for Due Date
\nPart Three \uf0e0 Desire: Intoxication \/ Plant: Marijuana \u2013 Check Canvas for Due Date
\nPart Four \uf0e0 Desire: Control \/ Plant: The Potato \u2013 Check Canvas for Due Date
\nPart Five: Now that you have finished reading the book, do a free write in which you explain
\nhow the book has changed your view about our relationship with nature and the desires some
\nof its plants can fulfill. Make sure that you address each of the desires and Pollan\u2019s overall thesis
\nthat there is an unconscious relationship between certain plants and the desires that they fulfill.
\nEven if you feel it has not changed anything, explain a minimum of several things that made you
\nthink differently about your relationship with nature. (Hint: you may use some of the writing
\nfrom part one to compete this). This should be a minimum of three full pages, double spaced. It
\ncan most certainly be longer. Upload to Canvas. Worth 25pts.
\nPlease Note: in order to be eligible to write and upload
\npart five you must complete parts one through four. No
\nExceptions.
\nCheck Canvas for Due Dates
\n64 | P a g e
\nEnglish 1A – Group Presentation Due: See Canvas 25 points
\nBackground: In his book, The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan suggests that our selective tastes for certain plants can
\nbe best understood in terms of our co-evolution with those plants. In other words, humans, for various reasons, have
\nfavored certain plants and through cross breeding and careful cultivation have virtually assured that plant a long life
\non the evolutionary ladder. According to Pollan, we manipulate the tulip because we are obsessed with beauty and
\nform, the apple because we crave the relief and pleasure of sweetness, marijuana because we seek, at different times,
\nthe opportunity to both dull and heighten our senses, and, finally, the potato because it is in our nature to control by
\nplaying the role of creator. As perfect as Pollan\u2019s examples may be, it is difficult, as one reads this book, not to
\nconsider other plants that could just as easily fit into his categories of sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control.
\n\u2022 Sweetness: What about the strawberry? Not only is the strawberry sweet, but it also often represents a
\ndesire for the erotic, which, for many of us, is a desire that can be never satiated. Dip a strawberry into
\nchocolate (another candidate for this project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)) and you have a combination of the erotic and a temporary
\nband-aid for the despair of loneliness. Possibilities: strawberries, sugar cane, cocoa bean (but must be
\nmixed with sugar), and cherries.
\n\u2022 Beauty: As popular as the tulip is, what about the rose? The rose fills our senses with its intoxicating swirls
\nof beauty, its rich smell (extended into perfumes and lotions and oils), velvety touch, rich colors, and syrupy
\ntaste (rose tea). Possibilities: roses, orchids, dahlias, cacti.
\n\u2022 Intoxication: Man has cultivated the grape for wine and hops for beer as far back as Egyptian times\u2014 and,
\nwhile wine and beer may be legal, and, therefore, less taboo than marijuana, wine and beer have been
\ninextricably tied to many cultures for thousands and thousands of years. Possibilities: grapes (for wine),
\npoppies (opium), coffee plant (caffeine), coca plant (cocaine), tobacco (nicotine).
\n\u2022 Control: Both wheat and rice are agricultural staples that many companies have sought to create new
\ngenetic strains for, some even produce seeds that cannot reproduce new crops, so the grower has to buy
\nmore seed from the seed manufacturer (and not get it from \u201cMother Earth\u201d for free). Possibilities: wheat,
\nrice, corn, soy.
\nThe Task: For your group presentation, using Pollan\u2019s book as a model, choose a plant that you, as a group, feel
\nhumankind has cultivated to fulfill one of Pollan\u2019s categories. Your presentation will need to consider (a) why we
\nfavor this plant and (b) what its biology, cultural history, and cultural identity in our present-day society reveals about
\nour connections to it. Your overall presentation must reflect how this plant fulfills our desire for beauty, sweetness,
\nintoxication or control. If it does not, your presentation will not be successful.
\nDue for the Class Meeting of Your Presentation: Summary and Annotated Bibliography
\nActual Presentation: 20-25-minute group presentation (do not exceed the time limit). 15 points
\nAnnotated Bibliography: a properly formatted, formal Annotated Bibliography with correctly formatted MLA
\ncitations and summaries. 10pts
\nPlease provide a typed handout for me that includes each group member\u2019s name and what he or she contributed.
\n\uf0e0 The Process: In order to complete all this work in a timely and organized fashion, you will need to communicate as
\na group (some in-class time will be provided). How you choose to disseminate the work and what you choose to
\npresent is entirely up to you. Because some students tend to be difficult to motivate, you need to let me know who
\nthese people are so that I can speak with them about the importance of the project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) if they are not contributing. Each
\nmember will be graded individually so that those who do not do the work will not jeopardize the grades of those who
\ndo complete the work.
\n\uf0e0 The Research: For this presentation to be successful, you will need to research the plant\u2019s biological and cultural
\nhistory and its commercial uses. In other words, find out as much about the plant as you can. Each member of the
\ngroup is responsible for a minimum of three unique sources. So, for example, if there are five members in the group,
\nthe group is responsible for a total of 15 unique sources.
\n\uf0e0 Important Notes
\n(1) You must be present to give the presentation
\n(2) Each member of the group will be graded individually.
\n(3) You must turn in (a) the summary (see above) and (b) the properly MLA formatted Annotated Bibliography (4) Your
\npresentation cannot go over the 25-minute time limit.
\n65 | P a g e
\nIntroduction to Sentence Combining – Sentence Patterns
\nSentence Pattern One = Subject (S) + Intransitive Verb (IV) + [adverbial \u201cstuff\u201d]
\nIntransitive Verb = actions verbs that do not have a direct object
\nS IV prepositional phrase prep phrase prep phrase
\nEmerson writes \uf0e0 [about his deep connection] [with God] ][through solitude and nature].
\nSentence Pattern Two
\n(a) Subject + Linking Verb (LV) + Noun Complement (NC)
\n(b) Subject + Linking Verb (LV) + Adjective Complement (AC)
\nLinking Verb = Non-action verbs that link the subject to either a noun or an adjective
\nS LV NC
\na. Emerson was a transcendentalist.
\nS LV AC prep phrase prep phrase prep phrase
\nb. Emerson is well-known [for his thoughts] [about the many connections] [between reason and faith].
\nSentence Pattern Three = Subject + Transitive Verb (TV) + Direct Object (DO)
\nTransitive Verb = action verbs that have a direct object
\nS prep phrase prep phrase TV DO
\nEmerson, [in the solitude] [of his nature walks], experiences a poetic moment.
\nSentence Pattern Four = Subject + Transitive Verb (TV) + Indirect Object (IO) + Direct Object (DO)
\nprep phrase S TV IO DO prep phrase prep phrase prep
\nphrase
\n[In that moment], he shows his readers his \u201cperfect exhilaration\u201d (7) [for the beauty] [of twilight] [on a
\nwinter night].
\nSentence Pattern Five = Subject + Transitive Verb (TV) + Direct Object (DO) + Objective Complement
\n(OC)
\nThe objective complement can either be a noun (which renames the direct object) or an adjective (which modifies the direct
\nobject)
\nprep phrase S TV D0 #1 DO #2 OC (adjective)
\n(a) [After a first reading], many readers find Emerson and his writings confusing.
\n(to be)
\nS TV DO OC (noun) prep phrase
\n(b) Many modern nature writers consider Emerson a deep influence.
\nto be
\nHere are five sentences: See if you can find the sentence patterns. Underline the words that form the
\nsentence pattern.
\nS IV prep phrase prep phrase prep phrase
\nThe bird flew [over the house] [in the quiet neighborhood] [near the sea]. Sentence Pattern One
\n1. The author throughout his essay offers his readers a myriad of metaphors and similes.
\n2. The main protagonist, for the first part of the novel, is a young woman in her first year of high school.
\n3. However, the other researchers found the results suspicious.
\n4. The young scientist from UC Berkeley argued about the scope of the tests.
\n5. The author provided a number of examples as proof for the inefficiency of the tests.
\n66 | P a g e
\nSentence Pattern Variations
\nPassive Voice: the passive voice, though most writers do not realize it, is a variation of patterns three,
\nfour and five. In general, you form it by (1) taking the direct object of the sentence and placing it in the
\nsubject slot, (2) placing the subject in a prepositional phrase that begins with \u201cby,\u201d and (3) changing the
\nverb to a past participle with a \u201cto be verb\u201d (is, was, are, am, were). Writers always have the option to
\nremove that prepositional phrase if they wish (and many writers, consciously or unconsciously, choose
\nto do so). Pattern four is a little different [see below]. Keep in mind that most passive constructions
\ntend to be a variation on pattern three (because we only use patterns four and five in certain
\nconditions).
\npassive verb construction (PVC)
\nPattern Three Passive Variation: S + TV + DO \uf0e0 DO + (\u201cTo Be Verb\u201d & Past Participle) + S in \u201cBy\u201d Prep
\nPhrase
\nActive Voice: Emerson, in the solitude of his nature walks, experiences a poetic moment.
\nPassive Voice: A poetic moment is experienced by Emerson in the solitude of his nature walks. (\u201cby\u201d
\nprep phrase can be deleted)
\nPattern Four Passive Variation: S + TV + IO + DO \uf0e0 (a) DO + PVC + IO in \u201cto\u201d prep phrase + S in \u201cBy\u201d
\nPrep Phrase OR
\n(b) IO + PVC + DO + S in \u201cBy\u201d Prep Phrase
\nActive Voice: Emerson shows his readers his \u201cperfect exhilaration\u201d (7) for the beauty of twilight.
\nPassive Voice (Version a): His \u201cperfect exhilaration\u201d (7) is shown to his readers by Emerson.
\nPassive Voice (Version b): His readers are shown his \u201cperfect exhilaration\u201d (7) for the beauty of twilight
\nby Emerson.
\nPattern Five Passive Variation: S + TV + DO + OC \uf0e0 DO + PVC + OC + S in \u201cBy\u201d Prep Phrase
\nActive Voice: Many modern nature writers consider Emerson a deep influence.
\nPassive Voice: Emerson is considered a deep influence by many modern nature writers.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————
\n——–
\nDelayed Subject
\nWe often use the following sentence structure when we speak or write:
\nThere is a lot of discussion by many writers about the influence of Emerson\u2019s writings on modern
\nenvironmentalism.
\nThis is a particularly interesting structure. For one, it sounds very conversational in writing (which you
\nwant to do sparingly if ever at all). Second, this structure delays the \u201creal\u201d subject of the sentence or
\nburies it somewhere else in the sentence. Third, \u201cthere\u201d is an empty word to use in the \u201csubject\u201d slot.
\nThere is states that \u201csomething\u201d exists. Keep in mind that patterns one through five are much more
\nfocused than this (and, in fact, pattern three would be a better choice to cast this sentence).
\nS TV DO prep phrase prep
\nphrase
\nOver the years, many writers have discussed the influence [of Emerson\u2019s writings] [on modern
\nenvironmentalism].
\nConvert these \u201cactive voice\u201d sentences to the \u201cpassive voice.\u201d
\nThe writer presented his arguments carefully.
\nThe writer offered his readers a different view of the argument about the need for a change.
\nConvert these \u201cpassive voice\u201d sentences to the \u201cactive voice.\u201d
\nThe students were given a new perspective on the purpose of their education by their teacher.
\nProhibition was repealed in 1933.
\n67 | P a g e
\nClauses and Phrases
\nClauses: a clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb
\n(1) Independent Clause = a group of words that contains a subject and a verb that can stand alone
\nEvery single sentence must contain at least one independent clause. You can combine independent clauses by
\nusing \u201cjoining\u201d words:
\nCoordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS):
\nMany readers find Emerson and his writings confusing, but many writers consider him a deep influence.
\nTransition Words (Conjunctive Adverbs and Transitional Phrases)
\nMany readers find Emerson and his writings confusing; however, many writers consider him a deep
\ninfluence.
\n(2) Dependent Clause = a group of words that contains a subject and a verb that cannot stand alone (must be added to
\na independent clause)
\nEvery independent clause can be converted into a dependent clause
\n(a) add a subordinating conjunction to form a subordinate clause \uf0e0
\nWhile + many readers find Emerson and his writings confusing, [many writers consider him a deep influence].
\n(b) convert a noun (most often the subject) to a relative pronoun to form an adjective clause
\nEmerson \uf0e0 who, in the solitude of his nature walks, experiences a poetic moment.
\nEmerson, who, in the solitude of his nature walks, experiences a poetic moment, was a well-known
\ntranscendentalist.
\n(c) add a relative pronoun to an independent clause and use it as a noun in the sentence to form a noun clause
\nThat + Emerson is experiencing a poetic moment
\nThat Emerson is experiencing a poetic moment [is essential to understanding the \u201ctransparent eyeball\u201d
\npassage].
\n68 | P a g e
\nPhrases: a phrase is a group of words that is missing a subject, a verb, or both
\nTo form a phrase from a clause, you can remove the subject, the verb, or both.
\n(a) remove the subject to form a verb phrase (cannot be done with a pattern two sentence)
\nEmerson writes about his deep connection with God through solitude and nature
\n(b) Remove a verb or transform an action verb into a verbal to form an absolute phrase
\nEmerson writes writing about his deep connection with God through solitude and nature
\n(c) Drop the subject and convert an action verb into a verbal to form a verbal phrase
\nEmerson writes writing about his deep connection with God through solitude and nature
\n(d) In pattern two sentences that have a noun complement, drop the subject and the \u201cto be\u201d verb to form a
\nnoun
\nphrase appositive
\nEmerson was a transcendentalist who often wrote about a mystical-like connection with nature.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\n—–
\n(e) prepositional phrases are groups of words that have no subject or verb and modify either nouns or verbs
\nEmerson writes [about his deep connection] [with God] ][through solitude and nature].
\nmodifies verb \u201cwrites\u201d both of these prep phrases modify the noun \u201cconnection\u201d
\n(f) There are a variety of verbal phrases (which have no subject or verb and function in various ways).
\nTaking a quiet hike in nature provides an excellent way to release much of the stress in our daily lives.
\nDedicated to a variety of causes, the non-profit company seeks to change the ways we take responsibility
\nfor
\nour planet.
\nUnderline the independent clauses and place parentheses around the dependent clause and brackets
\naround the phrases.
\nWilliam, [after finishing several years [of college]], moved [to the coast] [of Oregon], (where he found a
\nlow-paying job [as a cranberry harvester]); however, he enjoyed every single day [of his job] and never
\nregretted his choice.
\nAfter considering a variety of options, the doctor, who was well-known in the community for his
\ngenerosity, finally decided to retire before he felt too exhausted from the many years of patients and
\nproblems.
\nThe young senator, a fundamentalist from the state of Virginia, voted against the bill for equal rights
\nbecause he did not understand the need for equal pay since, in his opinion, women belonged in the
\nkitchen and not in the workplace.
\n69 | P a g e
\nSentence Focus
\nWhich of these two options sounds clearer to you?
\nOption One
\nThere is a negative false reputation that wolves suffer, and a misunderstanding of the wolf amongst
\nmany people. Contrary to the popular belief that many people in the world believe, the main reality
\nof this situation is that humans are rarely if ever even attacked. In reality, nature is served by the
\ntracking down and eliminating of the weak and sick animals of other species. Although a robbery of
\nsome prized chickens of a farmer will occasionally be committed, the tendency of the wolf is usually
\nto stay far from man, prowling the prairies and forests for his prey. Subsistence of these animals, in
\nfact, is usually based on a diet of mice. While the general belief is that the silence of the night is
\nfractured by the wolf\u2019s piercing cries, there is blame falling on the wolf that actually is derived by his
\ncousin, the coyote.
\nOption Two
\nThe wolf, who often suffers a negative and false reputation, is misunderstood by many people.
\nContrary to popular belief, they rarely attack humans; in fact, they serve nature by tracking down
\nand eliminating the weak and sick animals of other species. Although they will occasionally rob
\nfarmers of prized chickens, wolves usually tend to stay far away from humans, prowling the prairies
\nand forests for their prey. In fact, they primarily subsist on a diet of mice. While many also believe
\nthe wolf fractures the silence of the night with its piercing cries, the wolf\u2019s cousin, the coyote,
\ndeserves the blame.
\n————————————————————————————————————————————
\nSentence focus is not about grammatical error or making mistakes in your writing. Instead,
\nSentence Focus \u201cfocuses\u201d on the choices you make when you craft your clauses. Remember, a
\nclause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb\u2014and, by extension, Sentence Focus is
\nabout choosing the best possible subject and verb for your clauses.
\nHere are the Seven Areas of Sentence Focus to Consider:
\n(1) Make what You are Writing About the Subject of Your Sentence
\n(2) Choose concrete subjects, avoid empty abstract subjects
\n(3) Don\u2019t Rely on \/ Over Use the Passive Voice
\n(4) Don\u2019t Rely on \/ Over Use the \u201cThere are\u201d \/ \u201cIt is\u201d Constructions
\n(5) Favor Active Verbs \/ Don\u2019t over rely on \u201cto be verb\u201d
\n(6) Prune Out Unnecessary Clutter
\n(7) Don\u2019t Bury the Subject of What You are writing about in an Introductory Phrase
\nNote: Do not worry about these issues when you are writing your essay. Think about them when
\nyou go back and proofread.
\nAll the sentences below state the same basic observation. Underline the one you think sounds the
\nmost focused.
\n\u2022 Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude in his book Walden.
\n\u2022 The idea of a connection to nature and solitude is what Thoreau explains in his book Walden.
\n\u2022 His connection to nature and solitude is what Thoreau explains in his book Walden.
\n\u2022 His connections to nature are explained in his book Walden.
\n\u2022 There are connections to nature and solitude that Thoreau explains in his book Walden.
\n\u2022 It is in his book Walden that Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude.
\n\u2022 Thoreau\u2019s explanation about his connection to nature and solitude is in his book Walden.
\n\u2022 The fact that he connects to nature and solitude is the main idea of what Thoreau writes about
\nin the book he wrote called Walden.
\n\u2022 In Thoreau\u2019s book called Walden, his connection to nature and solitude is explained.
\n\u2022 In Thoreau\u2019s book Walden, there are explanations that he gives about his connection to nature
\nand solitude.
\nS TV DO prepositional phrases
\nThe most focused of these is: Thoreau explains his connection [to nature and solitude} [in his book
\nWalden].
\n70 | P a g e
\nExamples of the Seven Areas of Sentence Focus to Consider \u2013 And How to Make Them More Focused
\n(1) Make what You are Writing About the Subject of Your Sentence
\nUnfocused: The idea of a connection to nature and solitude is what Thoreau explains in his book
\nWalden.
\nUnfocused: His connection to nature and solitude is what Thoreau explains in his book Walden.
\nFocused: Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude in his book Walden.
\n(2) Choose concrete subjects, avoid empty abstract subjects
\nUnfocused: One of the main things that Thoreau explains in his book Walden is his connection to
\nnature and solitude.
\nFocused: Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude in his book Walden.
\n(3) Don\u2019t Rely on \/ Over Use the Passive Voice
\nUnfocused: His connections to nature are explained in his book Walden. the \u201cby Thoreau\u201d prepositional
\nphrase has been deleted
\nFocused: Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude in his book Walden.
\n(4) Don\u2019t Rely on \/ Over Use the \u201cThere are\u201d \/ \u201cIt is\u201d Constructions
\nUnfocused: There are connections to nature and solitude that Thoreau explains in his book Walden.
\nUnfocused: It is in his book Walden that Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude.
\nFocused: Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude in his book Walden.
\n(5) Favor Active Verbs \/ Don\u2019t over rely on \u201cto be verb\u201d
\nUnfocused: Thoreau\u2019s explanation about his connection to nature and solitude is in his book
\nWalden.
\nFocused: Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude in his book Walden.
\n(6) Prune Out Unnecessary Clutter
\nUnfocused: The fact that he connects to nature and solitude is the main idea of what Thoreau writes
\nabout in the book he wrote called Walden.
\nFocused: Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude in his book Walden.
\n(7) Don\u2019t Bury the Subject of What You are writing about in an Introductory Phrase
\nUnfocused: In Thoreau\u2019s book called Walden, his connection to nature and solitude is explained [by
\nThoreau].
\nUnfocused: In Thoreau\u2019s book Walden, there are explanations that he gives about his connection to
\nnature and solitude.
\nFocused: Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude in his book Walden.
\nThink about the choices you make when you want to discuss a series of connected \u201cthings\u201d:
\nNot Focused: One of the main things that Thoreau explains in his book Walden is his connection to
\nnature and solitude. Another thing he explains in the book is his appreciation for the value of selfreliance.
\nTwo more things that he thinks are important are spiritual discovery and independence.
\nIn his book Walden, Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude.
\nSecond, he explains his appreciation for the value of self-reliance. OR He also explains his
\nappreciation for the value of self-reliance
\nThird, He explores the importance of spiritual discovery. OR Additionally, he explores the
\nimportance of spiritual discovery.
\nIn his book Walden, Thoreau explains his connection to nature and solitude as well as his
\nappreciation of the value of self-reliance and the importance of spiritual discovery.
\nFirst and foremost, Thoreau, in his book Walden, explains his connection to nature and solitude, but
\nhe also explores his appreciation for the value of self-reliance and the importance of spiritual
\ndiscovery.
\n71 | P a g e
\nExercise Sheet – Clauses, Phrases and Sentence Focus
\nPart One: Underline the independent clauses, place brackets around the dependent clauses, and place parentheses
\naround the phrases. Write an S above all the subjects and a V above all the verbs.
\nS V
\n1. (In the hopes of expressing her vision,) the gardener shapes the design ‘of her garden (according to her
\naesthetic wishes.)
\n2. The gardener removes weeds, prunes branches, and deadheads old flowers because she wants to preserve her
\ndesign.
\n3. Michael Pollan finally chooses to build a fence because he wants to build a \u201cmiddle ground between nature and
\nculture\u201d (7).
\n4. Gardening is back breaking work.
\n5. Garden styles have been developed by many cultures over the years.
\n6. The idea of seeing, really seeing, is pondered by Annie Dillard in her book The Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.
\n7. If you feel the garden must be protected at all costs, there is reason to understand why you might want to kill
\nit, but regret will be experienced when you see its dead, furry face.
\n8. Garden styles have been developed by many cultures over the years.
\n9. The question of what makes a garden is pondered by many who decide to begin such an endeavor.
\n10. The worry that Adam and Eve might eat from the Tree of Life is the cause for why God throws them out of the
\nGarden of Eden.
\nPart Two: Figure out what you think the sentence focus issue(s) is\/are and then focus\/fix the following clauses.
\n1. Garden styles have been developed by many cultures over the years.
\nFocus Issue- Don’t Overuse Passive \/\/ Focused sentence – Many cultures have developed garden styles over the years
\n2. Gardening is back breaking work.
\n3. The idea of seeing, really seeing, is pondered by Annie Dillard in her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.
\n4. If you feel the garden must be protected at all costs, there is reason to understand why you might want to
\nkill it, but regret will be experienced when you see its dead, furry face.
\n5. The question of what makes a garden is pondered by many who decide to begin such an endeavor.
\n6. The worry that Adam and Eve might eat from the Tree of Life is the cause for why God throws them out of
\nthe Garden of Eden.
\n7. We garden for many reasons, but one of the many reasons why we garden is because we are hoping that
\nthe forces of nature will be controlled by our desire to craft them into our unique vision.
\n8. A second reason why we toil so hard in the garden is because the yield of beautiful flowers brings us great
\nsatisfaction.
\n9. At the Home Depot Garden Center, there are many different varieties of flowers to choose from.
\n10. The idea behind why we might choose to create a Zen Garden is that the curves of nature are expressed in
\nthe shapes made in the sand
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\nSentence Combining Review \u2013 Part One
\nCoordinating Conjunctions, Conjunctive Adverbs & Transitional Phrases, Subordinating Conjunctions
\nand Run Together Sentences
\nCoordination is the linking of two syntactically equal units, such as independent clauses. We
\ncoordinate independent clauses by using either (a) coordinating conjunctions or (b) conjunctive
\nadverbs and transitional phrases\/expressions. When we use these individual words or short
\nphrases to combine independent clauses, we create an equal logical relationship between the
\ninformation\/ideas in the clauses that we are combining (and the exact relationship is determined
\nby the word we choose).
\nA. Coordinating conjunctions join independent clauses and create a logical relationship between the ideas in those clauses.
\nMany students, in order to memorize them, also know them as FANBOYS.
\nFor (cause and result): I planted the seeds in even rows, for I wanted a very linear garden design.
\nAnd (addition): I watered the plants, and my father pruned the bushes.
\nNor (addition of negative statements): I did not bother to water the plants, nor did I bother to weed the garden.
\nBut (opposition\/contrast): I considered planting a Zen garden, but I really wanted a garden filled with colorful flowers.
\nOr (alternatives): One can plant the flowers in organized rows, or one can freely disseminate seeds in random patterns.
\nYet (opposition\/contrast): Roses produce gorgeous, odiferous flowers, yet they also easily succumb to fungal diseases.
\nSo (cause\/result): Raul wanted to attract hummingbirds and butterflies into his garden, so he planted a row of salvia.
\nPunctuation
\nNote that in each of the previous sentences, I placed a comma after the first independent clause, followed by the
\ncoordinating conjunction and then the second independent clause. The rule is: when you combine two independent
\nclauses with a coordinating conjunction, you need to use a comma (which you place after the first independent clause and
\nbefore the coordinating conjunction).
\nIC 1 + comma + coord. Conj. + IC 2
\nRaul wanted to attract hummingbirds and butterflies into his garden, so he planted a row of delphiniums.
\nException to the rule: when the two clauses are fairly short, some writers choose to omit the comma:
\nMary planted her roses and Bill fertilized them.
\nABOY: It is also worth noting that four of these conjunctions\u2014 and, but, or, yet\u2014 are also used to join any like grammatical
\nunit (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, phrases, clauses). Keeping this in mind, let\u2019s take a closer look at a few of the
\nsentences from above:
\n(a) I considered planting a Zen garden, but I really wanted a garden filled with colorful flowers.
\n(b)One can arrange the flowers in organized rows, or one can freely plant seeds in random patterns.
\n(c) Roses produce gorgeous, odiferous flowers, yet they also succumb to fungal diseases like botrytis.
\nFor each one of these sentences, the independent clauses share the same subject and can be reduced. Keep in mind that\u2014
\nsince you are no longer combining independent clauses when you drop the subject in the second clause\u2014 you no longer
\nuse the comma (you\u2019re actually combining verb phrases\u2014which I have underlined in the examples below).
\n(a) I considered planting a Zen garden but really wanted a garden filled with colorful flowers.
\n(b)One can arrange the flowers in organized rows or freely plant seeds in random patterns.
\n(c) Roses produce gorgeous, odiferous flowers yet also succumb to fungal diseases like botrytis.
\n73 | P a g e
\nB. Conjunctive adverbs and Transitional Phrases also join independent clauses and provide a logical relationship between
\nthe ideas in each independent clause, but they do not have the grammatical power to join independent clauses (so we use
\na semi colon whenever we use them to combine independent clauses). Conjunctive adverbs and transitional phrases
\nfunction in the same exact fashion. The only significant difference between these two is that conjunctive adverbs are single
\nwords (however, therefore, etc) and transitional phrases are made up of two or more words (in other words, on the other
\nhand). They also function as transition words, providing more than just a logical connection between clauses. They help
\nto move your ideas forward from one sentence to the next. Here is a list of some of the more common ones as well as the
\nrelationships that they provide:
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\nFurthermore, also, moreover, in addition= and
\nHistorians trace the first gardens back to ancient Babylonian times; moreover, we follow their same attention to symmetry
\ntoday.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\nHowever,*nevertheless,*nonetheless, still, at the same time= but
\nFree form gardens are planted by randomly disseminating seeds; however, even that randomness takes a bit of planning.
\n* Please note that nonetheless and nevertheless are each one word\u2014and not none the less or never the less.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\n*Therefore, consequently, hence, thus, as a result= so
\nGardens require many hours of back breaking work; consequently, many give up on their gardens soon after they plant
\nthem.
\n*If you are going to use therefore, you need to make sure that whatever conclusion you draw from the first clause, can be
\nsupported by the second clause. For example:
\nGardens provide many rewards; therefore, everyone should be required to have one.
\nIn this example, the first independent clause does not support the second. Even if you provided much more information
\nabout what those rewards are, you can\u2019t really justify the conclusion that everyone should be required to have one.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\nInstead = in place of
\nMany Americans do not want to take the time to maintain a garden; instead, they plant a lawn, thinking it requires less
\nmaintenance.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\nOn the contrary = in opposition to what has been stated
\nMany Americans plant a lawn, thinking that it requires a lot less work; on the contrary, lawns also take many hours of
\nmaintenance.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\n* On the other hand = another point of view
\nGardens provide much pleasure and satisfaction; on the other hand, many would-be-gardeners quickly lose interest.
\n*Whenever you use on the other hand, you need to make sure that you have previously discussed something that could be
\non the one hand. In other words, these two transitional phrases form a visual of comparing something on the one hand to
\nsomething on the other hand.
\nOn the one hand, gardens can provide much satisfaction and pleasure. On the other hand, many would-be-gardeners lose interest
\nsoon after they realize how much work it actually requires.
\nYou don\u2019t always have to provide a clause with on the one hand, but you need to make sure that you, at the very least,
\nprovide a clause that could be placed on the one hand. However, if you do provide a clause that places something on the
\none hand, you need to make sure that you provide something that can be placed on the other hand. Finally, make sure
\nthat you don\u2019t accidentally write\u2014 on the hand\u2014 which will imply that whatever you are discussing is located on your
\nhand.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\nMeanwhile, at the same time = happening simultaneously
\nChemical pesticides are a fairly effective tool for controlling pests; at the same time, they pose a variety of health risks.
\n74 | P a g e
\nFor example, for instance = in illustration
\nMany gardens showcase the amazing variety of a particular flower; for example, many gardeners choose to cultivate
\nvarious roses.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\nIn fact, as a matter of fact = certainly, without a doubt, actually
\nAmericans spend million of dollars on plants that die soon after they purchase them; as a matter of fact, one might argue
\nthat the gardening industry is as much about death as it is about life.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\nAfter all = everything else having been considered, ultimately
\nMany Americans let their lawns fall into disrepair; after all, who really wants to mow a lawn once a week?
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\nSimilarly = in a like manner
\nRoses are often rich in color, texture and odor; similarly, orchids offer a wide variety of colorful hues, shapes and smells.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\n*In other words = clarification and restatement
\nGardens are, in a sense, a futile effort to control nature; in other words, any attempt to shape a garden only lasts as long as
\nyou are willing to put in the work to maintain that shape.
\n*In other words is particularly useful for offering an illustration about a quotation.
\nExample: Michael Pollan writes that gardening is \u201ca middle ground between culture and nature\u201d; in other words, gardening finds it
\nroots, its meaning, in both how we perceive nature and how we have learned, culturally, to shape it (53).
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
\nThen, next, subsequently, finally = following that
\nMany Americans don\u2019t want to put in the necessary work to maintain a garden; subsequently, the garden soon loses its
\nshape.
\nSome other common conjunctive adverbs and transitional phrases (there are many more in addition to these): First,
\nsecond, third, unquestionably, accordingly, namely, still, anyway, besides, incidentally, next, thereafter, certainly, indeed,
\nnow, likewise, otherwise, undoubtedly, balanced against, although this may be true, for the same reason, in any case, once
\nin a while, in spite of, in this case, in another case, on this occasion, in this situation, take the case of, to demonstrate, to
\nillustrate, as an illustration, to illustrate, without a doubt
\nPunctuation
\nConjunctive adverbs and transitional phrases do not have the grammatical power to combine sentences, so you need to use
\na semi colon whenever you use them to join two independent clauses together. If you look at the examples above, you will
\nnotice that we place the semi colon after the first independent clause, then the conjunctive adverb or transitional phrase,
\nand then a comma after the conjunctive adverb or transitional phrase (and then the second independent clause follows):
\nIC 1 + semi colon + ca\/tp + comma + IC 2
\nFree form gardens are planted by randomly disseminating seeds; however, even that randomness takes a bit of planning.
\nWe also need to take note of the fact that you can move conjunctive adverbs and transitional phrases around in the clause.
\nIf you do this, and you are still combining the clauses, then you must keep the semi colon in place and surround the
\nconjunctive adverb or transitional phrase with commas (or if you place it at end of the clause, use a comma and then a
\nperiod to end the sentence).
\nFree form gardens are planted by randomly disseminating seeds; even that randomness, however, takes a bit of planning.
\nFree form gardens are planted by randomly disseminating seeds; even that randomness takes a bit of planning, however.
\nYou also, of course, have the option of choosing two separate independent clauses:
\nFree form gardens are planted by randomly disseminating seeds. However, even that randomness takes a bit of planning
\nFree form gardens are planted by randomly disseminating seeds. Even that randomness, however, takes a bit of planning.
\nFree form gardens are planted by randomly disseminating seeds. Even that randomness takes a bit of planning, however.
\nOne might argue, however, that since the relationship between the ideas in each clause is still present, the stronger choice
\nis to combine them with the semi colon. The choice, of course, is yours.
\n75 | P a g e
\nSubordination is the process we use to combine two clauses of unequal importance. Unlike
\ncoordination, which shows an equal relationship between the ideas in the combined
\nindependent clauses, subordination combines a dependent clause with an independent clause
\nand shows an unequal relationship.
\nSubordinating Conjunctions: When you place a subordinating conjunction in front of an independent clause, that clause (a)
\nbecomes dependent and (b) receives less emphasis than the independent clause that you are combining it with.
\nDC + IC
\nBecause many would-be-gardeners do not want to put in the necessary effort, they let their gardens grow wild.
\nNote that this sentence begins with a dependent clause\u2014 because many would-be-gardeners do not want to put in the
\nnecessary effort\u2014 and is followed by an independent clause\u2014 they let their gardens grow wild. You form the dependent
\nclause by placing the subordinating conjunction because in front of the independent clause many would-be-gardeners do
\nnot want to put in the necessary effort. Here are some common subordinating conjunctions and the relationship they offer
\nyou as a writer (at best, this is a short list):
\nAlthough, though, even though = concession
\nEven though gardening requires a lot of time and effort, many gardeners feel that it is more than worth all the hard work.
\nWhereas, while = contrast\/opposition
\nWhile many gardeners plant showy displays of color, many others choose, instead, to grow vegetables and fruit to eat.
\nWhen, as = time (at the same time)
\nWhen May finally arrives, bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and paperweights begin to emerge from the ground.
\nAfter, before = time (not at the same time)
\nBefore you plant flowers in a garden filled with rocky, clay soil, you must amend it with nutrients.
\nWhenever = time (every time)
\nWhenever you plant flowers, you must first break up the root ball.
\nIf, provided, as long as = conditional
\nMany Americans will only plant a garden if they can afford to pay someone to take care of it.
\nEven if = in spite of the fact that
\nMany Americans will let their gardens die even if they spent hundreds of dollars on it.
\nBecause, since = cause and effect
\nMany Americans pave over the backyard because they do not want to bother trying to maintain a garden or a lawn.
\nUntil = time (up to the time of)
\nUntil you prune those rose bushes, they will remain gangly and unattractive.
\nUnless = exception
\nMost camellias, rhododendrons, and azaleas will not thrive unless you choose an acidic soil.
\nSo that = in order to
\nMany Americans plant a lawn in their front yard so that their children can have a place to play.
\nMore Subordinating Conjunctions (look up their meanings in the dictionary before you use them): as long as, as much as,
\nas soon as, if only, if when, if then, inasmuch, in order that, just as, lest, now, now since, now that, now when, once,
\nprovided that, rather than, supposing, than, where if, wherever, whether
\n76 | P a g e
\nPunctuation
\nWhether you use a comma to separate the independent clause and the dependent clause depends on which of the clauses
\ncomes first. If you begin your sentence with the dependent clause (or subordinate clause as they are often called), then
\nyou must use a comma after the dependent clause and before the independent clause. If the dependent clause comes
\nafter the independent clause, then you do not use a comma:
\nSub. Conj. + DC + comma + IC
\nWhile many gardeners plant showy displays of color, many others choose, instead, to grow vegetables and fruit to eat.
\nIC + DC
\nMost camellias, rhododendrons, and azaleas will not thrive unless you choose an acidic soil.
\nConcession
\nAll subordinators deemphasize the clauses they are connected to, but the following subordinators\u2014although, even
\nthough, though (and to a lesser extent: while, and whereas) \u2014 show not only contrast between the clauses they join but
\nalso concession. When someone concedes a point, they recognize that it has value, a fact that makes concessive
\nsubordinators particularly useful for argumentative writing because they make it possible for one to both deemphasize the
\nimportance of an opposing view and recognize that it has merit. When writing argumentatively, it is important to avoid
\nappearing one sided; in other words, recognizing the value of an opposing viewpoint provides depth to your argument
\nbecause it shows that you, as a writer, are aware of the complexity of the issue and have taken the time to consider the
\nopposition. At the same time, concessive subordinators make it possible to deemphasize that value in favor of the
\nstrengths of your viewpoint.
\nAlthough gardening can take an incredible amount of time and effort, its rewards of satisfaction are often worth all the
\nstruggles.
\nEven though using biological methods such as ladybugs are not as effective and swift as chemical options, the far safer,
\nless risky, use of biological pest controls is much safer for both you and the environment.
\nWe can switch the emphasis by placing the concessive subordinators in front of the other clause:
\nAlthough its rewards of satisfaction are often worth all the struggles, gardening can take an incredible amount of time,
\neffort and struggle.
\nEven though the far safer, less risky, use of biological pest controls is much safer for both you and the environment, using
\nbiological methods such as ladybugs are not as effective and swift as chemical options.
\nWhat You Should Take Away from this Lesson
\n\u2022 Use coordination (coordinating conjunctions (aka FANBOYS), conjunctive adverbs and transitional phrases) to combine
\nindependent clauses by showing an equal logical relationship between the ideas in the clauses you are combining.
\n\u2022 When using the FANBOYS, use a comma between the two independent clauses (IC + , + CC + IC.).
\n\u2022 When using the FANBOYS, if you drop the subject of the second independent clause then drop the comma.
\n\u2022 You can use and, but, or, yet to join together any like grammatical structures.
\n\u2022 When using a conjunctive adverb or transitional phrase, use a semi colon between the two clauses (IC + ; + CA\/TP + , + IC).
\n\u2022 You can move the IC \/ TP within the sentence. Keep the semi colon in place if you are combining the two clauses.
\n\u2022 When you use a subordinating conjunction to combine two independent clauses, two things happen to the clause you
\nplace the subordinator in front of: (a) the clause becomes dependent (b) the clause receives less emphasis. As a result,
\nyou create an unequal logical relationship between the ideas in the clauses you are combining.
\n\u2022 If the subordinate clause (SC) appears first, then use a comma (SC + , + IC.).
\n\u2022 If the subordinate clause appears second, do not use a comma (IC + SC).
\n\u2022 Concession provides an opportunity for you to recognize the value of a point of view \/ argument while deemphasizing it;
\nthus giving you the opportunity to emphasize the other idea in the independent clause.
\nRemember: Stop relying on a limited amount of subordinators and coordinators (most writers seem to only use and, but,
\nor, yet, so, because, since, even though, although, though, however and therefore). There are many other words to use
\nfrom\u2014 many of which offer very unique and valuable logical relationships that will push your writing forward.
\n77 | P a g e
\nSentence Combining Exercise
\nCombine the following sentences using coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions and conjunctive
\nadverbs\/transitional phrases (feel free to remove unnecessary words wherever necessary). Look for more than
\none way to combine them.
\n1. You\u2019ve been working hard in the garden all day. Why don\u2019t you sit down? I\u2019ll bring you a nice cold drink.
\n2. You need to mow the lawn. You need to prune the shrubs. You need to water the flower beds. The garden
\nwill surely die.
\n3. Many people garden. They are looking for the satisfaction that comes from getting their fingernails dirty. Few
\nfirst-time gardeners recognize how much work is actually involved.
\n4. John may have purchased all the plants. He hired a gardener to plant them. He hired a gardener to take care
\nof them.
\n5. Everything that Jerry grows yields beautiful, fragrant flowers and abundant fruit. Everything I plant dies
\nseveral days later. Jerry obviously has a green thumb. I think I have a brown thumb.
\n6. The flowers started to die. John hired a gardener. The garden has flourished ever since.
\n7. I planted several rows of vegetables in my garden. I read about the health benefits of growing your own food
\nin Mick Jagger\u2019s book, You Can\u2019t Always Get What You Plant (But Sometimes You Plant What You Need). I now
\nonly eat homegrown vegetables. I feel healthier than I have for years.
\n8. Many gardeners suggest that you rotate the kinds of vegetables you grow each season. You are less likely to
\ninvite unwanted insects that feed on your food.
\n9. Gardens cost lots of money. They require lots of time. They are very rewarding. They offer you the chance to
\ncreate your own little slice of nature.
\n10. The price of store bought vegetables keeps increasing. Many Americans have started their own organic
\ngardens. Not everyone has the space. Many Americans are taking advantage of community gardens.
\n78 | P a g e
\nRun Together Sentences
\nRun Together Sentences (RTS): Many of us think that a run on sentence merely indicates that we are rambling. For
\nexample:
\nI want to buy some ice cream, but I have no money, yet I am really craving it, for I love the sweet taste, so I
\nhope I can borrow some money from my girlfriend because she has lots of money and owes me many favors
\ndue to the fact that I helped her get her job, yet she often tells me I eat too much ice cream, so I hope she
\ndoesn\u2019t deny my request; however, I know that I can make her feel guilty because she is so easy to
\nmanipulate, but, just in case you think so, I do actually, really love her, so I don\u2019t really want to make her feel
\nbad, and, in the end, all I really want is some ice cream.
\nWhile this sentence jumps from thought to thought and sounds like babble, the sentence is grammatically correct
\n(though it is also an example of very poor writing). When we speak of run on sentences\u2014 or what I want you to
\ncall run together sentences (RTS)\u2014 we are talking about joining two or more independent clauses without using a
\nsemi colon or a word that combines them; in other words, when you combine two independent clauses as if they
\nwere one sentence, you have made a grammatical error:
\nExample 1: I decided not to visit the Sutro Baths for my essay I thought it would make more sense to go to the park.
\nExample 2: I decided not to visit the Sutro Baths for my essay, I thought it would make more sense to go to the park.
\nIn the first example, the writer combined two independent clauses without using any punctuation (a fused
\nsentence). In the second example, the writer used a comma to combine the two independent clauses (a comma
\nsplice). Both of these are incorrect. To fix them, you need to do one of the following (a) create two separate
\nsentences, (b) join the independent clauses with a semi colon, or (c) find a legal joining word to combine the
\nindependent clauses:
\n(a) I decided not to visit the Sutro Baths for my essay. I thought it would make more sense to go to the park
\n(b) I decided not to visit the Sutro Baths for my essay; I thought it would make more sense to go to the park
\n(c) I decided not to visit the Sutro Baths for my essay because I thought it would make more sense to go to the park
\nOption C is the best choice because whenever you use a word to combine clauses, you establish a clear logical
\nrelationship between the ideas\/thoughts in those two clauses. Option A is a reasonable choice, but if you use too
\nmany short sentences in a row then your writing will likely sound choppy. Option C is the weakest choice because
\nyou are not utilizing the advantages of finding a word that builds a relationship between the clauses.
\nWe have already reviewed coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, and
\ntransitional phrases\u2014 all strong choices for finding the best word to establish a relationship between the ideas and
\nthoughts between independent clauses\u2014 so if you are still struggling to find words to combine clauses, then refer
\nto the handout (available on the class website). That said\u2014 I would like to remind you that when you use a
\nconjunctive adverb or a transitional phrase to combine two independent clauses, you must use a semi colon or you
\nend up with a comma splice:
\nIncorrect: Stow Lake, no matter how much you may try to forget, sits in an urban park in the middle of a major
\ncity, however, one still feels a connection to the wild when they encounter the many hawks, blue herons, and
\nturtles that live or pass through there.
\nCorrect: Stow Lake, no matter how much you may try to forget, sits in an urban park in the middle of a major city;
\nhowever, one still feels a connection to the wild when they encounter the many hawks, blue herons, and turtles
\nthat live or pass through there.
\n79 | P a g e
\nPractice Sheet: Run Together Sentences (RTS)
\nDirections: First find all the RTS and then rewrite the independent clauses in the space below the paragraph so that
\nyou have a new paragraph filled with sentences that no longer run together. Second, using correct punctuation
\ncoordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, and conjunctive adverbs \/ transitional phrases, combine those
\nindependent clauses so that you have a paragraph that flows much more smoothly.
\nGardening can be a very rewarding activity, it offers a multitude of benefits that range from the
\nphysical to the psychological and spiritual. These benefits, however, are not always singular, for
\nexample, many of the physical benefits that come from working in the garden lead to
\npsychological benefits such as stress release. Further, releasing stress can lead to spiritual gains
\nsuch as mindfulness and peace of mind. Gardening also allows one to connect with the soil and
\nthe sun, the gardener has a chance to express his or her creativity as well, all these lead to a
\ndeeper connection with nature. After a long week at work, many are exhausted and frazzled
\nthey want a chance to let go of their responsibilities and unwind and relax. Pulling weeds,
\ndeadheading flowers, and pruning branches can be very meditative and relaxing, selecting
\nflowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies and setting up bird feeders offers one the
\nopportunity to sit and observe nature. All in all, gardening offers many rewards all one has to do
\nis find some soil and start planting.
\n80 | P a g e
\nSentence Combining Review \u2013 Part Two:
\nAdding Detail to Sentences \u2013 Adjective Clauses (ACs)
\nWhen we wish to make our sentences more detailed, we often turn to modifiers to supply more information, the
\nmost common typically being the adjective:
\nThe beautiful and ornate landscape of the Japanese Tea Garden attracts many visitors each year.
\nBoth beautiful and ornate tell us more about the landscape of \u201cthe Japanese Tea Garden.\u201d While these adjectives
\ncertainly offer us a more descriptive image of the garden, but how else might we add more detail about the
\nJapanese Tea Garden? The adjective clause offers you a potentially more vivid and descriptive structure than
\nsimply using an adjective or two. Very simply, an adjective clause is a group of words that contains a subject and
\na verb that is used to modify a noun, a modification that often supplies more detail and information about that
\nnoun:
\nThe beautiful and ornate landscape of the Japanese Tea Garden [, which attracts many visitors each year, ] sits
\nin Golden Gate Park.
\nGrammatically speaking, adjective clauses are formed from independent clauses (IC). For example, looking at the
\nexample above, we see that the adjective clause can be removed and converted back to an independent clause:
\nIC 1: The beautiful and ornate landscape of the Japanese Tea Garden sits in Golden Gate Park.
\nIC 2: The garden attracts many visitors each year.
\nTaking this into consideration, we see that both independent clauses above share the same noun: the Japanese
\nTea Garden. The adjective clause is formed by replacing the garden with the relative pronoun which and then
\nplacing the clause next to the noun being modified (in fact, adjective clauses are also often referred to as relative
\nclauses because we use relative pronouns to introduce the clause). Your choice of which relative pronoun to use
\nwill depend on the noun that you are replacing;
\nForming Adjective Clauses
\nWho: use to replace nouns or pronouns that refer to persons
\n(he, she, they, Michael Pollan, Annie Dillard, the transcendentalists, etc).
\nIC 1: Michael Pollan argues that we are attracted to the apple because it fulfills our desire for sweetness.
\nIC 2: He has written extensively about the food we eat.
\nCombined: Michael Pollan, who has written extensively about the food we eat, argues that we are attracted
\nto the apple because it fulfills our desire for sweetness.
\nIC 1: The transcendentalists argued that we lose touch with nature as we grow out of childhood.
\nIC 2: They believed that the spirit resides in nature.
\nCombined: The transcendentalists, who believed that the spirit resides in nature, argued that we lose touch
\nwith nature as we grow out of childhood.
\nWhom: use to replace nouns and pronouns that refer to persons that are acting as grammatical objects in the sentence
\n(her, him, them).
\nIndependent Clause 1: Many see Emerson as a visionary. (Emerson is the direct object of the sentence)
\nIndependent Clause 2: Emerson believed that God could be best understood through connecting with nature.
\nCombined: Emerson, whom many see as a visionary, believed that God could be best understood through
\nconnecting with nature.
\nNote: the correct use of whom seems to be destined to disappear because many feel that who \u201csounds\u201d correct:
\nEX: Emerson, who many see as a visionary, believed that God could be best understood by connecting with nature.
\nHowever, using whom when it is not grammatically correct, sounds bizarre:
\nEX: Emerson, whom was one of the transcendentalists, wrote about his connection with God through nature.
\n81 | P a g e
\nWhose: use to replace nouns and pronouns that act as a possessive in the sentence
\n(his, hers, theirs, Thoreau\u2019s, environmentalists\u2019)
\nIC 1: Aldo Leopold has influenced much of the environmentalist rhetoric we see today.
\nIC 2: His essay \u201cA Wilderness Ethic\u201d asks us what responsibility we have for preserving the land.
\nCombined: Aldo Leopold, whose essay \u201cA Wilderness Ethic\u201d asks us what responsibility we have for
\npreserving the land, has influenced much of the environmentalist rhetoric we see today.
\nThat: use to replace nouns and pronouns that refer to persons, places, animals, things, etc. (the Romantics, lions,
\nnature, wilderness, place)
\nIndependent Clause 1: Timothy Treadwell lived among bears.
\nIndependent Clause 2: They more or less accepted his presence.
\nCombined: Timothy Treadwell lived among bears that more or less accepted his presence.
\nIC 1: Many Republicans try to discredit any environmentalists.
\nIC 2: The environmentalists argue industry is destroying the air and water.
\nIC 3: We breathe the air.
\nIC 4: We drink the water.
\nCombined: Many Republicans try to discredit any environmentalists who argue that industry is destroying
\nthe air that we breathe and the water that we drink.
\nNote: sometimes the relative pronoun is unnecessary and can be deleted:
\nMany Republicans try to discredit any environmentalists who argue industry is destroying the air that we
\nbreathe and the water that we drink. \uf0df see the rules for reducing adjective clauses (on the next page)
\nNote: Do not use that to modify person\u2019s names.
\nIncorrect: Michael Pollan that has written extensively about the food that we eat argues we are attracted to the
\napple because it fulfills our desire for sweetness.
\nCorrect: Many Republicans try to discredit any environmentalists that argue industry is destroying the air we breathe
\nand the water we drink.
\nWhich: use to replace nouns and pronouns that refer to everything that are not persons
\n(it, those, plants, nature, place, wilderness).
\nIC 1: Nature brings to mind, for many, images of forests, waterfalls, and woodland creatures.
\nIC 2: Many Americans see nature as the opposite of civilization.
\nCombined: Nature, which many Americans see as the opposite of civilization, brings to mind, for many,
\nimages of forests, waterfalls, and woodland creatures.
\nWhen: use to replace nouns and pronouns that refer to time (think of it as representing \u201cthe time-when\u201d)
\n(then, midnight, three o\u2019clock, the Sixties, the nineteenth century).
\nIC 1: In the nineteenth century, Emerson and Thoreau wrote about the spiritual and physical importance of
\nconnecting with it.
\nIC 2: Many American Christians believed nature was little more than a place for resources then.
\nCombined: In the nineteenth century, when many American Christians believed nature was little more
\nthan a place for resources, Emerson and Thoreau wrote about the spiritual and physical importance of
\nconnecting with it.
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\nWhere: use to replace nouns and pronouns that refer to a place as a place (think of it as representing \u201cthe place-where\u201d)
\n(there, nature, place, wilderness, America, the ocean).
\nIC 1: Annie Dillard reminds us that nature is a place.
\nIC 2: Birds and insects unfold in flashes of beauty there whether we notice them or not
\nCombined: Annie Dillard reminds us that nature is a place where birds and insects unfold in flashes of beauty whether we
\nnotice them or not.
\nNote: You could also write this sentence in the following way:
\n(a) Annie Dillard reminds us that nature is a place in which birds and insects unfold in flashes of beauty whether we notice
\nthem or not. (Technically, this is a prepositional phrase with an adjective clause modifying the object of the preposition)
\n(a) Annie Dillard reminds us that nature is a place that birds and insects unfold in flashes of beauty whether we notice
\nthem or not.
\nNote: Just because a noun refers to a place does not necessarily mean that you should or can use where.
\nIncorrect: The Sutro Baths, where were built at the end of the nineteenth century, mysteriously burned down in 1966.
\nCorrect: The Sutro Baths, which were built at the end of the nineteenth century, mysteriously burned down in 1966.
\nThis is because both where and when are, technically, subordinating conjunctions. While you can use them to form an
\nadjective clauses that tells you more about place (where) and time (when), they must be placed in front of an
\nindependent clause; in other words, those particular adjective clauses must have a subject (where and when cannot be
\nthe subject of the clause.
\nThe ruins of the Sutro Baths, where one can see a myriad of sea birds, sits on the western edge of San Francisco.
\nwhere one can see a myriad of sea birds = where + one can see a myriad of sea birds (an independent clause)
\nReducing Adjective Clauses
\nI. Reducing the adjective clause (direct object or object of the preposition)
\nWhen an adjective clause is formed by converting a direct object or object of the preposition, we can reduce the
\nadjective clause by omitting the relative pronoun. Look at the example below:
\nindependent clause adjective clause
\nHe works in the garden that he planted for his wife and children.
\nLet\u2019s break the sentence into two independent clauses by converting the adjective clause to an independent clause.
\nS TV DO
\nHe planted the garden [for his wife and children.] \uf0df Independent Clause that was converted into an adjective clause
\nS TV DO DO S TV
\nHe planted the garden that for his wife and children.
\n\uf0e0 that he planted [for his wife and children.]
\n\uf0e0 that he planted [for his wife and children.]
\nWe can drop the relative pronoun and the sentence will still work.
\nCorrect: He works in the garden that he planted for his wife and children.
\nCorrect: He works in the garden he planted for his wife and children.
\nCorrect: Many people love the gardens that they first played in as children.
\nCorrect: Many people love the gardens they first played in as children.
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\nII. Reducing the adjective clause to a verbal phrase that is acting as an adjective
\nWhen you have an adjective clause that contains a verbal and a to be verb, you can omit the relative pronoun and to be
\nverb. What you are left with is a verbal phrase acting as an adjective.
\nCorporations that are polluting the environment should be given much steeper fines.
\nCorporations polluting the environment should be given much steeper fines.
\nThe Botany of Desire, which was written by Michael Pollan, is about how certain plants fulfill our desires.
\nThe Botany of Desire, written by Michael Pollan, is about how certain plants fulfill our desires.
\nIII. Converting an adjective clause to a noun phrase appositive.
\nWhen your adjective clause is a pattern two dependent clause that has a relative pronoun + linking verb + noun
\ncomplement, you can omit the relative pronoun and the linking verb. What you are left with is a noun phrase
\nappositive.
\nAnnie Dillard, who is a Pulitzer Prize winner for her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, later converted to Catholicism.
\nAnnie Dillard, a Pulitzer Prize winner for her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, later converted to Catholicism.
\nUsing Several Adjective Clauses in a Single Sentence
\nRachel Carson, who wrote such memorable environmental classics as Silent Spring, The Edge of the Sea, and The Sea
\nAround Us, is also remembered as an early environmentalist that was attacked by a number of politicians and many
\nchemical companies for being an alarmist who \u201ccourageously spoke out to remind us we are a vulnerable part\u201d of the same
\necosystem that we are damaging.
\nIC 1: Rachel Carson is also remembered as an early environmentalist.
\nIC 1: She wrote such memorable environmental classics as Silent Spring, The Edge of the Sea, and The Sea Around Us.
\nIC 1: She was attacked by a number of politicians and many chemical companies for being an alarmist.
\nIC 1: She \u201ccourageously spoke out to remind us we are a vulnerable part\u201d of the same ecosystem.
\nIC 1: We are damaging it.
\n84 | P a g e
\nPunctuation
\nWhether you use commas with the adjective clause or not often depends on the context of how the clause is being
\nused. When we consider how a clause or a phrase works as a modifier in a sentence, we often take into consideration
\nwhether that clause or phrase is restrictive or nonrestrictive. There are several different ways to consider this.
\n1. Restrictive Clauses
\nRestrictive clauses provide essential information about the sentence, information so necessary that if the clause were
\nremoved, the sentence would no longer make sense.
\nRachel Carson and Aldo Leopold exposed many problems with the way that Americans understood their
\nresponsibility
\nfor the land, but the ones that recognized the importance of adopting a new perspective on the consequences of
\nour
\nactions were the most important.
\nIf you remove the adjective clauses, you are left with the following sentence, which does not really make any sense:
\nRachel Carson and Aldo Leopold exposed many problems with the way, but the ones were the most important.
\n2. Non-Restrictive Clauses
\nOn the other hand, if the clauses are supplying additional information, but do not affect the overall meaning of the
\nsentence, then they are nonrestrictive:
\nThe deserts of Nevada, which stretch for many miles under the eyes of punishing heat, are filled with life.
\nIf you remove the clause, you are left with a sentence that, even though it is less detailed, makes perfect sense:
\nThe deserts of Nevada are filled with life.
\n3. Commas or No Commas? Restrictive or Non-Restrictive?
\nAs far as how to properly punctuate these clauses, you use commas for nonrestrictive clauses and no commas for
\nrestrictive clauses. However, whether a clause is restrictive or nonrestrictive is not always as obvious as the examples
\nabove; moreover, sometimes the choice to make a clause restrictive or nonrestrictive will depend on how you wish that
\nclause to be understood (and, by extension, the clauses relationship to the noun you are modifying).
\nThe natural areas that are in the National Park system have been set aside for all to enjoy.
\nThe natural areas, which are in the National Park system, have been set aside of all to enjoy.
\nIn the first sentence, the restrictive clause implies that you are identifying the specific natural areas in the National Park
\nsystem that have been set aside for everyone to enjoy– while, in the second sentence, the nonrestrictive clause implies
\nthat you are giving extra background information about the natural areas, which are part of the park system.
\nWhile the choice to use an adjective clause restrictively or non-restrictively is often a choice of focus, you can only use a
\n\u201cthat clause\u201d restrictively. All other adjective clauses can be used either restrictively or non-restrictively depending on
\nthe context of the sentence and however you wish to focus the sentence. However, in general, many writers tend to
\nonly use the \u201cwhich clause\u201d non-restrictively.
\nNOTE: RULE \uf0e0 Adjective clauses that begin with \u201cthat\u201d can only be used restrictively (to identify the noun)
\nWhat to Take Away from This Lesson
\nAdjectives clauses are a very effective way to add detail to your sentences.
\nYou can also use them to combine sentences\uf0e0 especially when you have several sentences in a row that share the
\nsame subject and you are looking for a way to reduce the repetition.
\nUse the appropriate relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, that, when, where)
\nYou can reduce some adjective clauses by omitting the relative pronoun (and sometimes other words).
\nRestrictive adjective clauses identify the nouns they are modifying. Do not use commas.
\nNon-restrictive clauses provide background information about the nouns they are modifying. Use commas.
\n85 | P a g e
\nPractice \u2013 Adjective Clauses
\nI. Directions: Underline the adjective clauses in the passages below.
\n(1) Robert Stone never knew his father, who skipped out of his life when he was a baby, leaving him to cope with a
\nschizophrenic mother and a series of Catholic schools and orphanages where, he says, he “learned to spell, learned
\ngrammar, learned Latin — the only foreign language in which I ever had a literary experience — and got hit a lot.” And
\nthough Stone, at 61, refuses to feel sorry for his abandoned young self (“I had a fine childhood,” he says firmly, deflecting
\nsympathy), the story of his genesis is echoed in all of the big, brilliant novels he has written since, especially in his
\nfascination with the absconding God of Jewish mysticism, the God who abandons his creation, leaving behind both
\ntantalizing bits of himself and all of us, long for what those divine fragments suggest we have lost. (San Francisco Examiner
\nMagazine (May 24, 1998): “Stone Alone”, by Joan Smith. p 7)
\n———————————————————————————————————————-
\nII. Directions: Find the adjective clauses and underline them. Then decide whether they are restrictive or non-restrictive
\n(write this above each clause). Finally make sure they are properly punctuated and fix them if necessary.
\n(1) Many cultures of the past have considered wilderness which we might consider as those places, that we think have been
\nleft untouched by man, as places of desolation.
\n(2) Annie Dillard who wrote Pilgrim at Tinker Creek suggests that we often miss seeing the many \u201cevents,\u201d which often are
\nhappening all around us.
\n(3) In the nineteenth century when many believed that God left man in charge of nature, the civilizations of the Western
\nWorld believed that the resources found in nature would always be plentiful.
\n———————————————————————————————————————-
\nIII. Directions: Using adjective clauses combine these independent clauses into a single sentence:
\nAnnie Dillard wrote Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Annie Dillard won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek chronicles
\nDillard\u2019s thoughts on solitude, writing, religion, and the flora and fauna of Tinker Creek. Tinker Creek is located in the Blue
\nRidge Mountains.
\n86 | P a g e
\nFree Modifiers Part Two \u2013 Noun Phrase Appositives (NPAs)
\nNoun phrase appositives (NPAs) are another handy structure for adding detail to your sentences. We already
\nknow that (a) a phrase is a group of words that is missing a subject, a verb or both and (b) that a noun is a person,
\nplace, thing, concept etc., but we have not yet discussed what an appositive is. Apposition is \u201cthe act of placing
\ntogether or bringing into proximity,\u201d or, in grammar terms, apposition is \u201ca syntactic relation between expressions,
\nusually consecutive, that has the same function and the same relation to other elements in the sentence, the
\nsecond expression identifying or supplementing the first (dictionary.com). In the case of the NPA, a single noun or
\na noun phrase is placed next to a noun or noun phrase, or, more specifically, the noun or noun phrase renames the
\nnoun or noun phrase that it has been placed next to\u2014and, through that process, the NPA clarifies, explains and\/or
\npresents other aspects.
\nThe simplest NPAs are names, titles or common tags:
\n1. Annie Dillard, a writer, is the author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.
\n2. The EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, is supposed to monitor the companies that pollute.
\n3. Even though I already knew that Treadwell was killed by one of the bears that he was trying to protect, I
\ncould not stop watching Grizzly Man, an interesting documentary.
\nWhile these are certainly not the most effective or interesting uses of the NPA, these examples do show how the
\nNPA basically works. Note that in each of the examples a noun or noun phrase renames another noun or noun
\nphrase\u2014and very often an article (a, an, or the). In the first example, writer renames Annie Dillard; in the second
\nexample, Environmental Protection Agency renames EPA, and in the third example, documentary renames Grizzly
\nMan.
\nThe NPA, however, is a much more powerful and effective tool than shown in these examples. If we look at the
\nthird example, we see that the adjective interesting is modifying the noun documentary (which renames Grizzly
\nMan). With this in mind, we can consider other ways to modify a noun and add even more rich detail to our
\nsentences. For example, we might consider using the adjective clause to modify the appositive that is renaming
\nthe noun.
\nEven though I already knew that Treadwell was killed by one of the bears that he was trying to protect, I could
\nnot stop watching Grizzly Man, an interesting documentary that gathers together the video footage
\nTreadwell took during his yearly expeditions to Alaska.
\nIn this example, we see the appositive being used as an anchor to attach the adjective clause, the combination
\nallowing us to add some useful and rich detail to the sentence.
\nAnother useful way to employ the NPA is to use them in a series:
\nRedwood tree forests are filled with many natural features that fill us with wonder\u2014 trees, shrubs, birds,
\nwoodland creatures, waterfalls, and the moist air.
\nThe Sutro Baths have a unique rhythm\u2014 the pull of the tides, the incessant rolling of waves, the song of birds
\nin flight, the interview between light and water.
\nIn both of these examples, we see a series of words that rename the noun. In first example, we see a list of
\nfeatures from the forest that fill us with wonder. In the second example, we see the addition of prepositional
\nphrases, which provide more detail about the appositives that rename rhythm.
\nAnother very useful way to employ the NPA is to use it to rename an entire sentence:
\nEmerson felt that our minds could become one with the spirit of the natural world as if, when we convene with
\nnature, we become much like a transparent eyeball that loses all sense of the self, an observation that suggests
\nwhen we connect with nature we lose all sense of the I and just experience the natural world for what it is.
\nObservation renames the entire independent clause that comes before it\u2014and the adjective clause that follows it
\nprovides an explanation for what Emerson means when he claims that he becomes a transparent eyeball when he
\nexperiences nature.
\n87 | P a g e
\nPunctuation
\nNoun Phrase appositives, in general, are non-restrictive (though there will certainly be times when they are
\nrestrictive), so, in general, we surround them with commas:
\nIn \u201cNon-moral Nature,\u201d Stephen Jay Gould writes about the ichneumon fly, a wasp that passes \u201ctheir larva
\nlife as parasites feeding on the bodies of other animals\u201d (1).
\nMichael Pollan, in his essay \u201cGardening Means War,\u201d recognizes that ladybugs, insects that know \u201chow to
\ncatch 40 or 50 aphids every day without hurting anybody else,\u201d are a very viable alternative to pesticides
\n(5).
\nFrom time to time, you might find yourself wanting to insert a series of NPA\u2019s between the subject and verb.
\nWhen you make this choice, you need to consider the fact that, as readers who want to read as effortlessly as
\npossible, we don\u2019t like there to be too many words between the subject and the verb of a sentence, so it often
\nhelps to set that series off with dashes:
\nMuir Woods\u2014a place where giants reach for the sky, an ecosystem with roots that stretch back to the time
\nof dinosaurs, a forest of silence that fills one with calm\u2014was set aside as a national monument by Teddy
\nRoosevelt in 1908.
\nSentence Combining with NPA\u2019s and Adjective Clauses
\nAs you are revising your essays, you can look for sentences that share the same nouns and see if you can reduce
\nany of them to NPA\u2019s and\/or adjective clauses and combine them.
\nThe Sutros Baths are located on the far western edge of San Francisco.
\nThey are the leftover ruins of a building.
\nThe building used to house a large seawater fed pool.
\nThe waves of the Pacific Ocean crash against the leftover concrete barriers.
\nThe concrete barriers still reveal where the pools had once been used.
\nThe pools are now filled with feathered visitors.
\nSome of those visitors are seagulls, ducks, pelicans, egrets and herons.
\nThe Sutro Baths\u2014 the leftover ruins of a building that used to house a large seawater fed pool\u2014 are located on
\nthe far western edge of San Francisco, where the waves of the Pacific Ocean crash against the leftover concrete
\nbarriers that still reveal where the pools had once been used, pools that are now filled with feathered visitors such
\nas seagulls, ducks, pelicans, egrets and herons.
\nWhile your goal for this class is not to write sentences as long as this, this example illustrates just how effectively
\nyou can add detail to your sentences by using NPAS, adjective clauses, and NPAs modified by adjective clauses. .
\nOther Notes
\n(1) You can use the same word as the one you are renaming (this can create a nice effect):
\nIn order to save our planet from the destructive and garish forces of overdevelopment, we must find solutions that
\nbridge the gap between the need to for development and the need to conserve our resources, solutions that can
\nsatisfy the desire to acquire wealth through building new real estate and the necessity to not overbuild, solutions
\nthat will satisfy politicians and lobbyists as well as environmentalists and conservationists.
\n(2) You can also list appositives that are followed by a pronoun:
\nThe dark green whirled leaves of skunk cabbage, the clover-like leaves of wild ginger, the frilly fronds of ferns, the
\ngentle babble of creeks winding across the forest floor, the insistent tapping of woodpeckers\u2014 all of these are the
\nsights and sounds of the redwood tree forest.
\n88 | P a g e
\nNoun Phrase Appositives Practice Sheet
\nDirections: Underline the NPAs in each sentence and italicize the noun that renames the noun you are modifying.
\n(1) The home of good talk, then, is the third place\u2014a meeting ground between the work place and the family circle,
\nbetween the “rat race” and the “womb.” (Christopher Lasch, The Revolt of the Elites)
\n(2) When I first started to read about the emerging science of chaos, I was immediately struck with similarities to
\ncharacteristics that had been ascribed to the Feminine: unpredictability, nonlinear processes, the importance of
\ncontext, and the inseparable relatedness of the parts to the whole. (Linda Jean Shepard, Lifting the Veil: The
\nFeminine Face of Science)
\n(3) Malawi’s cash crops\u2014 peanuts, tea, coffee, sugarcane, and tobacco\u2014 were unchanged, though their value on the
\nworld market continued to fluctuate. (Paul Theroux, “Malawi,” National Geographic)
\n(4) This was the old slap-on-the-fingers-if-your-modifiers-were caught-dangling stuff\u2014correct spelling, correct
\npunctuation, correct grammar, hundreds of itsy-bitsy rules for itsy-bitsy people. (Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and The Art of
\nMotorcycle Maintenance)
\n(5) Scores are important, but not as important as the process that produces them, a point of view that should
\nsurprise no one, since America was the first nation to be argued into existence. (Neil Postman, The End of Education)
\nDirections: Create Your Own NPA\/Adjective Clause Combinations
\n(a) The lighthouse, ___________________________________________________, sits on the edge of a
\ncliff above the Pacific Ocean.
\nExample: The lighthouse, a shiny beacon that was built in 1876, sits at the edge of a cliff above the Pacific
\nOcean.
\n(b) Timothy Treadwell, _________________________________________________, was eaten by a lion.
\nDirections: Combine these sentences by converting them into NPA\u2019s, adjective clauses, and NPA\/adjective clause
\ncombinations. Create several independent clauses or, if you feel like it, try to create one single clause. Don’t worry
\nabout whether you do it correctly. Just give it a try.
\n1. Taking into consideration the rise of flavorless tomatoes, one might ask whether large, commercial-run farms
\nwill ever return to growing fruit and vegetables with flavor.
\n2. Flavorless tomatoes are orbs of bland watery skin
\n3. Flavorless tomatoes are shiny red globes of genetically altered fruit.
\n4. Large, commercial-run farms seek to cut every possible corner to save money,
\n5. This is an important question to consider because the consumer is being left with a growing crop of
\nunappealing produce
\n6. It is a crop.
\n7. It looks incredibly delicious yet tastes like bottled water.
\n89 | P a g e
\nFree Modifiers Part Three \u2013 Clause Modifying Verbal Phrases (CMVPs)
\nThe clause modifying verbal phrase (CMVP) is a third way to supply your sentences with more rich detail. Phrases,
\nas we already know, are groups of words that are missing a subject, a verb or both. We also know that clauses are
\ngroups of words that contain a subject and a verb, and we can deduce that CMVPs are verbal phrases that modify
\nclauses. Before we can continue, we need to take a few moments to consider what a verbal is.
\nWhat Are Verbals?
\nVerbals are nonfinite, non-tense verb forms that can function as nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and parts of finite
\nverbs. There are three forms of verbals:
\n(1) The \u201cing form\u201d (aka the present participle) jumping, talking, singing, sleeping, smoking
\n(2) The \u201ced\u201d or \u201chad\u201d form (aka the past participle) jumped, talked, sung, had slept, smoked
\n(3) The \u201cto\u201d form (aka the infinitive) to jump, to sleep, to talk, to sing, to smoke
\nTo better understand what we mean by nonfinite\/non-tense, let\u2019s take a look at the following word groupings:
\n1. I teaching you how to modify a clause with a verbal phrase.
\n2. Environmentalists dedicated to saving Redwood forests for future generations.
\n3. Snyder argues that we to consider how we demarcate place by looking at the biology of the region.
\nYou have likely noticed that all three of these word grouping don\u2019t quite make sense because something seems to
\nbe missing. Indeed, each word grouping needs a verb that provides tense:
\n1. I am teaching you how to modify a clause with a verbal phrase.
\n2. Environmentalists are dedicated to saving Redwood forests for future generations.
\n3. Snyder argues that we need to consider how we demarcate place by looking at the biology of the region.
\nYou might also notice that even if those first groupings of words are missing tense, the verbals still contain action.
\nIndeed, verbals, once again, are nonfinite, non-tense verb forms that function as nouns, adjectives, adverbs, or
\nparts of a finite verb.
\nWandering and meditating are two of the many rewards of hiking.
\nThe dedicated environmentalist never stops protesting against companies that pollute the air.
\nWandering and meditating act as the subjects of the first sentence and hiking is the object of the preposition of.
\nIn the second sentence, dedicated acts as an adjective that modifies environmentalist and protesting against
\ncompanies that pollute the air acts as the direct object of the verb stops.
\nClause Modifying Verbal Phrases
\nClause modifying verbal phrases (CMVP) are phrases that (a) contain a verbal and (b) modify entire clauses (both
\nindependent and dependent). Clause modifying verbal phrases can join two actions which happen at the same
\ntime. This relationship can also be emphasized by adding \u201cwhile,\u201d \u201cby,\u201d or \u201cin.\u201d
\nWhile living at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard recorded her observations and thoughts on solitude, writing, religion,
\nand the flora and fauna that surrounded her daily.
\nPlease also note that a CMVP can be understood as a reduced independent clause; for example, let\u2019s look at the
\nprevious sentence. The CMVP can easily be converted to an independent clause:
\nAnnie Dillard lived at Tinker Creek.
\nShe recorded her observations and thoughts on solitude, writing, religion, and the flora and fauna that surrounded her
\ndaily.
\nCMVPs can also imply a cause\/effect relationship:
\nEnvironmentalists are dedicated to making the planet a cleaner and healthier place to live.
\nEnvironmentalists fight large industrial corporations and factories that pollute the water and air.
\nDedicated to making the planet a cleaner and healthier place to live, environmentalists fight large industrial
\ncorporations and factories that pollute the water and air.
\n90 | P a g e
\nCMVPs can also establish actions that happen at different times by using words like after or before:
\n\u2022 William visited his friend\u2019s garden. He tasted the fresh, homegrown tomatoes.
\n\u2022 William signed up for a plot of land at the local community garden.
\n\u2022 He planted his own tomatoes, basil and jalapeno peppers.
\nAfter visiting his friend\u2019s garden and tasting the fresh, homegrown tomatoes, William signed up for a plot of land at
\nthe local community garden, planting his own tomatoes, basil, and jalapeno peppers.
\nCMVPs are especially useful for supplying more information, detail and description for your sentence. Like the
\nother free modifiers we have looked at so far, you can set them up as a series.
\nIn order to convince his readers that working with the earth helps one find a spiritual center, Jonathan Kotzel,
\nauthor of Gardening As a New Age Practice, tries to impress the importance of spirituality in gardening by
\ndescribing friends who have used gardening as a way to overcome depression, by interviewing inmates who have
\nfound solace and peace through working the earth, and by offering his own experiences of using gardening to get
\nover the death of his wife.
\nYou can also move them around in the clause that you are modifying:
\nBy describing friends who have used gardening as a way to overcome depression and by interviewing inmates who
\nhave found solace and peace through working the earth, the author of Gardening As a New Age Practice,
\nJohnathan Kotzel, in order to convince his readers that working with the earth helps one find a spiritual center,
\ntries to impress the importance of spirituality in gardening by also offering his own experiences of using
\ngardening to get over the death of his wife.
\nThe CMVP Rule: If you look closely at all of the previous examples, you should notice a specific pattern: all of the
\nclauses and clause modifying verbal phrases share the same subject. Keeping this in mind, we can now take a look
\nat the CMVP rule: the implied subject of the verbal phrase must be the same as the subject of the clause that you
\nare modifying.
\nBy closely examining Emerson\u2019s claim that we become a transparent eyeball when we convene with nature, his
\nradical revisualization of nature as a place to better understand God is witnessed.
\nWho is examining Emerson\u2019s claim in this sentence? Is \u201cEmerson\u2019s radical revisualization of nature\u201d examining his
\nown claim? The sentence, as written, does not quite make sense (even if it kind of sounds like it does). Because
\nthe implied subject of the verbal phrase is not the same as the subject of the sentence you are modifying, the
\nphrase does not feel like it is firmly attached to the clause it is modifying. When this happens, we say that it is
\ndangling (thus a dangling modifier). If this happens, then you need to find a way to fix it so it no longer dangles.
\nYou have several options. You might notice that the independent clause has been written in the passive voice.
\nWhat if we rewrite it in the active voice?
\nBy closely examining Emerson\u2019s claim that we become a transparent eyeball when we convene with nature, we
\nwitness his radical revisualization of nature as a place to better understand God.
\nIn the active voice, the agent of the sentence we has been returned to the subject slot. Since we are the ones
\ndoing the examining, the implied subject and the subject of the clause being modified now work. You could also fix
\nthe sentence by converting the CMVP into a subordinate clause
\nMoving CMVPs Around in a Clause
\nAs long as the implied subject of the CMVP is the same as the subject of the clause that you are modifying, you can
\nmove the CMVP around in the sentence until you have found the place where it works the best.
\nThe class rebelled against their professor\u2019s unfair policies.
\nThey refused to turn in work.
\nThey wrote letters to the college president.
\nThey boycotted class meetings.
\n1. Here are several options:
\n91 | P a g e
\n2. The class rebelled against their professor\u2019s unfair practices by refusing to turn in work, writing letters to the
\ncollege president, and boycotting class meetings.
\n3. After refusing to turn in work, the class rebelled against their professor\u2019s unfair practices by writing letters to
\nthe college president and boycotting class meetings.
\n4. The class, refusing to turn in work, rebelled against their professor\u2019s unfair practices by also writing letters to
\nthe college president and boycotting class meetings.
\nPunctuation
\nIn general, you surround CMVPs with a comma.
\nCMVP + , + IC | CMVP + , +CMVP + , + CMVP + , +IC. | I + , + CMCP + , + IC
\n—————————————————————————————————————————————–
\nCMVP \u2014 Practice Sheet
\nRecognizing CMVPs (underline the CMVPs in the sentences below)
\n1) Feeling a little overwhelmed, she walked to the podium for the first time, trembling noticeably, and addressed
\nthe audience.
\n2) Dismayed at the lack of progress and left with few options, the students finally took over the administration
\nbuilding
\n3) To overcome his feelings of inadequacy, he took up the sport of jousting.
\nCreate your own CMVPs for the following sentences:
\n1) Thoreau writes, in his essay Walking, that \u201cin wildness is the preservation of society\u201d (8).
\nExample: Attempting to express the importance of our connection to nature, Thoreau writes, in his essay, Walking,
\nthat \u201cin wildness is the preservation of society\u201d (8).
\n2) The Sutro Baths have been left to the erosive elements of ocean and land.
\nCorrect the dangling modifiers in the following sentences
\n1) The garden has been finished after completing all the necessary backbreaking work.
\n2) To familiarize you with the 19th century concept of the sublime and its affect on how we have come to
\nunderstand the natural word, the affect it had on painting in both Europe and America is explained by William
\nCronon.
\n3) After reading your essay about cheeseburgers and their influence on how we define wilderness, several
\nquestions came to my mind.
\n4) Before visiting Muir Woods, transportation must be arranged.
\n5) The day was spent hiking the trails of Mount Tamalpais, sailing on Richardson Bay, and eating lunch in Sausalito.
\nTry to combine these groupings of sentences by using converting them to CMVPs and attaching them to one of
\nthe clauses:
\nThe students continued their occupation of the building
\nThey were stubbornly refusing to give in to the administration.
\nThey were running low on food and water.
\nThey were sleeping in shifts.
\nThey were surrounded by squads of police and soldiers.
\nThe president deferred to her advisors.
\nShe claimed that they had studied the issue thoroughly.
\nShe argued that her own involvement should minimal.
\nShe looked tired and worn.
\nHe tried a new way of doing the recipe.
\nHe added good salsa, lime juice, sea salt and cilantro.
\nHe made the best guacamole he’d ever tasted.
\nBut he failed to make enough.
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\nFree Modifiers Part Four \u2013 Absolute Phrases
\nAbsolute phrases are reduced sentences that typically modify whole sentences or clauses. While they are not the most
\ncommonly used construction, they are a valuable tool when you are looking for another structure that will allow you to
\nadd additional detail to your sentences.
\nIn \u201cTo Autumn,\u201d Keats celebrates the beauty of autumn, its dwindling rhythms, misty fruitfulness, and
\nintoxicating drowsiness hinting at Keats\u2019 acceptance that he will soon die.
\nComparing the independent clause (in bold) to the absolute phrase (in italics), what similarities and differences do you
\nsee? Do they both have a subject? Do they both have a verb? What makes the absolute a phrase? If you guessed that
\nboth the clause and the phrase have a subject, but the absolute phrase has no verb, then you guessed correctly.
\nLet\u2019s take a closer look at the absolute phrase (in italics). The full subject of the sentence is\u2014 its dwindling rhythms,
\nmisty fruitfulness, and intoxicating drowsiness\u2014 which is followed by the verbal (in this case a present participle)
\nhinting. We can easily convert the absolute phrase into an independent clause by transforming the verbal into an
\nactive verb:
\nIts dwindling rhythms, misty fruitfulness, and intoxicating drowsiness hint at Keats\u2019 acceptance that he will
\nsoon die.
\nWith this in mind, let\u2019s take a quick look at the two different ways that you can transform an independent clause into
\nan absolute phrase.
\n(1) Delete the be verb in the sentence (am is, are, was, were):
\nInd. Clause #1: I remember the emeralds in shop windows, lying casually in trays.
\nInd. Clause #2: All of them were oddly pale at the center.
\nI remember the emeralds in shop windows, lying casually in trays, all of them were oddly pale at the center. (Joan
\nDidion)
\nInd. Clause #1: In his article \u201cThe Trouble With Wilderness,\u201d William Cronon argues that we need to rethink nature.
\nInd. Clause #1: His goal is to convince his readers that we are not separate from the natural world.
\nIn his article \u201cThe Trouble With Wilderness,\u201d William Cronon argues that we need to rethink nature, his goal is to
\nconvince his readers that we are not separate from the natural world.
\n(2) Transform the active verb into a verbal:
\nInd. Clause #1: Science is a creative human activity.
\nInd. Clause #2: Its geniuses act more as artists than as information processors.
\nScience is a creative human activity, its geniuses act acting more as artists than as information processors.
\n(Stephen Jay Gould)
\nInd. Clause #1: After describing the fleeting nature of spring, Frost shifts his attention to man\u2019s fall from grace in the
\nGarden of Eden.
\nInd. Clause #2: Frost\u2019s use of a coordinating conjunction ties the brevity of our lives to the brevity of that first green of
\nspring.
\nAfter describing the fleeting nature of spring, Frost shifts his attention to man\u2019s fall from grace in the Garden of
\nEden, Frost\u2019s use of a coordinating conjunction ties tying the brevity of our lives to the brevity of that first green of
\nspring.
\nUsing Absolutes in a Series: Like all other like-grammatical structures, more than one absolute phrase can be arranged
\nin a series:
\nIn her Pulitzer Prize winning book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard explores what it means to see by using rich,
\nfigurative language that contemplates the different ways we see, her metaphors building connections between sight
\n93 | P a g e
\nand perception, her poetic choice of words adding a musical flow to her storied observations, her tapestry of images
\nreminding us that seeing is as much about understanding as it is about observing.
\nBuilding off of what we have learned so far this semester, let\u2019s look at how this sentences breaks down into individual
\nindependent clauses:
\n1. In her Pulitzer Prize winning book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard explores what it means to see.
\n2. She uses rich, figurative language.
\n3. This rich figurative language contemplates the different ways we see.
\n4. Her metaphors build connections between sight and perception.
\n5. Her poetic choice of words add a musical flow to her storied observations
\n6. Her tapestry of images reminds us that seeing is as much about understanding as it is about observing.
\nQuick Analysis
\n1. In her Pulitzer Prize winning book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard explores what it means to see. \uf0df base clause
\n2. She uses by using rich, figurative language \uf0df CMVP
\n3. This rich figurative language that contemplates the different ways we see. \uf0df adjective clause
\n4. Her metaphors build building connections between sight and perception. \uf0df absolute
\n5. Her poetic choice of words add adding a musical flow to her storied observations \uf0df absolute
\n6. Her tapestry of images reminds reminding us that seeing is as much about understanding as it is about observing.
\nLike CMVPs, you can move absolute phrases around in the sentence. The order you choose will depend on which order
\nsounds the best to you. Here are a few possibilities (which one sounds best to you?):
\nHer head thrown back, a rose clenched in her teeth, a smile on her lips, Lydia danced the tango.
\nLydia, her head thrown back, a smile on her lips, danced the tango, a rose clenched in her teeth.
\nA smile on her lips, Lydia danced the tango, her head thrown back and a rose clenched in her teeth.
\nPunctuating Absolute Phrases
\nHer head thrown back, Lydia danced the tango.
\nIf the absolute begins the sentence, place a comma at the end of the absolute.
\nLydia, her head thrown back, danced the tango.
\nIf the absolute appears in the middle of the sentence, place commas on both ends of the absolute.
\nLydia danced the tango, her head thrown back.
\nIf the absolute ends the sentence, place a comma at the beginning of the absolute.
\nHow are absolute phrases different from clause modifying verbal phrases?
\nThrowing her head down, Lydia danced the tango.
\nHer head thrown down, Lydia danced the tango.
\nWhat is the difference functionally between these two phrase structures? (Hint: the answer can be best found in the
\nway you form them). Which one is the absolute an which one is the CMVP?
\nHe drifts away, remembering sophomore year and the old Mercury he’d bought from Elvin Marsdale in French House.
\nA big, top-heavy brute of a car, it had broken down constantly, forcing him to spend as much time in junkyards looking
\nfor parts as on the road. When, finally, his tuned ear told him the engine itself was dying–inexorable death from the
\ninside, rings totally worn, valves gasping, driveshaft groaning–he’d sold it to an ignorant graduate student at a slight
\nprofit.
\nFind the absolutes in this paragraph \u2026
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\nPractice Sheet:
\nPart One: (a) find and underline the absolute phrase (b) then convert the absolute phrase into an independent clause
\n1. She walked indolently along, with a mind at rest, its peace reflected in her innocent face. (Mark Twain)
\nExample: Its peace was reflected in her innocent face.
\n2. The spider skins lie on their sides, translucent and ragged, their legs drying in knots. (Annie Dillard)
\n3. Bolenciecwcz was staring at the floor now, trying to think, his great brow furrowed, his huge hands rubbing together, his face red. (James
\nThurber)
\n4. You can get a fair sense of the perils of an elevator shaft by watching an elevator rush up and down one, its counterweight flying by, like the
\nblade on a guillotine. (Nick Paumgarten)
\n5. Marxism is dead, the Communist system utterly discredited by human experience, but the ghost of Marx hovers above the landscape, perhaps
\nwith a knowing smile. (William Grieder)
\nPart Two: Transform one of the following sentences into an absolute phrase and attach it to the other sentence:
\nCalifornia has many industries vital to its economy. Technology is one of the most innovative and profitable.
\nMost Gardeners want to express something personal. Their overall designs reflect their creative selves.
\nGardeners have to face many problems. Pests, deer, and blight are the most common and pervasive.
\nPart Three: Choose a base clause and then transform the other two sentences into absolutes.
\n1) Their faces bubbled with excitement. The children waited for the gates to Disneyland to open. Their mouths drooled with anticipation.
\n2) Their native lands have been left behind. An uncertain future looms ahead. Immigrants often have many obstacles to overcome.
\nPart Four: Choose a base clause and then transform the other sentences into a series of absolutes.
\nI gripped the wheel of the skidding car. My knuckles were white. My hair was standing on end. My stomach was heaving.
\nPart Five: Create your own sentences using absolutes.
\n1)
\n2)
\n3)
\n4)
\n5)
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\nCoordination \u2013 Correlative Conjunctions
\nCorrelative conjunctions are two-part conjunctions like these:
\nnot only \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026 but also
\nnot only \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026. but
\nnot \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. but
\nneither \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. nor
\neither \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. or
\nboth \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. and
\nCorrelative conjunctions are not only used to establish connections and logical relationships between sentences, but
\nalso to emphasize those ideas. In order for this structure to work as intended, you need to consider the following
\ntwo issues whenever you attempt to include them in your writing:
\n1) They must join similar grammatical units used in the same way.
\nconj. + verb phrase conj. + independent clause
\nIncorrect: Neil Young not only plays loud, thrashing grunge, but he also plays mellow acoustic melodies.
\nconj. + noun phrase conj. + noun phrase
\nCorrect: Neil Young plays not only loud, thrashing grunge but also mellow acoustic melodies.
\n2) They should be placed as closely as possible in front of the elements you are emphasizing:
\nconj. + independent clause conj + independent clause
\nOkay: Not only was Jerry Garcia a great guitar player, but he was also a pretty good banjo player.
\nconj. + noun complement conj. + noun complement
\nBetter: Jerry Garcia was not only a great guitar player but also a decent banjo player.
\nQuick Practice
\nTry combining the following sentences with not only\u2026..but AND both \u2026\u2026. and
\n1) My Uncle Larry smoked a lot of marijuana. He had boxes and boxes of funny colored pills.
\n2) Mary watched birds in Golden Gate Park for fun. She watched them for a living.
\n3) Donald Trump\u2019s essays about poetry were not very focused. His emails to his fellow classmates were very
\nstrange.
\nCombine the following sentences with: not \u2026\u2026 but
\n1) Frankie does not like thinking. He loves playing golf.
\n2) The congressman does not like to give press conferences. He loves to play golf and go on vacation.
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\nFragments
\nFragments\u2014 groups of words that are punctuated as if complete sentences\u2014 tend to come in two varieties:
\ndependent clauses (groups of words that contain a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone) and phrases (groups
\nof words that are missing a subject, a verb or both). And more often than not writers can fix them by simply
\nattaching them to an independent clause that is already in the paragraph:
\n1) I visited the Sutro Bath ruins. A place that reminds one of an ancient civilization left to the forces of time.
\n2) The Redwood trees in Muir Woods remind me of the Ents from The Lord of the Rings. Because they are
\nancient, tall and almost seem to be wise.
\n3) The lagoon at Crissy Field reminds us that we can always return the land to its original habitat. Especially since
\nwe have the creativity.
\n4) I revisited the ruins of Sutro Baths because I discovered an odd music in those foghorns. Which call like fallen
\nangels in the night.
\n5) Yosemite feels like wilderness, but sometimes I feel lost in the crowds. Considering how many people visit the
\npark every year.
\nEach one of these fragments can be easily fixed by simply attaching them to the clause, in fact each one fits the
\nsentence perfectly (and continues the idea that the clause put forth).
\n1) I visited the Sutro Bath ruins, a place that reminds one of an ancient civilization left to the forces of time.
\n2) The Redwood trees in Muir Woods remind me of the Ents from The Lord of the Rings because they are
\nancient, tall and almost seem to be wise.
\n3) The lagoon at Crissy Field reminds us that we can always return the land to its original habitat\u2014 especially
\nsince we have the creativity.
\n4) I revisited the ruins of Sutro Baths because I discovered an odd music in those foghorns., which call like fallen
\nangels in the night.
\n5) Considering how many people visit the park every year, I sometimes feel lost in the crowds, but it still feels like
\nwilderness.
\nSometimes writers create fragments because they lose sight of the direction they are writing and then forget to
\nlook back at the sentence to be sure that it completes a thought (or that is has a subject and verb).
\nThe ruins of the Sutro Baths, which are the remains of the old building that housed a large heated sea water
\nswimming pool, which was, according to those who remember, very fun especially since it had a large slide
\nthat dumped you in the water.
\nThis is a much more complicated fragment than the previous examples, but should be even more easily noticed
\nbecause it never completes a thought (many writers never notice fragments because they don\u2019t look back at what
\nthey previously wrote\u2014or don\u2019t take the time to consider what they have actually written\u2014or if it adequately
\ncommunicates what they are trying to say). If we break it down it looks like this:
\n(A) The ruins of the Sutro Baths [what looks like the subject]
\n(B) which are the remains of the old building [adjective clause \u2013 modifying Sutro Baths]
\n(C) that housed a heated sea water swimming pool [adjective clause \u2013 modifying building]
\n(D) which was, according to those who remember, very fun [adjective clause & CMVP]
\n(E) \u2014especially since it had a large slide that dumped you in the water (subordinate clause + adjective clause]
\nThe fragment has what appears to be a subject, but it is missing a verb for that subject (as well as the rest of the
\npredicate). The only way to fix this is to make sure that the subject has a verb (and whatever else you wish to
\ninclude in the predicate).
\nThe ruins of the Sutro Baths once featured a heated, sea water swimming pool, which was, according to those
\nwho remember, very fun\u2014 especially since it had a large slide that dumped you in the water.
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\nAcceptable Fragments: Some fragments are generally considered acceptable, but keep in mind that some
\nteachers will find some of these fragments unacceptable, and, with everything you write, you need to keep your
\naudience in mind!
\n\u2022 Used for emphasis: If we continue to spray insecticides, we may end up killing all of the natural predators for
\nthe insects we are trying to control. A dire consequence, indeed.
\n\u2022 To answer a question: When we wander through the park, do we see everything? Not according to Annie
\nDillard.
\n\u2022 As transitions: And now, keeping these qualities in mind, another perspective on why we should look more
\nclosely.
\n\u2022 Exclamations: A poorly conceived plan, indeed!
\n\u2022 As questions: Which option should Americans choose? <– almost universally acceptable
\nPractice Sheet: Fragments
\nDirections: first underline all the fragments and then, in the space below, rewrite the paragraph by either (a)
\ncombining the fragments with a nearby clause or (b) transforming the phrase or dependent clause into an
\nindependent clause (or whatever else you think will fix the fragment):
\nThe Japanese rock garden or \u201cdry landscape\u201d garden, often called a zen garden, creates a miniature stylized
\nlandscape through carefully composed arrangements of rocks, water features, moss, pruned trees and bushes.
\nFeaturing gravel or sand that is raked to represent ripples in water. A zen garden is usually relatively small,
\nsurrounded by a wall. Meant to be seen while seated from a single viewpoint outside the garden, such as the
\nporch of the hojo. The residence of the chief monk of the temple or monastery. Classical zen gardens were
\ncreated at temples of Zen Buddhism in Kyoto, Japan during the Muromachi Period. Intended to imitate the
\nintimate essence of nature, not its actual appearance, and to serve as an aid to meditation. A Zen garden is an
\ninteresting and deeply spiritual aspect of Japanese gardening traditions. The typical Zen garden consists of an
\nenclosed and shallow sand box of sorts. Which features predominantly sand or gravel with rocks of various shapes
\nand sizes. The rocks and sand (or gravel) are the chief elements of the garden. Which generally creates the scene
\nof islands in the sea. The sand or gravel in a Zen garden represents the sea or ocean and is used instead of water.
\nCarefully raked by tending monks to create the impression of waves on the surface of a body of water. The rocks
\nthemselves represent islands or rock formations jutting out from the water. The overall goal creating a small-scale
\nrecreation of an aerial or cliff-top view of an intricate coastal scene. One of the primary differences between a Zen
\ngarden and most other varieties is the lack of living elements. Although moss may sometimes be included. Few
\nother plant or flower species will be found in a classic Zen garden. This can be both unusual and exotically
\nappealing to people with no past experience with the history and meaning of a Zen garden.
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\nPIE \u2013 A Way to \u201cthink\u201d about Paragraph Structure
\nOne should be wary of neat and convenient formulas that explain how to write. While they can
\ncertainly be helpful, if always followed to the letter\u2014 instead of using them as an organization
\nguide\u2014 one can end up with very formulaic writing devoid of variety. In its simplest sense, PIE breaks
\ndown to the following.
\nP = Point (basically the main point of the paragraph; in other words, what everything in your
\nparagraph relates to)
\nI = Illustration or Information (these are the examples, quotes, summaries, bits of essential
\ninformation that you provide to further illustrate your points)
\nE = Explanation (I prefer to think of this as the point where you address your illustration \/ information
\n\/ Quote because not all those things need to be further \u201cexplained\u201d\u2014though it is often necessary.
\nTo address an illustration is to justify its presence, to do something with it, to give it relevance, to
\nrelate it to the controlling idea of your essay \uf0e0 the thesis).
\nOne needs, as soon as possible to work on addressing the most significant pitfall that can arise from
\nfollowing this too closely: falling into the trap of thinking that every paragraph you write should be a
\nprocess of making a Point, then offering an illustration followed by an explanation. The main idea is
\nthe following: every paragraph needs at least one point, every point benefits from information
\n(illustration, quotes, etc.), and all information needs to be addressed. It is quite possible to begin a
\nparagraph with information that leads to an explanation and then leads to a point. The point is: every
\nparagraph needs \u201csomething\u201d that the \u201cillustrations\u201d and \u201cexplanations\u201d relate to. Also \u2026 do not
\nforget that every point must support and relate to \u2013 which must be the controlling idea of your essay
\n(your thesis).
\nFinally, one can write sentences that combine points with explanations and illustrations \u2026
\nRead this example
\nNext, Emerson shifts from the reverence and awe one might feel for the stars to reverence
\nfor the many facets of nature down here on earth, writing that that the stars are \u201cinaccessible,\u201d that
\nwe can never touch them and that, in the end, this is an essential part of the reason why they
\n\u201cawaken a certain reverence\u201d (10) He then shifts to explaining how the wise person\u2014 i.e., the person
\nwhose mind is open to the influence of nature\u2014 recognizes that nature does not act meanly, that
\nnature is not a trivial toy to be played with, that nature never ceases to amaze and intrigue the
\nperson who experiences it, and, perhaps most importantly, the truly wise person realizes the best
\nmoments experiencing nature as an adult return one to the wonder which childhood was often filled
\nwith, to a time before the experiences of being an adult deadened and dulled the innocence and
\ncuriosity of childhood experiences in nature. Emerson then connects this reawakened mind to a
\n\u201cmost poetical sense\u201d of how we see things. He offers the example of the woodcutter\u2014 who sees a
\ntree only for its potential materials\u2014 and the poet, who sees the tree for what it is: as a whole tree
\nwith all the beauty one might associate with a tree. He further explains this poetical perception by
\ndescribing a walk through a variety of farms and woods, in which he sees all these parcels of
\nindividually owned land as one landscape and not a landscape divided by ownership.
\nThis paragraph is basically information (illustration)\u2014with very little explanation (addressing) of
\nthat information. By addressing the information, one can expand the paragraph into two
\nparagraphs and offer the essential analysis necessary for an \u201canalysis essay.\u201d
\n99 | P a g e
\nNow Read this example
\n[1] Next, Emerson shifts from the reverence and awe one might feel for the stars to
\nreverence for the many facets of nature down here on earth, writing that that the stars are
\n\u201cinaccessible,\u201d that we can never touch them and that, in the end, this is an essential part of the
\nreason why they \u201cawaken a certain reverence\u201d (10). [2] \u201cawaken\u201d implying our senses and spirit
\nhave been asleep or dulled and that through this experience those inactive senses are stirred up,
\nexcited, and aroused. And this is precisely where Emerson associates that same awakening, that
\nsame awe, that same reverence for the majesty of the nighttime sky with all and any \u201cnatural objects\u201d
\n(10), the phrase \u201ckindred impression\u201d (10) connecting the stars to all \u201cnatural objects\u201d (all of which we
\ncan touch, unlike the stars, if we choose). \u201cKindred\u201d denotes there is a definite similarity between the
\nstars and the natural objects of the earth, but even though they are not the same, they do, in a sense,
\ncome from the same natural origin (later in the essay, the \u201cUniversal Being\u201d). \u201cImpression\u201d indicates
\nthe effect something has on the mind, the conscience, and one\u2019s feelings. So, when combined in this
\ncontext, these two words indicate, once again, that Emerson is drawing a connection between the
\nintensity and awe we hold for the stars and the awe and reverence that we might have for any natural
\nobject, but, for this to happen, the mind must be \u201copen to their influence\u201d (10). [3] \u201cInfluence\u201d is the
\nkey word here, for it indicates that experiencing these natural objects and surroundings can affect
\none\u2019s moods and feelings, that one can experience the same awe for the stars in the entirety of
\nnature if one is open to seeing that influence, that, ultimately, nature is as grand and awe-inspiring
\nas those stars (and, by connection, one can also experience God in and through nature).
\n[4] Emerson then shifts to explaining how the wise person\u2014 i.e., the person whose mind is
\nopen to the influence of nature\u2014 recognizes that nature does not act meanly, that nature is not a
\ntrivial toy to be played with, that nature never ceases to amaze and intrigue the person who
\nexperiences it, and, perhaps most importantly, the truly wise person realizes the best moments
\nexperiencing nature as an adult return one to the wonder which childhood was often filled with, to a
\ntime before the experiences of being an adult deadened and dulled the innocence and curiosity of
\nchildhood experiences in nature. [5] In other words, one of the deepest consequences of opening
\none\u2019s mind to the influence of nature is that it awakens, in part, some of that lost wonder of our
\nchildhood. [6] Emerson then connects this reawakened mind to a \u201cmost poetical sense\u201d of how we
\nsee things. [7] To see things poetically is to see them as they are and not in an analytical or purely
\nfunctional way; the poet sees nature in its entirety and not by its material divisions. [8] He offers the
\nexample of the woodcutter\u2014 who sees a tree only for its potential materials\u2014 and the poet, who
\nsees the tree for what it is: as a whole tree with all the beauty one might associate with a tree\u2014 as
\nwell as a \u201cnatural object\u201d that shares a \u201ckindred impression\u201d with the stars that invokes a sense of
\nawe, reverence and wonder. [9] He further explains this poetical perception by describing a walk
\nthrough a variety of farms and woods, in which he sees all these parcels of individually owned land
\nas one landscape and not a landscape divided by ownership. [10] The poetically-awakened mind
\nrealizes one can possess a deed to some land, but one can never own the landscape, the view, the
\nexperience (and the awe and the wonder it can invoke if one\u2019s mind is open to the influence).
\n[1] This sentence serves as both a point and an illustration.
\n[2] These sentences address, explain and analyze what Emerson says about the connection between the stars in
\nthe heavens and the awe and reverence we can have for all the natural \u201cobjects\u201d down here on the earth if our
\nminds are open to their influence. It does so, in part, by defining and analyzing key words and phrases that are
\nessential. Keep in mind that these sentences employ both \u201cillustration\u201d and \u201cexplanation.\u201d
\n[3] This sentence also makes a point \u2013 and it offers a mini-conclusion for the paragraph which began with a
\nsentence about how the stars invoke reverence and now ends with a sentence that shows how that awe can be
\nexperienced in all natural objects if one\u2019s mind is open to the influence.
\n[4] This sentence is simultaneously a point, information, and a little bit of explanation. You should notice that
\ninstead of directly quoting Emerson, it summarizes what Emerson says. You always have the option to do this\u2014
\nbut you must be careful that your summary is accurate Also, the sentence serves as a transition from the.
\n[5] Addressing, analyzing and explaining
\n[6] Information
\n[7] Addressing, analyzing and explaining
\n[8] Information + Addressing, analyzing and explaining
\n[9] Information
\n[10] Addressing, analyzing and explaining
\n100 | P a g e
\nShould I paraphrase, summarize, or quote?
\nIn general, use direct quotations only if you have a good reason. Most of your paper should be in your own words.
\nIn research papers, you should quote from a source (as quoted from Harvard.edu):
\n\uf0e0 When you plan to discuss the actual language of a text.
\n\uf0e0 When you are discussing an author’s position or theory and you plan to discuss the wording of a core
\nassertion or kernel of the argument in your paper.
\n\uf0e0 When you risk losing the essence of the author’s ideas in the translation from her words to your own.
\n\uf0e0 When you want to appeal to the authority of the author and using his or her words will emphasize that
\nauthority.
\nYou should summarize or paraphrase when
\n\uf0e0 What you want from the source is the idea expressed, and not the specific language used to express it
\n\uf0e0 You can express in fewer words what the key point of a source is
\nDistinctions between Quotation, Paraphrase, and Summary:
\nQuotation: an exact duplication of the author\u2019s words as they appear in original source. Must be cited. In the pages
\nthat follow, you will find all the necessary rules and proper formatting conventions.
\nParaphrase: a restatement of the author\u2019s words in your own words. Must be cited (no quotation marks).
\nSummary: a brief condensation of the main point of the original source. No citation or quotation marks required;
\nhowever, for hopefully obvious reasons, you should include the names(s) of the author(s) and the title (so that your
\nreader knows what you are actually summarizing).
\nExamples of Paraphrasing and Summarizing [Examples adapted from Owl.purdue.edu]
\nThe original passage: Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse
\nquotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly
\nquoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while
\ntaking notes. From: [Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.]
\nA legitimate paraphrase: In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down
\nto a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material
\nrecorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).
\nAn acceptable summary: In Writing Research Papers, James D. Lester cautions students to just take a few notes in
\ndirect quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in their research paper (Lester 46-
\n47).
\nA plagiarized version: Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many
\nof them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10-20% of the final copy should consist of directly
\nquoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.
\nAcquiring Basic Factual Knowledge and Making It Your Own
\nAs you work on your research, you will learn factual things such as the requirements for growing roses or the
\nsymbolic meaning behind different kinds of stones in a Zen garden. This is not the kind of information that you
\nshould be quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing. You should incorporate such facts into your general knowledge
\nand write about them entirely in your own words. For example, you might visit Wikipedia. org and learn about the
\noverall history of how gardens have evolved. That is a fact-finding endeavor. Such information is not unique to
\nWikipedia.org. You, in a sense, have learned about something. However, if you use this new knowledge and do not
\nwrite what you have learned entirely in your own words, then you have plagiarized.
\nThe Tricky Part Is
\n1. The majority of your essay needs to be written by you. 2. You should only quote, paraphrase, or summarize when
\nyou are providing something useful to your essay. 3. You should not quote basic information \/ facts.
\n4. If you just cut and paste those basic facts that you have found or simply change around some words without
\nproperly citing the source, then you have plagiarized.
\nFor example, if you learned from Wikipedia.org that Columbus first sailed to what he thought was India in 1492,
\nyou would not quote that information. Part of doing research is learning the knowledge and basic facts necessary
\nfor writing about the topic (sample nursing essay examples by the best nursing assignment writing service).
\n101 | P a g e
\nCITING SOURCES IN-TEXT – Contextualizing Sources
\nFrom now on, you are no longer allowed to do the following:
\n\u201cMy experience as a gardener has taught me that nature resents our presence. She deploys her various agents to
\nundo our work in the garden\u201d (Pollan 27). This quote means that Pollan thinks that nature resents gardeners so it
\nsends things to undo the garden.
\n(A) You are not allowed to leave a quotation floating around by itself.
\n(B) You must find a way to provide context for the quote by either introducing it or integrating it into the flow of
\nyour own sentence. [context = the parts of something written or spoken that immediately precede and follow a word or
\npassage and clarify its meaning and justify its presence]
\n(C) You should not use a quotation that includes more than one sentence unless you are blocking that quote.
\n(D) Do not refer to the quote as a quote or quotation.
\n(E) Your explanation cannot just be a restatement of what the writer said. You need to explain what the quotation
\nmeans; in other words, you need to provide relevance for the quotation.
\nContext = the parts of something written or spoken that immediately precede and follow a word or passage and clarify its
\nmeaning and justify its presence
\nRelevance = importance to the matter at hand, to what you are writing about
\n1. So and so says, According to so and so, As so and so says
\nAt the very least, whenever you include a quotation in your writing, you need to set it up with some simple
\ncontext. The most common way is to use the author\u2019s name followed by a verb.
\nThe format = So and so + verb + comma + \u201cquotation\u201d + (citation).
\nSo and so + verb + that + \u201cquotation\u201d + (citation). \uf0df note no comma when you use \u201cthat\u201d after the verb
\nAccording to so and so + verb + comma + \u201cquotation\u201d + (citation).
\nAs so and so + verb + comma + \u201cquotation\u201d + (citation).
\nSome examples:
\n\uf0e0 Emerson explains, \u201c[to] go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society\u201d (10).
\n\uf0e0 Emerson explains, to \u201cgo into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society\u201d (10).
\n\uf0e0 According to Emerson, to \u201cgo into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society\u201d (10).
\nHowever, your writing will be stronger and more varied if you build in context for the quotation before you use it.
\nIn the examples above, you are only offering the context of who said it. Sometimes this is all you need; however,
\nwhen possible, you should consider providing more. This can be accomplished by using the \u201cso and so says\u201d
\nformat AND adding some modification which provides context.
\nSome examples:
\n\uf0e0 Emerson, describing a very certain quality of solitude, explains that to \u201cgo into solitude, a man needs to retire
\nas much from his chamber as from society\u201d (10).
\n\uf0e0 Emerson, who will later in his essay deeply connect with God though nature while he takes a walk alone,
\nexplains, to \u201cgo into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society\u201d (10).
\nUse a comma to separate your own words from the quotation when your introductory phrase ends with a verb such
\nas adds, compares, clarifies, confirms, responds, wonders, emphasizes, acknowledges, refutes, mentions, implies,
\nasserts, doubts, rejects, comments, admits, agrees, suggests, challenges, observes, writes, endorses, illustrates,
\ndenies, insists, hopes, disputes, refers to, reasons, concludes, argues, reports, feels, claims, judges, implies. (Note:
\nmake sure that you know the definition for the word you choose to use.)
\nWeak: In Michael Pollan\u2019s article \u201cGardening Means War,\u201d he concludes that \u201cthe key to eliminating an insect
\nfrom the garden is knowledge: about its habits, preferences and vulnerabilities\u201d (29).
\nStronger: In his article \u201cGardening Means War,\u201d Michael Pollan concludes that \u201cthe key to eliminating an insect
\nfrom the garden is knowledge: about its habits, preferences and vulnerabilities\u201d (29).
\n*********************************************************************************************
\nDoes not work: According to Michael Pollan, in his essay titled \u201cGardening Means War,\u201d he says, \u201cthe key to
\neliminating an insect from the garden is knowledge: about its habits, preferences and vulnerabilities\u201d (29).
\n102 | P a g e
\nFixed: According to Michael Pollan, \u201cthe key to eliminating an insect from the garden is knowledge: about its
\nhabits, preferences and vulnerabilities\u201d (29).
\nFixed: In his essay titled \u201cGardening Means War,\u201d Michael Pollan writes, \u201cthe key to eliminating an insect from the
\ngarden is knowledge: about its habits, preferences and vulnerabilities\u201d (29).
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————
\n2. Using a full sentence to set up the quotation: If you do not already do so, you should start utilizing the
\ntechnique of providing a full sentence before the quotation, a sentence which provides your reader with some
\nhelpful context.
\nThe format = full sentence + colon + \u201cquotation\u201d + (citation).
\nEmerson, who later experiences a very deep connection with God while in solitude, begins his essay by
\nexplaining how to achieve a certain quality of solitude: to \u201cgo into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from
\nhis chamber as from society\u201d (10).
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————
\n3. Integrating a quotation: This is the most varied way to use a quotation in your writing\u2014and when used well,
\nit can be the most effective way to provide context and \/ or address your quotation.
\nThe Basic Rules
\n\uf0e0 You choose to include the parts of the quotation that (1) are the most relevant to what you are doing with the
\nquotation and (2) will fit as seamlessly as possible into the grammatical flow of your sentence (and this, for many
\nwriters, will be the most challenging part).
\n\uf0e0 Indeed, you must make sure that whatever words you include fit the grammatical structure of all the overall
\nsentence.
\n\uf0e0 You get to choose and use whichever words or phrases you want to include.
\n\uf0e0 You can open and close the quotation wherever and whenever necessary so that you can (1) add your own
\nwords, (2) change a word or phrase so that the quote fits the grammatical flow of your sentence, and \/ or (3) you
\ncan omit whatever words you think are unnecessary. However, you must make sure that you do not alter the
\noriginal meaning of what you are quoting.
\n\uf0e0 When you integrate the words of the quotation into your sentence, place the citation at the end of your
\nsentence (unless you are quoting from different sources or different pages within that sentence\u2014and then place
\nthe citations after each different source).
\nExample
\nEmerson begins his essay by explaining that \u201cto go into solitude\u201d one does not just \u201cretire as much from his
\nchamber,\u201d his home, but also must disconnect \u201cfrom society\u201d (10). Emerson further explains that he is not
\n\u201csolitary whilst\u201d he reads and writes, \u201cthough nobody is with him\u201d (10). In other words, to achieve this particular
\nquality of solitude, one must physically leave one\u2019s home and mentally disconnect, for even when one is writing
\nand reading one is still connected to thoughts of civilization. Later in the essay, he will go for a walk away from
\nhome, away from society and experience nature in solitude\u2014and, in those moments, he will deeply connect with
\nGod, so this quality of solitude will play an important role in those moments when he later becomes a \u201ctransparent
\neyeball\u201d and \u201cpart and particle of God\u201d (10). Next, Emerson explains that if one wants to experience true solitude,
\none should \u201clook at the stars,\u201d whose \u201crays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and
\nwhat he touches\u201d (10). Here, we see Emerson introduce us to the awe that the many stars of the nighttime sky
\nevoke in us. They are so awe inspiring that we \u201cmight think the atmosphere was made transparent with this
\ndesign, to give\u201d us, \u201cin the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime\u201d (10). Sublime is the most
\nimportant word here, for it not only means the beauty of the stars but also the slight fear that such awesomeness
\nalso evokes.
\n——————————————————————————————————————————————
\n4. Blockquoting
\nThe Basic Rules
\n\uf0e0 If the quotation takes up four or more lines, you must block the quote. However, if you wish, you may also
\nblock a quote that takes up less than four lines.
\n\uf0e0 Do not include quotation marks with a blockquote (unless what you are quoting includes quotation marks).
\nThe blockquote means that you are quoting something.
\n\uf0e0 Punctuation of Citation = do not put a period after the citation when you are block quoting. It is separate from
\nthe blockquote.
\n103 | P a g e
\nThe Basic Formula
\nprovide substantial context before the quote, ending that context with a full sentence that introduces and sets up
\nthe blockquote that follow.
\nContext context context context context context Context context context context context context Context
\ncontext context context context context. Context context context context context context Context context context
\ncontext context context. Context context context context context context Context context context context context
\ncontext Context context context context context context. Full sentence that sets up the quotation:
\nQuotation quotation quotation quotation quotation quotation quotation
\nquotation Quotation quotation quotation quotation quotation quotation
\nquotation quotation. Quotation quotation quotation quotation quotation
\nquotation quotation quotation. Quotation quotation quotation quotation
\nquotation quotation quotation quotation quotation quotation quotation
\nquotation quotation. (citation)
\nAddress the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote
\naddress the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote
\naddress the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote
\naddress the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote address the quote
\naddress the quote.
\nExample
\nAnd it is in this state of \u201cperfect exhilaration\u201d that one returns to reason and faith, these words being
\nessential because, for Emerson and his fellow transcendentalists, the spiritual and the scientific were never in
\ncompetition with one another. For some, this might be difficult to understand\u2014 especially since he is about to
\nspeak about his very deep, mystical connection with nature in exceptionally poetic terms\u2014 but that poetic outlook
\nis exactly what fuels his direct experience. It may be poetic, but it is also reasoned through a connection to what is
\nthere. And with this focused attention on his surroundings, he then writes about the intensity of his connection
\nto both the natural landscape and God:
\nThere I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity,
\n(leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare
\nground, — my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, —
\nall mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I
\nsee all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or
\nparticle of God. (10)
\nWhen one considers the reverence, the childhood wonder, and the most poetical sense of mind that he has
\nalready introduced us to, one can see the absolute delight and awe he has for such an intense experience, a
\nmoment of experience in which he fully absorbs his surroundings, the intensity of the connection itself being what
\ninstructs and connects him. Indeed, he speaks in mystical terms, in a connection through which he purely
\nexperiences the moment itself as if he is there, but not there, and, in that state, connects with God. In this
\nperennially festive moment, he lets the self, the \u201cmean egotism\u201d go, and it is as if he joins, in that moment, the
\nsame \u201cinfinite space\u201d where one would find the stars and the \u201ccity of God\u201d (10), as if he has bridged the
\n\u201cintercourse with heaven and earth\u201d (10). To be transparent is to be opaque, as if you are there but cannot be
\nseen. One might also think of a substance like water which is sheer and allows light to shine through, as if in those
\nmoments the light of everything in the universe, viz., the \u201cUniversal Being,\u201d radiate through him thus allowing him
\nto absorb everything in his surroundings. The \u201ceye,\u201d the organ through which we see, can also be seen as a pun on
\nthe personal pronoun \u201cI,\u201d which connects this experience to the self, and, as a result, the self, the \u201cI,\u201d is also made
\ntransparent and one then becomes nothing, as if one is no longer there, and then becomes a \u201cpart\u201d of God or a
\nminute particle of God, both indicating that he has connected and become part of nature and part of God. At the
\nvery least, one sees the absolute intensity by which he finds this connection, one that is bound to reverence, to
\nwonder, and to a most distinctly poetical sense of mind.
\n104 | P a g e
\nTHE MECHANICS OF IN-TEXT CITATIONS
\nBasically, when you cite a quotation that you are using in your essay, you are providing an abbreviated reference to the
\nfull information you will provide in your Works Cited page. For most printed sources you will know the author\u2019s name
\nand the page number (and title). Depending on certain factors, that will be the information you will be using. Most of
\nthe rule for MLA are very straightforward. We will begin with those and then move on to the exceptions.
\nThe goal is to always provide the least amount of information necessary to make it clear to your reader what the
\nsource is (and that minimal information must clearly refer to the full citation in your works cited page).
\nWe must not forget the \u201cdefining characteristic of the garden\u201d is that, \u201cin essence, it is an imposition on nature, one that will only
\nsustain its imposition if one is willing to do the labor necessary to keep its form, its shape\u201d (Fitzgerald 79).
\nThe full works cited page for this source would be the following:
\nFitzgerald, William. \u201cThe Impermanence of Order: The True Nature of Gardens.\u201d English 1A Course Reader. edited by Nathan Wirth,
\nNovato, Nathan\u2019s Mind Inc., 2019. pp. 78-81.
\nIn this case, you have provided the author\u2019s last name and the page number from the full citation above.
\nHowever, providing more information about the writer in the sentence can be helpful, particularly if you want your
\nreader to know more about the source you are quoting.
\nIn his 19th century essay Nature, the American transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, \u201cnothing can befall me in life, — no
\ndisgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair\u201d (8).
\nBasic Formatting Rules for In-Text Citations (Where to Place Citation in the Sentence)
\n1. When the quotation ends the sentence, the end-of-the-sentence punctuation must be placed
\nafter the citation. The citation is part of the sentence.
\n————————————————————————————————————————————————
\nCorrect: Pollan writes, \u201cMy experience as a gardener has taught me that nature resents our presence\u201d (28).
\n————————————————————————————————————————————————
\nIncorrect: Pollan writes, \u201cMy experience as a gardener has taught me that nature resents our presence (28).\u201d
\nIncorrect: Pollan writes, \u201cMy experience as a gardener has taught me that nature resents our presence. (28).\u201d
\nIncorrect: Pollan writes, \u201cMy experience as a gardener has taught me that nature resents our presence.\u201d (28).
\n2. Place the citation at the end of the quotation if the quotation appears elsewhere in the sentence.
\nRobert Pogue Harrison, an Italian literature professor at Stanford University, writes about his fascination with New York
\nslum gardens, which are made up of \u201clargely random material such as toys, stuffed animals, flags, found objects, milk
\ncartons, recycled trash, piles of leaves\u201d (41); in other words, even though this gathering of items seems un-gardenly, it
\nretains the spirit of organization, presentation and creation that all gardens possess.
\n3. If, within the same sentence, you quote from the same source but from two different pages, then
\nprovide the page numbers in the citations after each quotation.
\nParker, arguing that gardening is a waste of time for most people, insists that we \u201cstill need gardens because they
\nremind us of our connection to the earth\u201d (21), an observation that he feels \u201cjustifies the ridiculously large gardening
\nindustry that makes its profits off selling plants to people who don\u2019t even bother to figure out how to keep them alive\u201d
\n(6).
\n4. When you integrate a quotation into your sentence and open and close it in order to add or
\nchange words, then place the citation at the end of the last part of the integrated quotation.
\nWe must not forget the \u201cdefining characteristic of the garden\u201d is that, \u201cin essence, it is an imposition on nature, one that
\nwill only sustain its imposition if one is willing to do the labor necessary to keep its form, its shape\u201d (Fitzgerald 79).
\n105 | P a g e
\nOther Things to Consider
\nIf you do not know the author\u2019s name, then use an abbreviated title and the page number if provided
\nArticle\uf0e0 \u201cGardening in the 21st Century: A Manual for the Newbie\u201d = (\u201cGardening in the 21st Century\u201d 15).
\nBook\uf0e0 A Rose Is a Rose Is a Rose if a Rose Is a Rose = (A Rose Is a Rose 94)
\nIf you do not know the author\u2019s name and the page number, then use an abbreviated title
\nArticle\uf0e0 \u201cGardening in the 21st Century: A Manual for the Newbie\u201d = (\u201cGardening in the 21st Century\u201d).
\nBook\uf0e0 A Rose Is a Rose Is a Rose if a Rose Is a Rose = (A Rose Is a Rose)
\nIf the article has an author but no page number, then only use the author\u2019s last name (Smith)
\nMultiple Authors \/ Authors with the Same Name
\n\uf0e0 If there are two authors for the source, then provide their last names. Ex: (Hunter and Garcia 15)
\n\uf0e0 If there are there or more authors, then only include the last name of the first listed author followed by \u201cet al.\u201d Ex:
\n(Weir et al. 38).
\n\uf0e0 If you should happen to encounter two different sources whose authors share the last name, then provide the first
\ninitial to indicate which one you have quoted. (J. Page 17) (B. Page 18)
\nQuoting from More Than One Source by the Same Author
\nIf you are quoting from more than one source by the same author, then provide a short abbreviation of the title of the
\nworks so that your reader can differentiate between them. You can also make it clear which source you are quoting by
\ngiving your reader this information in the sentence.
\nGreg Smith argues, in his book Tomatoes on the Frontline, that scientists \u201cneed to pay more attention
\nto the flavor of tomatoes\u201d (18). However, he later admits, in an article he wrote for The New York Times,
\nthat \u201cfarmers cannot just abandon these new advantages\u201d because they \u201cwill no longer be able to sustain
\na large enough yield to stay in business\u201d (\u201cYielding\u201d 5).
\nPlease note that, in each of these situations, you can either provide the name(s) in the context of the sentence or in the citation.
\nHowever, do not do both. And the page number, if known, must be included.
\nQuoting from Dictionaries (Print or Online)
\nWhen you provide a dictionary definition, I want you to provide a signal phrase that tells us which dictionary you used or
\nplace it in a citation at the end of the sentence.
\n\uf0e0Italicize titles of dictionaries (book or website)!!
\n\uf0e0Ex: One of the odder sounding words in the English language is flibbertigibbet, which means \u201ca chattering or flighty,
\nlight-headed person\u201d (dictionary.com).
\n\uf0e0Ex: One of the odder sounding words in the English language is flibbertigibbet, which means \u201ca chattering or flighty,
\nlight-headed person\u201d (Webster\u2019s College Dictionary).
\nIndirect Sources (a source referenced within a source)
\n\uf0e0 You are reading an article titled \u201cGarden Is Food\u201d written by Willy Weedman and come upon a quote from a different
\nwriter than the author of the article (in other words, the author of the article has quoted another writer). That writer\u2019s
\nname is Samuel Johnson. There are two ways to deal with quoting that source.
\n(a) Include the name of the writer that you are quoting in your signal sentence and then cite the source in the usual way
\nexcept, in this case, also add qtd.
\nSamuel Johnson argues that \u201cgardens are only good for growing herbs\u201d (qtd. In Weedmen 19).
\n(b) Do some extra research and find the actual source and include it as one of your required sources and then follow the
\ngeneral rules for citing that particular source.
\n106 | P a g e
\nDownloaded Online Files of Sources (e.g. pdfs and word docs)
\nIf you download an article \/ essay from an online resource (e.g. databases), then follow all the same rules as the printed
\nsources. These kinds of sources tend to have page numbers. Please note that you still need to follow the correct format
\nfor citing it as a web source in your works cited page. Refer to the examples in this course reader for more information.
\nWebsites or Articles Found through a Database and No Page Numbers Are Provided
\n\uf0e0 Typically, you cannot provide a page number for websites because, usually, they are not paginated.
\n\uf0e0 Typically, you will know the author\u2019s name and the title of the article. In these cases, you can either:
\n(a) mention the author\u2019s name in your sentence and then provide an abbreviated version of the title in the
\nparentheses.
\n\uf0e0 Swift argues that \u201ctomatoes are a juicy invitation to experience the soul of the salad\u201d (\u201cTomatoes from the
\nHeart\u201d)
\n\uf0e0 Note: the full title of the article is \u201cTomatoes from the Heart and Other Salad Observations\u201d and the author
\nis Benjamin Swift.
\n(b) provide the author\u2019s last name, a comma, and an abbreviated version of the title in the parentheses.
\n\uf0e0When one thinks about the flavorless tomato, one is reminded of \u201ca watery cup of weak coffee that seemed
\nto have promised a chance to begin the morning right but, instead, only provided a hot cup of dirty looking
\nwater\u201d (Winslet, Homegrown)
\n\uf0e0 Note: the full title of the book is Homegrown Secrets from My Garden and the author is Kate Winslet.
\nIn-text Citations: \u201cWhen\u201d and \u201cWhat\u201d to Put in the Parentheses
\n1. Note: Anything you provide in your sentence should not be included in the citation.
\n2. If your source has a page number and author, follow the rules outlined in Basic Formatting Rules for In-Text
\nCitations
\n3. If your source has no author or page numbers, follow the rules outlined in What to Do When There is No Author or
\nPage Number to Reference
\n4. If your source was found online, follow the rules outlined in In-text Citations for Online Sources
\n5. In order to decide whether you are supposed to include the author\u2019s last name in the citation or not, look at the net
\npage: Citing Sources in Your Essay as You Move Between Different Sources
\n107 | P a g e
\nCiting Sources in Your Essay as You Move Between Different Sources
\nSTEP ONE: First Time You Quote from a Source
\n\uf0e0 Ask Yourself if your reader needs to know (a) the author\u2019s full name, (b) something relevant about the author, (c) the
\ntitle of the source, (d) something relevant about that source (context for the source).
\n\uf0e0 None of these are required\u2014but each is worth considering, and, often, you should consider including this information
\nin order to build context and relevance for your quotation. Refer, in this Course Reader, to the sections about MLA:
\nIntegrating Sources for different methods to contextualize and set up your quotations.
\n\uf0e0 You are, however, REQUIRED to include, at the very least, the author\u2019s last name and the page number (if known).
\nRefer to the previous sections for those sources in which you do not know the page number or author.
\n\uf0e0 Always place the page number in the citation (parentheses). Do not include the page number in your sentence.
\nThe source for these examples is a book titled The Rise of the Corporate Farm by James Fortini
\nExample One (Full Name, Something Relevant about the Author)
\nJames Fortini, a Botanist and author who explores how the rise of corporate farms have led to an increase in flavorless
\ntomatoes, writes about \u201chow these large farms are far more concerned with how the tomato looks at the supermarket
\nthan how it tastes in your salad\u201d (145).
\nExample Two (Title of the Source, Author\u2019s Full Name)
\nIn his book The Rise of the Corporate Farm, James Fortini writes about \u201chow these large farms are far more concerned
\nwith how the tomato looks at the supermarket than how it tastes in your salad\u201d (145).
\nExample Three (Title of the Source, Something Relevant about the Source to Provide Context, Author\u2019s Full Name)
\nIn The Rise of the Corporate Farm, which chronicles how the rise of corporate farms have led to an increase in flavorless
\ntomatoes, James Fortini writes, \u201cthese large farms are far more concerned with how the tomato looks at the supermarket
\nthan how it tastes in your salad\u201d (145).
\nExample Four (Minimum Requirement Placed in the Citation \u2013 Author\u2019s Last Name, Page Number)
\nIn the twentieth century, the rise of corporate farms led to an increase in flavorless tomatoes; moreover, \u201cthese large
\nfarms\u201d have become \u201cfar more concerned with how the tomato looks at the supermarket than how it tastes in your
\nsalad\u201d (Fortini 145).
\nImportant: Please keep in mind that if you choose not to provide the author\u2019s full name and\/or the title of the source the
\nfirst time you quote from it, then do not provide that information later in the essay if you quote from that source again.
\nSTEP TWO: Each Subsequent Time You Quote from That Source
\nHow you cite a source when you quote from it again depends on
\n(a) Whether you have not quoted from an alternate source before quoting from this source again
\n(b) Whether you have quoted from an alternate source since quoting from this source
\nA. You have Not Quoted from an Alternate Source Before Quoting from This Source Again
\nIf you have not quoted from any alternate sources before quoting this source, then, if you know the page number, you
\nonly need to provide that in the citation. If you do not know the page number, then you need to follow one of the
\nexceptions listed below. Consider the following to help you decide what to include.
\n\uf0e0 If you know the author, title and page number, then only use the page number \uf0e0 (149)
\nFull Source = A book titled: The Rise of the Corporate Farm by James Fortini
\n\uf0e0 If you know the author and title but not the page number, then use only the author\u2019s last name \uf0e0 (Parker)
\nFull Source = An article titled: \u201cThe Tomato and the Radioactive Spider\u201d by Peter Parker (no page numbers)
\n\uf0e0 If you know the title but not the author and page number, then use only an abbreviated title \uf0e0 (\u201cTomatoes Today\u201d)
\nFull Source = An article titled: \u201cTomatoes Today: Appearance Trumps Flavor\u201d (No author stated \/ No page numbers)
\n108 | P a g e
\nB. You Have Quoted from an Alternate Source Since Quoting from This Source Again
\n\uf0e0You know the author, title and page number = last name + page number\uf0e0 (Fortini 37)
\nFull Source = A book titled: The Rise of the Corporate Farm by James Fortini
\n\uf0e0You know the author and title but not the page number = last name\uf0e0 (Parker)
\nFull Source = An article titled: \u201cThe Tomato and the Radioactive Spider\u201d by Peter Parker (no page numbers)
\n\uf0e0You know the title and page number but not the author = abbreviated title + page number\uf0e0 (\u201c21st Century Tomato\u201d 3)
\nFull Source = An article titled: \u201cThe 21st Century Tomato: Say Goodbye to Flavor\u201d (No author \u2013 But Has Page Numbers)
\n\uf0e0You know the title but not the author and page number = abbreviated title \uf0e0 (\u201cTomatoes Today\u201d)
\nFull Source = An article titled: \u201cTomatoes Today: Appearance Trumps Flavor\u201d (No author stated \/ No page numbers)
\n\uf0e0 Remember: whatever you include in your sentence do not include in the citation (the parentheses)
\n\uf0e0 When you quote from a previously quoted source, you can use the author\u2019s last name in the sentence if you wish.
\nExample One (Author\u2019s Last Name Mentioned in the Sentence)
\nFortini builds on his previous claim about this unacceptable trade off by suggesting we \u201cmight then consider purchasing our
\ntomatoes directly from the farm or, at the very least, from a Farmer\u2019s Market\u201d (149).
\nExample Two (Author\u2019s last Name NOT Mentioned in Sentence)
\nSince large corporate farms seem determined to continue to choose the appearance of the tomato over its flavor, we
\n\u201cmight then consider purchasing our tomatoes directly from the farm or, at the very least, from a Farmer\u2019s Market\u201d (Fortni
\n149).
\nExample of Citing Sources in Your Essay as You Move Between Different Sources
\nPlease note that, for the sake of providing an example, I have used more quotations than you should EVER include in a
\nparagraph. DO NOT INCLUDE THIS MANY QUOTATIONS IN A PARAGRAPH!
\n———————————————
\nKate Winslet, in her book Homegrown Secrets from My Garden, reminds us that tomatoes, when grown in the home, are
\nfilled with a flavor that reminds one of \u201cchildhood summer days spent frolicking in the hot summer sun\u201d (14). Indeed,
\ncommercial tomatoes, which taste like little more than water, used to be \u201cas sweet as one\u2019s memories of grandfathers who
\ngardened and grandmothers who baked\u201d (16). Nowadays, however, as Robinson Smith suggests in his article \u201cGenetic Art:
\nThe Death of Flavor,\u201d tomatoes look like beautiful \u201cred clusters of genetically engineered art\u201d (12), but taste like \u201cplastic
\nbags filled with water and seeds\u201d (19). All of this suggests that consumers are far more interested in the appearance than
\nthe taste of the tomato, a point that Fergie Fergussen, in her posthumous autobiography, agrees with when she says, \u201cwe
\nhave surrendered the perfection of the summer flavor that seems to spill from the homegrown tomato, regardless of how
\nrough around the edges it may be, for the plasticity of the store bought tomato, which taunts us with its illusionary
\nperfection as if it had undergone plastic surgery but we are just too tired to notice\u201d (89). We must never forget \u201cnature
\nherself knows how to produce the fullest, sweetest flavor better than any of us\u201d (Winslet 29), so if it is flavor we wish to
\npreserve, we should leave that to Mother Nature. Moreover, we must never let go of the fact that \u201cindustry only wishes to
\nturn a profit,\u201d so if we wish to encourage modern farmers to return to more natural methods, we can send \u201ca message that
\nwe no longer want flavorless tomatoes by no longer buying them\u201d (modernagriculture.com). The choice can still belong to
\nthe consumer.
\nSources Used in the Paragraph
\n1. A book\uf0e0 Homegrown Secrets from My Garden, by Kate Winslet
\n2. An article \uf0e0 \u201cGenetic Art: The Death of Flavor\u201d by Robinson Smith. The article– which was published in a journal and
\nlater electronically stored– was downloaded from a database as a pdf.
\n3. An eBook\uf0e0 Gardeners Never Cry by Fergie Fergussen
\n4. A source with no title and no author found on the following website\uf0e0
\nhttps:\/\/monkessays.com\/write-my-essay\/modernagriculture.com\/stuff\/what?\/@35674%%$#000000456790@00000
\nNote: Even though sources 2 and 3 come from electronic and\/or online sources, when citing them in-text, you still use author
\nand page number. You will need to specify the nature of the source in your works cited page.
\n109 | P a g e
\nFormatting the Works Cited Page: Italicizing Sources or Using \u201cQuotation Marks\u201d
\n(These conventions apply when you use the titles in the text of your essay and the works cited page)
\nI. Italicize the following titles of the following types of sources (MLA convention no longer accepts underlining for titles)
\nMovies: Avatar, The Thin Red Line, The Godfather, Mulholland Drive, When Harry Met Sally
\nBooks: The Oxford English Dictionary, Walden, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
\nTV Shows\/Radio Programs: Lost, Survivor, Twin Peaks, 60 Minutes, Fresh Air
\nMagazines: People, Time, Rolling Stone, Teen, Cosmopolitan, Vogue
\nNewspapers: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor
\nWebsites When Used as Sources: nytimes.org, wikipedia.org, ccsf.edu
\nPlays: Waiting for Godot, Death of a Salesman, Romeo and Juliet
\nAlbums\/CDs: American Beauty, Natty Dread, After the Goldrush, Blood on the Tracks
\nPamphlets: New Developments in AIDS Research, Common Sense
\nFamous Speeches: Letter from Birmingham Jail, The Gettysburg Address
\nNames of Vehicles: The U.S.S. Enterprise, Titanic, Challenger
\nNote: Sacred Texts such as The Bible or The Koran are neither underlined nor italicized unless you are referring to a
\nspecific published edition (e.g. The King James Bible, The New Riverside Koran).
\nII. Use quotation marks for the titles of the following sources
\nEssays\/Articles: \u201cGardening Means War,\u201d \u201cTwo Gardens\u201d
\n(Exception to the rule: if the essay is lengthy, such as, for example. Emerson\u2019s Nature, then italicize it)
\nPoems: \u201cNothing Gold Can Stay,\u201d \u201cBlackberry Picking,\u201d \u201cA Dream Deferred\u201d
\n(Exception to the rule: if the poem is lengthy, such as, for example. Milton\u2019s Paradise Lost, then italicize it)
\nSong Titles: \u201cJumping Jack Flash,\u201d \u201cIn My Life,\u201d \u201cNo Woman, No Cry\u201d \u201cMoondance\u201d
\nShort Story Titles: “A Rose for Emily,” “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” “Araby”
\nCapitalize all the words in the title except for the following words:
\n\uf0e0Articles (the, a, an) unless it is the first word of the title
\n\uf0e0Prepositions (of, in, on, for, etc.) unless it is the first word of the title
\n\uf0e0Conjunctions (and, or, etc.) unless it is the first word of the title
\nExceptions to the Rules
\n\uf0e0 If the original title capitalizes words that are normally not capitalized, then capitalize those words.
\n\uf0e0 If the original title does not capitalize words that are normally capitalized, then do not capitalize those words
\n110 | P a g e
\nFormatting the Works Cited Page (Bibliography)
\nThe in-text citation is a shorthand reference to the works cited page, where you provide all the required
\ninformation (all of which makes it as easy possible for your readers to find the source themselves so they
\ncan read more if they wish). The Works Cited page is also sometimes referred to as the \u201cBibliography.\u201d
\nThey are both the same (I personally like \u201cWorks Cited\u201d). Some students also include a \u201cWorks
\nConsulted\u201d list, which is reserved for those sources that you may have looked over but never actually used
\nin your essay. Such a list, in some people\u2019s eyes, adds more authority to your work because it indicates
\nthe full breadth of sources you considered during your research. I\u2019ll be honest and say that for most
\nsources, one of the best ways to format your citation is to use one of the many online sources that will
\nformat the information for you. However, these citation engines do not cover all of the possible sources
\nthat you might be using. Fortunately, this information is available from a wide variety of sources online,
\nso, if you are confused, some quick online research will yield many websites that can show you exactly
\nhow to format the citation (for all the different formats, MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). The course reader, in
\nthe pages that follow, includes directions for and examples of a few of the most common sources you will
\nlikely use.
\nFormatting Rules
\n1. Organize the list of works in alphabetical order by author\u2019s last name.
\n2. If the author is not known, then use the title. It should be alphabetized along with the authors\u2019 last
\nnames. If the title begins with the, a, or an\u2014 disregard it and use the next word. For example, if the
\ntitle is \u201cA New Approach to Genetics,\u201d then alphabetize according to the word New.
\n3. If the title and author is not known\u2014 and the source is a website\u2014 then begin the citation with the
\nwebsite title. If the website title begins with the, a, or an\u2014 disregard it and use the next word. For
\nexample, if the website title is The Genetics World, then alphabetize according to the word Genetics.
\nItalicize the website title. This very uncommon.
\n4. If your citation fills up more than one line, then indent each subsequent line of the citation five
\nspaces. See the example on the next page
\n5. Do not number the sources. See the example on the next page
\n6. You can double space or not. I leave that choice up to you; however, other teachers may have their
\nown specific preferences.
\n7. When listing two or more sources by the same author, replace the author\u2019s last name with three
\nhyphens and a period\uf0e0 —. \uf0df and then alphabetize the sources according to the title. See the
\nexamples on the next page.
\nA works cited page NEVER counts toward your minimum page requirements!
\n———————————————————————————–
\n111 | P a g e
\nSAMPLE WORKS CITED PAGE
\nWorks Cited
\nCyrus, Miley. Personal Interview. 17 April 2018.
\n\u201cA Disturbing Tomato Mutation.\u201d YouTube, uploaded by TomatoYucker, 6 June 2016,
\nwww.youtube.com\/watch?v=WBlpjSEtELs. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.
\nFitzgerald, William. \u201cThe Impermanence of Order: The True Nature of Gardens.\u201d English 1A Course
\nReader, edited by Nathan Wirth, Nathan\u2019s Mind Inc., 2019. pp. 78-81.
\n\u201cThe Future of the Tomato.\u201d Future Genetics 24 Dec. 2012,
\nfuturegenetics.com\/articles\/@34567%&00004\/futuregentics.htm. Accessed 2 May 2018.
\nGrizzly Man. Dir. Werner Herzog. Lions Gate Films, 2005.
\nPollan, Michael. The Botany of Desire. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2001.
\n—. \u201cGardening Means War.\u201d English 1A Course Reader, edited by Nathan Wirth, Nathan\u2019s
\nMind Inc., 2020, pp. 87-89.
\nRoma, Allan. Tomatoes in Crisis. Binghamton UP, 2003. eBook.
\nSalsa, Frances Spicy. The Death of Flavor: Modern Practices in Farming. Chronicle Books, 2001.
\nTomatillo, Arthur. \u201cGenetics and Your Food.\u201d New Science, 12 June 2004, pp 85-96.
\n—. \u201cGenetics for the Future.\u201d Genetics Today & Tomorrow, vol. 48, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96.
\nProQuest, doi:10.1017\/S0018246X06005966. Accessed 17 April 2018.
\n—. \u201cA Historical Look at Genetics,\u201d Science Forward. 14 December 2006, scienceforward.org\/
\narticles\/geneticstoday.htm. Accessed 21 April 2018.
\n112 | P a g e
\nBasic Formatting for Common Sources
\n(A) Common Print Sources
\n(1) Book with One Author
\nBasic Format
\nLast Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date. \uf0df follow the exact format (including punctuation)
\nExample
\nPollan, Michael. The Botany of Desire. Random House, 2001.
\n\uf0e0 Note: If the book was published before 1900, the publishing house has offices in multiple countries, or if it is
\nobscure publishing house, you should include the city of publication.
\nBasic Format
\nLast Name, First Name. Title of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
\nExample
\nMiser, Randy. The Man Who Would Be a God. Philadelphia, Perplexia Press, 1876.
\n\uf0e0 Note: If the book has an editor, then include this information after the title of the book.
\nBasic Format
\nLast Name, First Name. Title of Book. edited by First Name Last Name, Publisher, Publication Date.
\nThe book The Many Lives of My Life written by Johnathan Harker and edited by James T. Kirk would be formatted as \uf0e0
\nHarker, Johnathan. The Many Lives of My Life. edited by James T. Kirk, Voyageur Press, 2004.
\n(2) Book with two authors (choose the same order as shown in the book. The first author\u2019s name should be formatted
\nlast name, first name and the second author\u2019s name should be in normal order.
\nThe book Bringing Up Chaos by John Zabriskie and William Holden would be formatted as \uf0e0
\nZabriskie, John and William Holden. Bringing Up Chaos. Island Press, 1976.
\n(3) Book with three or more authors (list the first author\u2019s name\u2014last name, first name\u2014 and then use a comma
\nfollowed with et al. to represent the rest of the author\u2019s names).
\nThe book Our Lives as Mountain Goats by Mary Masterson, Jonathan Harker and Jose Saramango would be formatted
\nas\uf0e0
\nMasterson, Mary, et al. Our Lives as Mountain Goats. Yale UP, 1995.
\n(4) A Source found in an Anthology or Collection
\nBasic Format
\nLast Name, First Name. \u201cTitle of Essay.\u201d Title of Anthology, edited by Name(s) of Editor(s), Publisher,
\nPublication Date. page range of entry (use p. for single page or pp. for two or more pages)
\nIf the article (a) is titled \u201cA Poet Looks Back at His Trees,\u201d (b) is written by William Williamson and (c) comes from pages
\n114-129 in a book titled Writers in Their Gardens, which is (d) edited by Marianne Wilson, that book would be formatted
\nas\uf0e0
\nWilliamson, William. \u201cA Poet Looks Back at His Trees.\u201d Writers in Their Gardens, edited by Marianne
\nWilson, Penguin, 2011, pp. 114-129.
\n113 | P a g e
\n(B) Common Online Sources
\n(1) A Page \/ Article Found on a Website
\nLast Name, First Name. \u201cTitle of Article.\u201d Name of Site. Publisher Name (if given), Date Published, URL, Date You
\nAccessed Source.
\nGarcia, Jerry. \u201cMy Life as a Bowl of Chili.\u201d oddStories, 14 Aug. 2017, www.oddstories.com\/life-asfood\/
\ngarcia.htm. Accessed 17 Jan 2020.
\nNote: sometimes some of this information is not available. List what the site offers. If there was no author for this article,
\nthen the listing would look like this:
\n\u201cMy Life as a Bowl of Chili.\u201d oddStories, 14 Aug. 2017, www.oddstories.com\/life-as-food\/garcia.htm.
\nAccessed 17 Jan 2020.
\nWhen you include the URL, omit the http:\/\/ or https:\/\/
\n(2) Article from a Web Magazine (or Newspaper)
\nLast Name, First Name. \u201cArticle Name.\u201d Title of Web Magazine. Publisher Name (if given), Publication Date, URL, Date You
\nAccessed Source.
\nMiller, Lee. \u201cWhen Tomatoes Come Home to Roost.\u201d Modern Farmer. Farmani Inc., 15 Nov 1991,
\nmodernfarmer.com\/articles\/tomatoesroost.htm, Accessed 4 Apr 2020.
\n(3) A source from an online Database (e.g. ProQuest, JSTOR, Ebsco Host, LexisNexis, Gale, etc.)
\n95% of the time, the database offers readers a link to the correctly MLA formatted citation. Use that link to copy and
\npaste the information into your works cited page.
\nLook for the following Information (not all of these will be provided or relevant to your source):
\n1. Author and\/or editor names (if available); last names first.
\n2. “Article name in quotation marks”
\n3. Title of the website, project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees), or book in italics.
\n4. Any version numbers available, including editions (ed.), revisions, posting dates, volumes (vol.), or issue numbers
\n(no.).
\n5. Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date.
\n6. Take note of any page numbers (p. or pp.) or paragraph numbers (par. or pars.).
\n7. *DOI (if available), otherwise a URL (without the http:\/\/ or https:\/\/) or permalink.
\n8. Date you accessed the material (Date Accessed). While not required, saving this information it is highly
\nrecommended, especially when dealing with pages that change frequently or do not have a visible copyright date.
\nStevens Ruth S., et. al. \u201cSelf-Service Holds in Libraries: Is Patron Privacy Being Sacrificed for Patron
\nConvenience?\u201d Reference & User Services Quarterly, vol. 52, no. 1, American Library Association,
\nFall 2012, pp. 33-34. JSTOR, www.jstor.org\/stable\/refuseserq.52.1.33. Accessed 12 Dec. 2019.
\n* A DOI, or Digital Object Identifier, is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to permanently identify an article or
\ndocument and link to it on the web. A DOI will help your reader easily locate a document from your citation. Think of it
\nlike a Social Security number for the article you\u2019re citing \u2014 it will always refer to that article, and only that one.
\n114 | P a g e
\nPunctuation: Commas, Semicolons, Colons, and Dashes
\nA. Commas: Contrary to common belief, commas have little to do with (1) the length of the sentence
\ndetermining a need for a comma or (2) the feeling that one needs to pause\u2014 nor are commas mysterious in
\nnature. They serve a very valuable and very specific purpose. They separate elements in a sentence and keep
\nthem from crashing into each other. This is not an exhaustive list of comma usage but should be a good start.
\nI. Use commas to join independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction.
\nIndependent Clause #1 CC Independent Clause #2
\nMary Oliver often writes about the presence of the sacred in nature, but she never mentions god.
\nDO NOT FORGET \u2013 if you are using And, But, Or, Yet and your sentences share the same subject, you can drop the
\nsecond subject, BUT you must also drop the comma (because the coordinating conjunction now serves as the
\njoining element between two verb phrases).
\nIndependent Clause #1 CC Independent Clause #2
\nJohn purchased several new books for his best friend, but he decided to keep them all for himself.
\nSubject Verb Phrase #1 CC Verb Phrase #2
\nJohn purchased several new books for his best friend but decided to keep them all for himself.
\nDO NOT FORGET \u2013 or be confused by the difference between a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet,
\nso) and a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, nevertheless, moreover, etc.). The conjunctive adverbs have
\ntheir own rules. See the section about them earlier in the course reader:
\n\uf0e0 John purchased several new books for his best friend, but he decided to keep them all for himself.
\n\uf0e0 John purchased several new books for his best friend; however, he decided to keep them all for himself.
\nII. Introductory Elements: when you include dependent clauses, various phrases, and conjunctive adverbs
\nbefore am independent clause, you should use a comma to mark the boundary between the elements (thus
\nseparating the introductory element from the subject of the independent clause)
\n1. Use a comma after an introductory subordinate clause [SC + , + IC].
\nSubordinate Clause Independent Clause
\nAfter a consumer notices the image in an advertisement, the advertiser can then deliver the information for the
\nproduct through the text.
\nDO NOT FORGET \u2013 when the subordinate clause comes after the independent clause, do not use a comma (the
\nmajority of the time).
\n2. Use a comma after most introductory phrases
\na. Transitional Phrases (e.g. on the one hand, for example, on the contrary, in other words, etc.
\nOn the other hand, John cannot be trusted with keeping track of his own money.
\nb. Verbal Phrases
\nConsidering his options carefully, John searched through the latest class schedule.
\nc. Prepositional Phrases (generally speaking, only longer ones)
\nAfter a long and critically well-received career, the brilliant actress never received an Academy Award.
\nd. Noun Phrase Appositives
\nA strange and oddly dressed man, the young plumber waited for his opportunity for a makeover.
\ne. Absolute Phrases
\nHis procrastination stronger than ever, the young student went dancing instead of finishing his essay.
\n3. Use a comma after conjunctive adverbs at the beginning of an independent clause.
\n\uf0e0 Generally, reading as much as possible will help you grow as a writer.
\n\uf0e0 However, we must look at the issue more carefully.
\n115 | P a g e
\nIII. Interrupting Elements: As you become more confident with your writing and learn how to comfortably
\ninclude elements that add detail and modify elements in your sentences (all of which have been covered in this
\nreader), you will need to pay close attention to where and how they interrupt and modify elements of your
\nsentences. In general, elements that interrupt an independent clause with additional information should be offset
\nwith commas. If the element appears at the end of the sentence, you should precede it with a comma.
\nWhile not one hundred percent foolproof, if you can remove the interrupting element and the sentence is still
\nclear, you should use commas to offset the element.
\n1. Use a comma to offset non-restrictive adjective clauses (adj clause) in a clause.
\nThe Sutro Baths, which were developed by the self-made millionaire Adolph Sutro, burned in 1966.
\nDO NOT FORGET: Non-restrictive clauses add extra, additional detail to the clauses they modify while restrictive
\nclauses identify the nouns they modify (and you do not separate them with commas). Also\u2014do not forget the rule
\nthat adjective clauses which begin with that are ALWAYS restrictive.
\n2. Use a comma to offset a transitional phrase in a clause.
\nJohn, in other words, cannot be trusted with keeping track of his own money.
\nJohn cannot be trusted with keeping track of his own money, for example.
\n3. Use a comma to offset a verbal phrase in a clause.
\nJohn, determined to find the most interesting classes, searched through the latest school schedule.
\nJohn searched through the latest class schedule, looking for classes to fit his work schedule.
\n4. Use a comma to offset prepositional phrases (generally speaking, only longer ones)
\nThe brilliant actress, after a long and critically well-received career, never received an Academy Award.
\n5. Use a comma to offset an absolute phrase in a clause.
\nThe young student, his procrastination stronger than ever, went dancing instead of finishing his essay.
\nThe young studen went dancing instead of finishing his essay, his procrastination stronger than ever.
\n6. Use a comma to offset a noun phrase appositive in a clause.
\nThe young plumber, an odd and strangely dressed man, waited for his opportunity for a makeover.
\nThe hairdresser offered the young plumber her most minimal hairstyle, a clean-shaven head.
\n7. Use a comma to offset a conjunctive adverb in a clause.
\nReading as much as possible will, generally, help you grow as a writer.
\nReading as much as possible will help you grow as a writer, generally.
\nWe, however, must look at the issue more carefully.
\nWe must, however, look at the issue more carefully
\nwe must look at the issue more carefully, however.
\n8. Use a comma to offset negation in a clause.
\nI want a new car, not another vacuum cleaner, for my anniversary gift.
\nI want a new car for my anniversary gift, not another vacuum cleaner.
\n116 | P a g e
\nIV. Separating Elements in a List: In general, when you use three or more of the same like grammatical
\nstructure, separate them with a commas and a coordinating conjunction (X, Y, and Z):
\nHortense cried, screamed, and wailed after receiving an F in her basket weaving class.
\nJohn, Bill, and Horatio sang in the school choir throughout their years in high school.
\nBilly received several new video games, a complete set of Star Wars DVDs, and a handful of books for Christmas.
\nJohn pondered his options, considered some potential reactions, and prepared a plan.
\nAfter considering his options carefully, creating a plan of action, and setting it in motion, John went to bed early.
\nTHE OXFORD COMMA refers to the comma between the second to last item in the series and the coordinating
\nconjunction:
\n\uf0e0 We invited the teachers, Billy, and Sammy.
\nIf we use the Oxford comma then it is clear that you are inviting three different persons (1) some teachers, (2)
\nsomeone named Billy, and (3) someone named Sammy. If you remove the Oxford comma, then you end up with
\nthe following\uf0e0 We invited the teachers, Billy and Sammy.
\nNow, who, exactly, is being invited is no longer clear. It might still be (1) some teachers, (2) someone named Billy,
\nand (3) someone named Sammy\u2014BUT without that comma it also looks like Billy and Sammy are noun phrases
\nappositives and, thus, those are the names of the teachers being invited. Here is an unfortunate example of the
\nproblem, which comes from a description of a documentary about the actor Peter Ustinov:
\n\u2026 highlights of the global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old
\ndemigod and a dildo collector.
\nWithout the Oxford comma, the sentence seems to be saying that the famous South African leader was an 800-
\nyear-old demigod and a collector of dildos. If you include the Oxford comma then it is clear that Peter Ustinov, in his
\nstoried life, encountered (1) Mandela, (2) an 800-year-old demigod, and (3) a dildo collector.
\nSo \u2026 what does one do and does one have to use the Oxford comma. The answers are: (1) you do not have to use
\nthe Oxford comma and (2) to avoid unfortunate mistakes, pay attention to what you have written and use the
\nOxford comma whenever your sentence is unclear without it.
\nV. Using Two or More Adjectives before a Noun
\nSometimes, when we are describing the nouns in our sentences, we add more than one adjective in front of a given
\nnoun. Sometimes we separate those adjectives with a coordinating conjunction; sometimes we separate them with
\na comma, and sometimes we do not separate them. The correct choice is bound to the difference between
\ncoordinate adjectives and cumulative adjectives.
\nCoordinate Adjectives
\nCoordinate adjectives are two or more adjectives that are equally important. Most helpfully, their order can be
\nreversed or moved around. You can either separate them with commas or use a coordinating conjunction
\n\uf0e8 The tall, clueless, awkward man smashed his head on the cupboard door.
\n\uf0e8 The awkward, tall, clueless man smashed his head on the cupboard door.
\n\uf0e8 The tall, clueless, and awkward man smashed his head on the cupboard door
\nCumulative Adjectives
\nCumulative Adjectives are not equally important, and, as a result, their order cannot be reversed. DO NOT USE
\ncommas to separate cumulative adjectives.
\n\uf0e8 John finds old wooden rollercoasters equally fun and terrifying. \uf0df CORRECT
\nYou cannot reverse the order of the cumulative adjectives old wooden:
\n\uf0e8 John finds wooden old rollercoasters equally fun and exciting. \uf0df INCORRECT
\n117 | P a g e
\nVI. Other Comma Use
\n1. Use a comma before introducing a quotation:
\n\uf0e8 Neil deGrasse Tyson once said, \u201cthe only people who still call hurricanes acts of God are the people who
\nwrite insurance forms.\u201d
\n2. Use a comma to separate each element in an address.
\n\uf0e8 I work at 50 Frida Kahlo Way, San Francisco, CA. 94112
\n3. Use a comma after a city-state, city-country combination within a sentence.
\n\uf0e8 I would like to someday retire in Seattle, Washington.
\n\uf0e8 I have always wanted to visit Paris, France.
\n4. Use a comma to separate the elements in a full date (weekday, month and day, and year). Also separate a
\ncombination of those elements from the rest of the sentence with commas.
\n\uf0e8 “March 15, 2013, was a strange day.
\n\uf0e8 Friday, March 15, 2013, was a strange day.
\n\uf0e8 Friday, March 15, was a strange day.”
\nDo NOT add a comma when the sentence mentions only the month and year.
\n\uf0e8 March 2013 was a strange month.
\n5. Use a comma when directly addressing someone in a sentence
\n\uf0e8 My dear readers, you need to look more deeply into the language our current president uses.
\nNot doing so can lead to unfortunate mistakes:
\n\uf0e8 Let\u2019s eat grandma. \uf0df a call for cannibalism
\n\uf0e8 Let\u2019s eat, grandma. \uf0df an invitation from you to your grandmother to sit down and eat a meal together
\nOther Punctuation Marks
\nI. The Semicolon
\n1. Use the semicolon to link two independent clauses that are VERY closely related in thought (better\u2014 use a
\njoining word)
\n\uf0e8 Some writers still use a typewriter; most use a word processor.
\n2. Use the semicolon to join two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb or transitional phrase
\n\uf0e8 John knew he needed to study in order to pass the test; however, he went out dancing anyway.
\n3. Use the semicolon to separate phrases or lists that contain internal punctuation or are very long.
\n\uf0e8 My plan was to take her to a nice, but not overly expensive, dinner; go to the beach to gaze at the
\nnighttime stars, which, by the way, shine brightly this time of year; and end the evening by serenading
\nhim with my Theremin.
\n\uf0e8 I need traffic data for the following international cities: London, Ontario; Paris, France; Paris, Ontario;
\nPerth, Scotland; Perth, Ontario.
\nII. The Dash
\n1. Consider using the dash to set off a series in the middle or end of a sentence.
\n\uf0e0 All four cities\u2014 New York, Paris, London, and Amsterdam\u2014 have amazing art museums.
\n\uf0e0 To improve our health, we should try to eat only healthy foods\u2014vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and
\nnuts.
\n118 | P a g e
\n2. Consider using the dash to set off information for emphasis
\n\uf0e0 Everything I saw in my old neighborhood\u2014from the carousel to the park benches, bookstores and
\nbars\u2014reminded me of my ex-wife.
\n3. Consider using it when you have a series of clauses that interrupt the subject and verb
\n\uf0e0 John\u2014 a well-known and reliable doctor who had a perfect success record until last night, a
\nconscientious and caring physician that always made his patients feel at ease\u2014 showed up to surgery
\ndrunk and left his patient to die on the operating table.
\nIII. The Colon
\n1. Lists\/series: We covered many of the fundamentals this semester: grammar, punctuation, style, and voice.
\n2. Full sentence before a quote: Shakespeare explained it well: \u201cTo thine own self be true.\u201d
\n3. Example\/explanation example: Many graduate students discover that there is a dark side to academia: late
\nnights, high stress, and a crippling addiction to caffeinated beverage
\nPunctuation When Using Quotation Marks
\nCommas, periods, question marks and exclamation points go inside the quotation marks.
\nIncorrect: My favorite Robert Frost poem is \u201cThe Road Not Taken\u201d.
\nCorrect: My favorite Robert Frost poem is \u201cThe Road Not Taken.\u201d
\nIncorrect: My favorite Robert Frost poem is \u201cThe Road Not Taken\u201d, but I am also very fond of \u201cDesign\u201d.
\nCorrect: My favorite Robert Frost poem is \u201cThe Road Not Taken,\u201d but I am also very fond of \u201cDesign.\u201d
\nException to the rule: When you are citing a quotation, the sentence ending punctuation follows the citation
\n(parentheses).
\nExample: Frost realizes that someday he \u201cshall be telling this with a sigh\u201d (10).
\nColons, semi-colons, and dashes go outside the quotation marks
\nFrost beings the poem with the following lines: \u201cNature\u2019s first green is gold \/ her hardest hue to hold\u201d; in other
\nwords, the very first green of nature\u2014 those tender beginnings of the first leaf that sprouts from a tree after a
\nlong winter\u2014 only lasts for the briefest of moments (1-2).
\n119 | P a g e
\nFaulty Parallel Structure Source: The OWL at Purdue (https:\/\/owl.english.purdue.edu\/).
\nParallel Structure
\nParallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of
\nimportance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level. The usual way to join parallel structures is with
\nthe use of coordinating conjunctions such as “and” or “or.”
\nWords and Phrases
\nWith the -ing form of words: Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and bicycling.
\nWith infinitive phrases: Parallel: Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.
\nOR
\nMary likes to hike, swim, and ride a bicycle.
\n(Note: You can use “to” before all the verbs in a sentence or only before the first one.)
\nDo not mix forms.
\nNot Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle.
\nParallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle.
\nNot Parallel: The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and in a detailed way.
\nParallel: The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and thoroughly.
\nNot Parallel: The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the
\nexam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and his motivation was low.
\nParallel: The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the
\nexam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and lacked motivation.
\nClauses: A parallel structure that begins with clauses must keep on with clauses. Changing to another pattern or
\nchanging the voice of the verb (from active to passive or vice versa) will break the parallelism.
\nNot Parallel: The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and
\nto do some warm-up exercises before the game.
\nParallel: The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and that
\nthey should do some warm-up exercises before the game. 0r \uf0e0
\nParallel: The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, not eat too much, and do some warm-up
\nexercises before the game.
\nNot Parallel: The salesman expected that he would present his product at the meeting, that there would be time for
\nhim to show his slide presentation, and that questions would be asked by prospective buyers. \uf0dfpassive
\nParallel: The salesman expected that he would present his product at the meeting, that there would be time for
\nhim to show his slide presentation, and that prospective buyers would ask him questions.
\nLists After a Colon: Be sure to keep all the elements in a list in the same form.
\nNot Parallel: The dictionary can be used to find these: word meanings, pronunciations, correct spellings, and
\nlooking up irregular verbs.
\nParallel: The dictionary can be used to find these: word meanings, pronunciations, correct spellings, and irregular
\nverbs.
\nProofreading Strategies to Try
\n\u2022 Skim your paper, pausing at the words “and” and “or.” Check on each side of these words to see whether the
\nitems joined are parallel. If not, make them parallel.
\n\u2022 If you have several items in a list, put them in a column to see if they are parallel.
\nListen to the sound of the items in a list or the items being compared. Do you hear the same kinds of sounds? For
\nexample, is there a series of “-ing” words beginning each item? Or do your hear a rhythm being repeated? If
\nsomething is breaking that rhythm or repetition of sound, check to see if it needs to be made parallel.
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\nPlagiarism
\nAny use of someone else\u2019s words or ideas without explicit and complete documentation and acknowledgement.
\nDeliberate Plagiarism:
\n1) Buying another person\u2019s work or soliciting another to do work for you.
\n2) Misrepresenting sources: making up information \/ sources or finding information in one source and attributing it to
\nanother. Also, citing sources which have not been consulted is considered deliberate plagiarism. 3) Passing off the
\nwork of other writers as your own\u2014entire articles, paragraphs, sentences, phrases, and even ideas.
\nNon-Deliberate Plagiarism (Incorrect Attribution of Sources)
\n1) Confusing the distinctions between quoting and paraphrasing
\n2) Not using appropriate citation formats (refer to this reader for all the rules and conventions)
\nOther Forms of Plagiarism:
\n1) Submitting a paper written for another class or for another assignment without permission from the instructors
\n(self-plagiarism). 2) Allowing a friend or tutor to add text to your paper (feedback from friends \/ tutors is encouraged,
\nbut all words in the paper should ultimately be your own).
\nQuick Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism
\n(1) Place all quoted material in quotation marks. (2) Correctly identify sources from which you paraphrase or
\nsummarize. (3) Give credit for the creative ideas you borrow from a source, including particular uses of anecdotes or
\nexamples. (4) When paraphrasing and summarizing, replace the structure of the passage and the language with your
\nown (and cite the usage). (5) Acknowledge borrowed organization\u2014 use of same subtopic (sample nursing essay examples by the best nursing assignment writing service)s or same point by-point
\nanalysis.
\nPlagiarism Quiz
\n(1) When you use the work of another writer, you must provide documentation in all of the following cases EXCEPT
\nwhen: (a) You replicate the exact words of the author, within quotation marks (b) You use the exact ideas of the
\nwriter but change the wording (c) You write your thoughts or reflections after reading the author\u2019s text (d) You use
\nthe writer\u2019s organizational plan or examples
\n(2) Circle the number for each of the following acts that do constitute plagiarism (a) Meeting with another English
\nteacher for a consultation (b) Using the exact words of another writer, within quotation marks and with a
\nparenthetical citation (c) Submitting a paper turned in for another class (d) Allowing classmates in your peer review
\ngroup to comment on your paper (e) Allowing a tutor or friend to edit your paper
\nIdentify the forms of citation used for the following passage:
\nPassage: Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. Many a man believes himself to be the master of others
\nwho is no less than they, a slave. How did this change take place? I do not know. What can make it legitimate? To this
\nquestion I hope to be able to furnish an answer.
\n1. In an essay examining the relationship of humanity and society, Rousseau asserts that \u201cman is born free, and
\neverywhere he is in chains\u201d (57). (a) Paraphrase (b) Quotation (c) Summary
\n2. Rousseau suggests that, although they come into the world uninhibited, human beings find themselves universally
\noppressed (57). (a) Paraphrase (b) Quotation (c) Summary
\n3. In his essay, \u201cThe Origin of Civil Society,\u201d Rousseau questions his observations of humanity, which indicate that a
\nperson\u2019s free nature and his or her actual social status are in conflict. (a) Paraphrase (b) Quotation (c) Summary
\n121 | P a g e
\nA Friendly Breakdown of How Emerson\u2019s Nature Works
\nWhat do you need to cover? These are the essential elements of Emerson\u2019s essay.
\n\u2022 Emerson begins the essay by explaining how to achieve a certain quality of solitude, one that he will achieve
\nlater in his essay when he becomes a transparent eyeball.
\n\u2022 He explains that if one wishes to achieve that quality of solitude, one must leave behind a
\nconnection to people (society, reading, writing, one\u2019s home)
\n\u2022 To find true solitude\uf0e0 one only need look at the stars
\n\u2022 The stars fill us with awe\uf0e0 the make one feel like the stars separate us from them
\n\u2022 (with a \u201ctransparent\u201d atmosphere \u2013 later connects to \u201ctransparent eyeball\u201d
\n\u2022 Call the stars a \u201cCity of God\u201d \uf0e0 later calls the woods \/ nature \u201cplantations of God\u201d
\n\u2022 The stars invoke a sense of awe, for we cannot access them\u2013 thus, in their presence, we feel respect and
\nreverence
\n\u2022 We can feel a similar kind of awe for all of nature down here on earth if we are open to the influence of
\nnature
\n\u2022 Nature is never mean (it never \u201cwears a mean appearance\u201d \uf0e0 later connects to \u201cnature wears the
\ncolors of our spirit\u201d)
\n\u2022 The \u201cwise man\u201d (the person whose mind is open to the influence of nature\uf0e0
\n\u2022 Never tires of nature \u2013 always feels wonder
\n\u2022 Never tries to forcefully take nature\u2019s secrets
\n\u2022 Never treats it like a toy
\n\u2022 Always feels a continual wonder for it \u2013 much like the wonder most people have in
\nchildhood (but not the same exact thing \u2013 we are now adults!)
\n\u2022 The person who sees in this way sees poetically (sees nature in terms of the wonder and beauty it invokes)
\n\u2022 Offers examples of
\n\u2022 Tree
\n\u2022 Woodcutter who sees a tree as material \/ wood that can be used and \/ or sold
\n\u2022 Poet sees the tree with a sense of awe\u2013 for the beauty, for the awe and reverence it
\ninvokes
\n\u2022 The Landscape
\n\u2022 He takes a walk through the farmland and realizes individuals lay claim to fields and woods,
\nbut these people can never own the landscape (the view \/ the experience of it). The poet
\nsees the land as nature\u2014as worthy of reverence \u2013 the owners sees as property
\n\u2022 Most people, Emerson argues, never \u201csee\u201d nature (this IMPLIES that they do not see it more deeply\u2013 do not
\nsee it with the heart of a poet). They of course can physically \u201csee\u201d it \u2026
\n\u2022 Offers example that adults only see the sun superficially\u2013 while the sun shines both in the inner
\n(heart) and outer (eyes) of children
\n\u2022 The person who loves nature (open to influence \/ the poet \/ etc.) — has an adjusted
\nexperience of outer and inner senses
\n\u2022 That person retains some of the wonder he\/she experienced as a child
\n\u2022 That person experiences an awe for nature on earth and in the heavens \u2013 and those
\nexperiences are a kind of nourishment (spiritual)
\n\u2022 It as if nature says you are mine \uf0df personification
\n\u2022 A person feeling sad can feel nature uplifting him \/ her sometimes
\n\u2022 Nature fits happiness and melancholy
\n\u2022 Nature can feel like a cordial (a little medicine)
\n\u2022 Emerson has been on a walk in nature and felt exhilarated by the experience with no other special reasons
\nfor feeling that way
\n\u2022 He is glad to the brink of fear (on the edge between exhilaration and terror)
\n\u2022 He feels that one can feel as if they return to a kind of youthful excitement when in nature
\n\u2022 compares it to casting off the years like a snake casts off its skin
\n\u2022 He compares it to a ritual (decorum = dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.)
\n\u2022 He calls the woods \u201cplantations of God\u201d \u2013 compare to \u201cCity of God\u201d in first paragraph)
\n\u2022 Implies that God is both in the stars and in nature
\n\u2022 In those moments of pure exhilaration while in nature:
\n\u2022 He says that we return to reason and faith (these are contradictory) \u2013 Transcendentalists believed in
\nscience AND God
\n\u2022 He feels, in those moments, like nothing bad can happen \u2013 as if nature can repair any ills
\n\u2022 He feels the breeze
\n122 | P a g e
\n\u2022 He feels as if he is lifted by the exhilaration into an endless space (FEELS \u2013 not actual)
\n\u2022 He feels like all meanness vanishes
\n\u2022 He becomes a transparent eyeball
\n\u2022 Metaphor\uf0e0 comparing (1) the experience of being deeply connected to nature TO (2) a
\ntransparent eyeball
\n\u2022 Transparent = having the property of transmitting rays of light through its
\nsubstance so that bodies situated beyond or behind can be distinctly seen.
\n\u2022 Eyeball = the entire ball-shaped part of the eye
\n\u2022 Eye can be pun (same sound \/ two different words) on I (eye \/ I)
\n\u2022 Eye is how you see \u2013 how one experiences \u2013 I is who you are and how you see \u2013 Implication
\n= the eye and the I are how one experiences nature
\n\u2022 So the implication is that this is a transparent \u201cI\u201d
\n\u2022 Thus\u2013 we can infer that the moment 0f the I and the eye is deeply connected to nature AND
\n\u2022 He is part of God \/ particle of God \uf0e0 THUS he deeply connects to God while in nature (for, in a
\nsense, God is nature \/\/ nature is God
\n\u2022 He connects because of his awe for the stars (\u201cCity of God\u201d and his consequential connection to all
\nof nature (plantations of God) because he is open to the influence
\n\u2022 In those moments other human beings feel far away (back to first paragraph) \/ inconsequential
\n\u2022 He finds something inherently essential in his deep connection to nature (and thus God)
\n\u2022 This deep connection suggests a mystical relationship between a person and the vegetation of nature
\n\u2022 Personification\uf0e0 as if nature sees him \/ he sees nature
\n\u2022 Nature\u2013 even though familiar\u2013 always seems new (refers back to second paragraph of essay)
\n\u2022 In those moments it is a higher thought\u2013 a thought more intense and heightened than ordinary
\nthoughts
\n\u2022 However\u2013 this connection to nature is primarily grounded in the individual
\n\u2022 One brings their emotions to nature (once can feel happier or elevated by nature\u2013 but the
\nownership of the feelings is the individual)
\nEssential Quotes (You can break them up and \/ or block them)
\nTo go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society. I am not solitary whilst I read
\nand write, though nobody is with me. But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars
\n———————————————————————————————————————————————
\nThe stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects
\nmake a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence.
\n———————————————————————————————————————————————
\nWhen we speak of nature in this manner, we have a distinct but most poetical sense in the mind. We mean the
\nintegrity of impression made by manifold natural objects. It is this which distinguishes the stick of timber of the woodcutter,
\nfrom the tree of the poet.
\n———————————————————————————————————————————————
\nTo speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very
\nsuperficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The
\nlover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the
\nspirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and earth becomes part of his daily food.
\n———————————————————————————————————————————————
\nCrossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any
\noccurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration.
\n———————————————————————————————————————————————
\nThere I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot
\nrepair. Standing on the bare ground, — my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, — all mean
\negotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate
\nthrough me; I am part or particle of God<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
1 | P a g e Table of Contents — Course Reader — English 1A \u2013 Spring 2020 Course Syllabus 2 Formatting Requirements 6 Plagiarism\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10601,10596,10882,479,537,172,478,10597,10599,10595],"tags":[10524,10522,10890,10561,10883,10889,10515,10521,10696,10518,10888,10887,10886,10885,10884,10525],"class_list":["post-124541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-assignment-help-by-uks-no-1-writing-service","category-assignment-writers-canada-university-cost","category-free-ai-english-assignment-writers-china","category-nursing-course-hero","category-nursing-essay-pro","category-nursing-study-bay","category-nursing-study-pool","category-professional-assignment-writers-usa","category-uae-1-cheap-assignment-writing-service","category-write-a-word-essay","tag-apa-citation-format-assignment","tag-assignment-writers-australia-college-student","tag-best-nursing-case-study-writing-services","tag-buy-essay-usa","tag-case-study-nursing-writing-services-for-care-plans","tag-free-nursing-case-study-writing-services","tag-help-write-a-page-assignment","tag-i-need-someone-to-do-my-assignment-within-hours","tag-need-assistance-completing-the-assignment","tag-need-to-write-an-essay","tag-nursing-case-studies-with-answers","tag-nursing-case-study-paper-example","tag-nursing-case-study-template-examples-of-case-studies-nursing","tag-pharmacology-case-study","tag-soap-note-case-study","tag-write-pages"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124541\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}