Similarities Between Audubon And Annie Dillard

When Two People See a Lot of Birds
John James Audubon, the author of passage one, and Annie Dillard, the author of passage two, each develop a well organized piece with the purpose of describing their observations of flocks of birds. Both do so with a unique style that not only characterizes their sightings in depth, but persuades the reader to form a concept as well. Though their writing fashions are different, the differences are outweighed by similarities. Audubon and Dillard’s use of elements of language to describe the birds and the effect they have, such as tone, diction, and syntax, compare in several ways. The reason for similarities in Audubon's and Dillard’s attitudes toward the flocks originate in the shared qualities of their personal experiences observing them. Audubon’s admiring tone contributes to the overall intangible image of the birds’ flight with phrases like “in greater numbers than I thought I had ever seen them before” and “I cannot describe to you the extreme beauty.” He made the exceptional level of his observations clear through his dramatized description, and …show more content…
Audubon’s figurative diction serves as an illustration of the flocks’ movements with similes like “as by an eclipse … not unlike melting flakes of snow” and “like a torrent … like thunder.” Dillard’s writing does just the same with her comparisons “like smoke … like a loosened skein … like a fluttering banner … like an eye … like wind.” They each create mental imagery through their thorough descriptions as well, resulting in their observations coming to life, influencing the reader to feel the same astonishment they feel from what they observed. Both authors manage to build up these descriptions with sophisticated word choice. This adds complexity and a sense of intelligence to the way they conveyed the impression left by the flocks, but it was still relatively easy to