To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters the meaning of the object photographed.
Joan DidionRead
A pool is water, made available and useful, and is, as such, infinitely soothing to the western eye.
Interpretation
A pool symbolizes tranquility and utility in nature, appealing to those in the western culture.
In this quote, Joan Didion reflects on how a swimming pool not only serves a practical purpose—providing water for recreation and relaxation—but also represents an ideal of calmness and beauty that resonates with the western aesthetic. The pool is more than just a functional body of water; it embodies a serene oasis that enhances the landscape and offers a soothing visual experience, particularly for those accustomed to its presence.
In practice
During a real estate event, one could cite this quote to highlight the appeal of properties with pools.
To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters the meaning of the object photographed.
The truth is, it's easier for me to write than talk... to express the state I'm in at any time.
Memories are what you no longer want to remember.
It was clear, for example, in 1988 that the political process had already become perilously remote from the electorate it was meant to represent.
I mean maybe I was holding all the aces, but what was the game?
Do not whine... Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.
The shortage of fresh water is the major ecological problem of this moment.
'The Creation' presents an argument for saving biological diversity on Earth. Most of the book is for as broad an audience as possible.
Nothing could be more pleasant than to live in solitude, enjoy the spectacle of nature, and occasionally read some book.
Every spring I hear the thrush singing in the glowing woods he is only passing through. His voice is deep, then he lifts it until it seems to fall from the sky. I am thrilled. I am grateful. Then, by the end of morning, he's gone, nothing but silence out of the tree where he rested for a night. And this I find acceptable. Not enough is a poor life. But too much is, well, too much. Imagine Verdi or Mahler every day, all day. It would exhaust anyone.
The miraculous is not extraordinary but the common mode of existence. It is our daily bread. Whoever really has considered the lilies of the field or the birds of the air and pondered the improbability of their existence in this warm world within the cold and empty stellar distances will hardly balk at the turning of water into wine which was, after all, a very small miracle. We forget the greater and still continuing miracle by which water (with soil and sunlight) is turned into grapes.
I suppose there were moonless nights and dark ones with but a silver shaving and pale stars in the sky, but I remember them all as flooded with the rich indolence of a full moon.
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