DILLARD – considered opinion
See Week 15 course calendar.
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When Pam Doaks, Dillard’s mother, insists that her daughters have a “considered opinion” it means a lot more than one might perceive. Pam Doaks was a woman who questioned many things, almost in hopes of gaining the most strategically, intelligent insight towards a decision or situation. With saying this, this is something she wanted to rub off on her daughters. A considered opinion means that it has been thought through carefully—looking for any better possible solution. In the context of this narrative essay, the phrase “considered opinion” means more than an old-fashioned mom’ism. It is something that Mrs Doaks holds very tight to her heart and wants nothing more than to dawn upon her daughter the true meaning of it.
ReplyDeletePam Doaks is a woman who loves to question everything. She likes to, and often does, question her daughters to make sure that what they say is their own opinions and not ones that they took from other people. One of the daughters told their mom that the Giant was a good movie. Pam immediately asked "Is that your considered opinion"? What this question means is what the daughter's view about the movie really her own thought. Pam Doaks knew that her daughter never saw the Giant so she was skeptical if the daughter got her opinion from other people who actually saw the movie and thought it was good and acted like she saw the movie, when really she just lied.
ReplyDeleteAnnie Dillard's mother, Pam Doakes, feels strongly about her daughters having a "considered opinion". What that means is that she wants her daughters to be able to think for themselves, not be followers. She wants them to know how to evaluate a situation and make their own conclusions about it, how to solve problems on their own. A lot of people try so hard to fit in or seem cool that they will completely lose their sense of individuality, and they will go along with whatever anyone else says. Pam Doakes doesn't want her daughters getting caught up in the stress of keeping up appearances for other people, she would rather them be themselves and stand for what they believe in. Annie shows that Pam was an excellent example of this type of lifestyle, she recalls that "opposition emboldens Mother, and she would take on anybody on any issue...". Pam Doakes wasn't afraid to stand her ground with her own considered opinion, and she hopes that her daughters will be like her.
ReplyDeletePam Doakes, mother of Annie Dillard, is a very honest- hard working woman. Pam asks her daughter frequently if what she says is her own opinion or someone else. As Annie answers her, Pam asks is that your "considered opinion"? What Pam was really asking is that what you truly believe, and not words that you took from someone else. Pam is a very confident woman who speaks with conviction, so she would love to teach her daughter to do the same.
ReplyDeletePam Doaks is always thinking about something for longer than a normal person would or questioning it more than a normal person would. She is a woman who wants her daughters to be leaders and not followers. She asked Annie if it was her “considered opinion” about a movie that she knew Annie did not watch. She does not want her daughter to have opinions from others. She wants them to be able to think of something on their own and create an opinion about it without someone feeding it to them beforehand.
ReplyDeletePam Doaks is always questioning everything to get a better understanding and form her own opinion. When she says her daughters must have a “considered opinion” she is saying she wants her daughters to have their own opinions and not just follow others. She believes in saying what you truly believe not just what others tell you and she is telling her daughters that they should do the same.
ReplyDeletePam Doaks, Dillards mom, is always questioning her daughters. When she questions her daughters she is trying to get knowledge so she can better understand the problem or decision. Pam constantly is asking her daughters if that is their "considered opinion'. An "considered opinion" is when someone has an opinion that is just theirs and not someone elses. She is big on considered opinions because it is something she is strict about.
ReplyDeleteIn Annie Dillard’s “An American Childhood” she speaks of her mother and her opinions and outlooks on life. Dillard states, “She simply tried to keep us all awake. And in fact it was always clear to Amy and me, and to Molly when she grew old enough to listen, that if our classmates came to cruelty, just as much as if the neighborhood or the nation came to madness, we were expected to take, and would be each separately capable of taking, a stand.” (358). Her mother wanted her and her sisters to have a considered opinion. She wanted them to think outside of the box and not rely on other people for their own opinions and thoughts. They were not supposed to conform to others.
ReplyDeleteMother to Annie Dillard, Pam Doakes would often question everything anyone said. She would always question if her daughters had a “considered opinion,” because she wanted to know if it was their idea or one they had taken from somebody else. To Mrs. Doakes, “If you held no you held no minority opinions, or if you failed to risk total ostracism for them daily, the world would be a better place without you” (357). Pam Doakes wanted her children to have enough spirit to never give up on their ideas and have enough information so they could always argue their point. Honestly even if they didn’t know enough about a situation she still wanted Annie Dillard to argue against “anybody on any issue” as long as they had a “considered opinion.”
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ReplyDeleteIn the short essay “An American Childhood”, Annie Dillard depicts her mother, Pam Doaks, to be a non-conformist or a self-confident individual who encourages the idea of personal reflection, to anything, being independent of the popular opinion. In her opinion, not just the family, but also everyone around her should listen to his/her inner guts before blindly agreeing with the majority. Doaks, according to Annie, wished all but most importantly her daughters to be able to reach a conclusion that is free from the influences of the world. This wish of her mother certainly not expelled as Annie concludes her essay with a firm statement: “And in fact it was always clear to Amy and me, and to Molly when she grew old enough to listen, that if your classmates came to cruelty, just as much as if the neighborhood or the nation came to madness, we were expected to take, and would be each separately capable of taking, a stand”(258).
ReplyDeletePam Doakes the Mother to Annie Dillard characterizes her mother as a person to be rooted strongly in what they believe in and is very confident as to seeing the importance in knowing who you are as a person. Doakes always addresses to her daughter the importance of someones opinion and how it holds true to what they believe in. The importance of her statement about "considered opinion" is passed to her daughter knowing that it is a life value and creates better morals in a person in there entirety.
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