jest and earnest

In Dillard’s first scene, she comes across a frog who has just had the life sucked out of him by a “Giant water bug”. She begins to question the water bug’s purpose for being

Beauty and grace come in all forms and Dillard sees this when she witnesses a Mocking bird taking a death defying fall towards the ground. Just as the bird was about to hit the ground he opened up his wings in an elegant matter and softly floated towards the ground. When the bird did this he thought no one was watching he was not conscious of what was happening around him. Yet Dillard watched it all. No matter what the atmosphere or surrounding the bird still would have been graceful. It didn’t matter whether or not anyone was watching him he is graceful and beautiful always. That was the way he was created and the way he will always be. Dillard says “I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.”(225) She is telling us to try and witness the natural beauty of things that are around us everyday. Beauty and grace are everywhere but not everyone is aware of that and that doesn’t mean just because you don’t witness something being beautiful or graceful that it is not. Dillard uses the example of the old saying “If a tree falls in a forest and there is no one around to here it would it still make a sound.” Of course it would it is natural that it would make the same noise as any other tree that falls in a forest whether or not there is someone to hear it.

In Dillard’s essay you have to wonder who she is really questioning. Is she questioning God’s intent to create jest and earnest things? In her essay of Jest and Earnest she uses images of the earth to symbolize the unchangeable nature of God. If what God does is unchangeable then that must mean it was meant to be that way and should never be changed. Dillard challenges the by asking if things were created in jest or in earnest. She wants us to question whether or not things are put here with sincere intent. Dillard uses Images of light and fire to express God’s prese

Some topics in this essay:
Jest Earnest, God Dillard, Dillard Images, God God, jest earnest, beauty grace, placed earth, water bug, dillard’s essay, life’s unanswered questions, giant water bug, air wind clouds, tree falls forest, wind clouds, graceful beautiful, towards ground bird, own experiences, experiences base, unanswered questions,