Daily Log

Thursday, February 25

We discussed further the meaning of the battle of the ants and the story of the loon in "Brute Neighbors." Mr. P gave his perspective, as contained in his 87-word chunk:

People believe that they are all powerful, and that their conflicts and concerns are at the center of the cosmos. Careful observation of nature, however, reveals that human life in fact plays a minor role in the universe. Nature dwarfs human endeavors and thwarts all human attempts to conquer it. The battle of the ants, when viewed up close, is seen to far outstrip the fabled battles of the American Revolution, and the solitary loon, aided by the wind and rain, eludes and outlasts its human pursuers.

We then whether this chunk, which is structured
CM
CM
CM
CD
violates the rules of good expository writing. (Some said yes, because it starts with CM's and ends with CD's, rather than the other way around; Mr. P said no, it observes the fundamental principles.)