The Fourth State of Matter

This term refers to the fictional character of Lassie, a collie created by author Eric Knight in a short story published in 1938 and built out into a novel published in 1940, Lassie Come-Home (“Eric Knight Papers.” Archives at Yale). Arguably made most famous by the 1950s TV show Lassie, Lassie has become part of America’s cultural consciousness as a loyal family dog, famed for saving children from wells, among other plots. Early in the essay, Beard uses this cultural icon to describe her own ailing and frail collie: “She pees and then stands, Lassie in a ratty coat, gazing out at the yard” (Paragraph 2). The image stands in stark contrast to the portrayal of the fictional Lassie as strong and well groomed. Beard realistically depicts the aging process in dogs, focusing on the sad reality of being solely responsible for a dog’s continued suffering and life.

This term refers to the galaxy that houses Earth and its solar system. The name itself describes the appearance of the galaxy from Earth’s perspective, which humans see as a hazy, milky strip of light. Early in the essay, Beard sees the Milky Way in the night as she lets her collie out to pee and describes it as “a long smear on the sky, like something erased on a blackboard” (Paragraph 3).