To a man, ornithologists are tall, slender, and bearded so that they can stand motionless for hours, imitating kindly trees, as they watch for birds.
Interpretation
The quote humorously describes ornithologists as having tree-like qualities while observing birds.
Gore Vidal's quote offers a whimsical portrayal of ornithologists, characterizing them as tall, slender, and bearded individuals who blend in with nature, much like trees. This metaphor highlights both the patience and the observational skills required in the field of ornithology, as well as the deep connection between humans and the natural world.
In practice
This quote can be used in a nature class to emphasize the importance of patience in wildlife observation.
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For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
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I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping...I hear it in the deep heart's core.
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
O, beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain.
The oak tree:_x000D_ _x000D_ not interested_x000D_ _x000D_ in cherry blossoms.
The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
Though men now possess the power to dominate and exploit every corner of the natural world, nothing in that fact implies that they have the right or the need to do so.
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