從台中回到台北的高鐵上，把在勤美誠品買來的最新一期 Orion 雜誌細細地讀了一回。其中有 Linda Hogan 寫的一篇散文。插畫是 Joy Garnett 畫的油畫。這位紐約畫家很擅長畫戰火延綿不絕的場景。我以為那種火熱熱地畫面在雪景裡很難表達。可是配合上 Linda 這次書寫的內容又是那麼巧妙。
這篇文章一開始就談到死亡: "In my hands is a boreal owl who has died of West Nile virus" (Orion, March/April 2011: 66). Linda 撫摸著在手中垂死的北天貓頭鷹等待鷹魂離去。撫著他的羽毛，敘事者訴說著那手中觸感竟和霜降在厥葉上或是冬雪一般相似。文章開頭的敘事是溫暖火熱的等待，但死影如游絲氣息。讀到這裡，不免對靈魂的熱度起了疑心，駐紮在每個生命的體內，又是怎樣的溫度起伏? 染上病毒而頻臨死亡的 Boreal Owl當時除了等待生命結束之外，還能做些甚麼?
談到自然與存在，這篇散文中也提及作者在生命中有許許多多的動物們陪伴，因為這些動物們的接納，Linda Hogan 講起一個故事Pueblo emergence story, 這神話似乎表達出人類也能夠甚至必須在某種程度上從動物身上獲得某種認同與需要。在馬兒的眼中她看到自己被接受，她說: “As I stand with the horses beneath the black, wintry sky, watching the elder one eat, her warm, dark eyes looking grateful for food as she chews and concentrates, the wild horse leans against me gently, and I think: I have been accepted. Perhaps she still holds the consciousness of a herd, and for her, I have become a part of it. So often, I have observed that being accepted by animals is something most human beings want and need” (Orion, March/April 2011: 67). 在沒有動物或是四季變換的世界，人類將會是多麼孤單? 因為雪，所以出現了只屬於北方的語言用來描述各式各樣的雪; 因為這一切的生成與大自然裡充滿的各種奇妙現象與危險，這生命才顯得充滿能量。 Linda 在這篇散文最後引起我無上的共鳴，我想只有個體自身明白我們與這個世界是共生體，才能熱情回顧生命情調中無窮無盡的更迭和悸動。
"Down by the creek, I see beaver tracks and remember how they were nearly made extinct in the 1700s for hats in fashionable Europe. Then I see the mountain lion pass by. I consider this new virus, West Nile, and how it has affected the birds, entire populations gone by one invisible thing. Ours is an alive world, ever changing, sometimes dangerous, but always amazing. The formation of our universe is ongoing, and I am one minuscule participant within in, as is one bird, one tree broken, one spreading virus, and I can only hope that my life will offer something back to this magnificent creation, this changing climate, this sacred earth, these lives all around me” (Orion, March/April 2011: 71)
Q 1: Which author or literary work in the Norton Anthology of English Literature will you choose to study for this Mid-Term Project? (3-4pages paper) Explain why you are interested in this writer or literary work.
Q2: What is the theme that you find most intriguing?
Elaborate why you are interested in this motif.
Q3: Can you identify some special symbols or structures that make the story appealing?
Q4: Find three journal essays or book articles that you are most interested in? List the three essays by using MLA format. Make some brief comments or annotation about each essay.
For example:
* Sample descriptive annotation in MLA format for a book:
Cobb, Charles. Practical Communication for Technical and Vocational Arts. Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear, 1987.
This text-workbook with tear-out pages has 13 chapters covering such topics as “The Basics of Communication,” “Work Orders and Estimates,” and “Other Necessary Forms and Records.” All chapters end in a “learning quiz” that reviews the text and projects that require students to write a response, complete a form, or prepare graphics materials. Six appendices cover grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary. Many examples of forms for memos, work orders, job records, insurance claims, maintenance requests, etc., are also included.
* Sample descriptive/evaluative annotation in MLA format for an article:
Elliott, Dorrinda. “The Legacy of the Last Czar.” Newsweek21 Sept. 1992: 60-61.
Elliott offers an overview of recent forensic analysis of the Romanov grave site, as well as a brief description of the events surrounding the executions. The article quotes forensic experts and historians and includes the views of Russian citizens on the significance of finding and identifying the remains of the Romanov family. This article is important to my project because the quotes from Russian citizens do not appear in any other text I’ve read and, for this reason, have helped me to better understand the stakes of this issue for the Russian people.
Q5: What is your tentative title?
Q6: Do you have any questions while preparing for this assignment?
Example:
Please see the attached files as samples for complete this assignment.
