English106-01-03 Introductory Composition

I think by now, towards the end of the story, Terry has learned to accept death and seek refuge. She has lived through the death of her mother and both of her grandmothers. Terry, in a sense, can see her own life in her mother's. Just like the rest of the women in her family, she more than likely will face the same fate of breast cancer. Terry already has a small tumor in her chest that is potentially cancerous. In another 15 to 20 years, Terry will be her mother. She will face the same death as the other women in her family. But Terry has accepted this fact.

In this section of the book, the pumping has finally begun on Great Salt Lake. The massive pump is drawing water from the lake and moving it to the west desert. Ironically, the lake begins to recede on its own as soon as they turn the pump on. I wonder if they had done nothing, would the lake recede on its own naturally? It seems like a huge waste to spend 60 million on the pumps when the lake begins to recede on its own.

Terry's father at first does deal well with Diane dying. He is angry because he can not do anything to help or prevent Diane from dying. On a few occasions, he yells at everyone to leave and get out of his house. Even though he is yelling at his children to leave their mother's side, they obey his wishes and leave. Terry says "My brothers and I agree we will not return to the house. Our father is the one who needs to be with Mother when she goes. I understand him, but I don't have to forgive him. Not tonight." Terry is obviously upset that her father asks her to leave Diane's side.

In these chapters, Diane's health is getting worse and worse. Her whole family realizes that their time with her is coming to an end. Terry talks about how when her mother dies, she will no longer have luxury of being a child. She also says "I have never felt so alone," talking about thinking of her mother's death (202).

The long-billed curlew takes its name from the Greek words "neos" and "mene," which mean "new" and "moon." This is because the shape their bill resembles that of a new moon. The new moon is the where there is no visible part of the moon from the Earth's surface. For that reason, "the curlew could be associated with destructive powers, for it was long believed that ghosts, goblins, and witches were at the peak of their power in the dark of the moon" (144). Terry quotes a book that says how curlew presaged death in England.

The chapter about the Whistling Swan starts off by Terry mentioning that she had just returned from the funeral of Tamra Crocker Pulfer, the woman that Terry's mother had written the letter to encouraging her through her illness. Terry says, "I sat next to Mother and wondered how much time we had left together" (120).

Saltair was an old wooden pavilion that was a popular destination during the early 1900's. Terry describes it as a magnificent Moorish pavilion that stands guard over Great Salt Lake (79). For people in Terry's generation, Saltair was best remembered as a sinister piece of abandoned architecture (80). But for Terry's grandparents, Saltair was a sentimental boardwalk chocked full of memories.

My perception of Terry so far is that she has just come out of some hard times, both in her work and her personal life. With her mother going through chemotherapy because of the cancer and the Refuge on the verge of being wiped out due to the flooding, Terry is emotionally strained. She says herself "I have been in retreat. This is my return" (4). With everything that is going on with her family and the bird refuge, Terry obviously needs a break from the despair. It sounds to me as she is writing this book, she is merely looking back, learning from what has happened.