Mackenzie Swartzman
AP Eng. Lang & Comp., 5.11

Nature is living just as much as people; however a lot of people forget the actual beauty in it. There is constantly something moving, living, breathing. Birds are something we see everyday of our lives and don’t pay much attention to. They fly with beauty and elegance, engulfing the sky as they fly without a care in the world. John Audubon and Annie Dillard are two individuals that took the time to admire these beautiful creatures. Both individuals describe the birds in flight, but it such different ways. Dillard gives an artful description of the bird’s movement while Audubon gives a scientific description.
Audubon takes a scientific approach when speaking of the large number of pigeons in flight. Even though he doesn’t necessarily use specific scientific terms, when compared to
Dillard’s piece, he is much more professional in a way. He says things like, “the … buzz of wings had a tendency to lull my senses to repose.” While this is not hard to understand, it still creates a deeper thought in the reader’s mind rather than just saying, “the sound of their wings relaxed me.” This strategy of scientific descriptions and professionalism give a stronger realization to what the writer is actually trying to say, and what image he was trying to produce in the reader’s mind. Audubon speaks more sophisticated when he explains the flock as “rushing in a compact mass” and darting “forward in undulating and angular lines.” The scientific approach demonstrated here gives the illusion that this specific piece may be directed towards those who like to look at things through the eyes of science.
Dillard’s piece is an antithesis of Audubon’s, using observation but applying creativity and imagination to describe the flight of the birds. Based on this piece, it is safe to assume that it may be directed towards younger audiences, or those who are very visual learners. Although there are no real images in this piece, Dillard has a way of bringing in artsy images to the reader’s mind in order for them to still learn visually. She uses the strategy of descriptive words and comparisons like, “the flight extended like a fluttering banner.” While both Dillard and
Audubon use imagery, Dillard’s is a more typical style. Her imagery is a type that anyone is able to understand, due to the fact that she uses that creativity and imagination in her writing.
All in all, both writers have a creative way in how they see and portray the flight of birds.
Audubon’s approach was more scientific, while Dillard’s was more artsy. There really is no wrong way to see things, but it is definitely interesting to compare two writer’s ideas and views on the same thing. People learn and enjoy things differently, so it is just a matter of what your personal preference is on writing styles.