by Claire Ingraham

Created on: May 10, 2009

Annie Dillard spent one year wandering through a landscape which is foreign to many people today. During that time, she stumbled upon a mystifying monstrosity, setting into motion a chain of equally astonishing memories. The episodes of the sharks, the mockingbird, and the frog and the waterbug, are all poignant reminders that for every wonder to be found in nature there is also a terrible incident looming just around the river bend.

Annie Dillard stands on a beach on the Atlantic coast of Florida. It is low tide and the waves crash against the sand. Within each wave is a shark. Hundreds of sharks altogether, and with each surge of water their twisting bodies are visible. For seconds on cycle they disappear and reappear. Sharks are creatures that have become synonymous with fear. To see hundreds of them before you no doubt creates feelings of unease and terror. So it is a rare thing to see such beastly beings in such a stunning way. This demonstrates nature's ability to break stereotypes. On one hand, there are the sharks, dangerous and menacing. On the other, sharks in the water, powerful and graceful. Such is nature's absolute control that adding one element can change one's entire perception on something.

A four story building looms before Annie Dillard. A mockingbird, small and delicate, rests on the gutter. It steps, just once, and begins its descent. Down it falls, no wings unfurled to provide resistance, just a freefall. He plummets towards the ground and the ground waits to meet him. Suddenly, he releases his wings and lands peacefully on the grass, as a snowflake falls

silently from the sky. With this anecdote, Annie Dillard highlights nature's ability to be frightening and beautiful all in the same breath. As the bird falls, one cannot help but fear for his fate, but the sight is nonetheless awe-inspiring. One wonders what motivation a bird would have to hurl himself off a building. Birds have everything to live for; they have a life many people would envy. They simply fly among the trees and eat food prepared for them by humans. So is this bird on some sort of kamikaze mission? Nature exhibits her genius in the ability of one action to provoke so many thoughts. Furthermore, when the bird lands gently on the grass, he reveals that it was never his plan to crash unimpeded into the earth. He only wanted to reach the ground, and he found the fastest way to do it. That the bird is able to figure this out for himself shows that

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