Annie Dillard

An American Childhood

By: Annie Dillard

#1. Describes the basic rules of football, and how it’s more of a mental game, and how important concentration is.

#2. Explains how the narrator plays baseball too, but when its not season time, she throws snowballs, which gets her in trouble.

#3. Describes the morning after Christmas, how it snowed a lot and it was a perfect opportunity to throw snow at cars.

#4. Identifies the boys that the narrator hangs out with and which ones her parents approved.

#5. Describes what the kids would do when a car came, and how excited they were that there was so much traffic.

#6. Describes the way the iceball looked that she rolled.

#7.  Explains what the children did when a Buick drove by and how they prepared before throwing their snowballs.

#8. Describes where the snowball hit on the Buick.

#9. Describes what the driver did after getting hit, and how he was the first to stop and get out of his car.

#10. Describes how the driver ran after the kids who threw the snowball at his car and what he was wearing and wouldn’t give up.

#11. Describes how the group of kids slit up and the man chose to chase the narrator and her friend Mikey Fahey.

#12. Explains the different streets the two of them ran on while being chased by the driver.

#13. Describes how the man wouldn’t let anything get in his way, he was on a mission, had a goal, and wouldn’t give up until it was achieved.

#14. Explains how the kids were running out of places to go or hide, and the man was catching up to them.

#15. Describes how the man finally caught them and grabbed them by their jackets.

#16. Explains how the three of them were just standing and knew it was done, and nobody would take off. Also describes physical appearances and how wet they got.

#17. Explains what the three were doing, standing and trying to catch their breath.

#18. Describes the first words the man spoke, “You stupid kids.”

#19. Explains how the narrator doesn’t care what the man has to say, but that she is surprised that this man could do what she thought only children could do.

#20. Describes how the narrator feels glorified about being chased, and compares it to any setting, that she felt high off of this feeling, and that what the man said had nothing to do with how she felt.

#21. Explains how the narrator would have died happy if beheaded because the chase was worth it to her. She then throws in something that throws you off, because it means nothing, when she wonders how he got back to his car.

           

            The story, An American Child,  by Annie Dillard, was very meaningful to her. She writes in the beginning of the story what ties into the end of the story, “But if you flung yourself wholeheartedly at the back of his knees-if you gathered and joined body and soul and pointed them diving fearlessly-then you likely wouldn’t get hurt, and you’d stop the ball,” Dillard. Her point is that its important to never give up, and when you have your mind set on something, you must concentrate and you will succeed.

            In the story, the man who was driving the Buick had a mission. He wanted to catch the kids who had been throwing snowballs at his car. The narrator thinks that her and her friends will get away, because they have their minds set on getting away, and doesn’t think its possible for adults to do the same. Well was she in for a ride or what. After being chased through blocks, fences, backyards, and countless roads, the man catches us to the narrator and her friend Mikey. Both caught by surprise, the narrator and Mikey don’t even pay attention to the useless words that the man shares after he catches them, but they are taken away by the whole principal that the man had his mind set on getting them, and achieved what he wanted.

            In life, everything is in the mind. If you tell yourself you are going to do something, you are most likely going to get the job done. All it takes is focus and concentration, and you would be surprised with the results.