Moth Literary Devices

Submitted By Ninanay15
Words: 681
Pages: 3
Open Document
Nina Nay
Mrs. Pedersen
AP Language and Composition
08 September 2013
Journal #2 In the story "The Death of the Moth", Virginia Woolf illustrates the universal struggle between life and death. She uses a moth – something tangible; something dull, gray creature – and life – something abstract; the most precious thing to a human being – to explain her argument. And throughout the essay, Woolf uses many literary devices as well as rhetorical devices to describe, to compare and contrast, and to emphasis her thought on the power of death. She appeals to the audience in many ways, making them not only think but question the idea and the complexity yet simplicity of death. Right from the get-go, Woolf settings a mood of loneness and separation from the day moth she is writing about, to other moths by saying: “Moths that fly by day are not properly to be called moths…neither gay like butterflies nor sombre like their own species” (Woolf 467). She sets them apart and by implying that they do not belong, they seem insignificant and it lowers the value or worth of this day moth and makes the reader infer that the day moth will not live a happy long life because of the distinction between it and other creatures. But when Woolf sets the setting – which is calm, benignant, and pleasantly sound – it’s almost contradictory to what the readers would expect from this essay, and it makes the reader think that the author is, in a way, shunning the moth out of colorful, beautiful world outside the window. Woolf also uses the word ‘us’ in describing the setting, giving readers a sense of the scenery and gives the reader a scenario to think about and to feel with the moth. As the essay continues, Woolf begins to poke at the reader’s emotions and she begins to go more in dept with her subject, making readers have to think more and provoking their conscious mind. With all the energy in the atmosphere of the setting, the moth too has a sense of energy in itself. With nothing to use that energy on, so little to do in life, it creates a sense of pity for the moth. With so much energy, it makes the reader feel pitiful for the moth because it was given live just to live; nothing less nothing more. But readers feel a sense of purity within the moth with its electrifying energy and innocent life. “If was as if someone had taken a tiny bead of pure life and decking it as lightly as possible with down and feathers, had set it dancing and
Show More

Related Documents: Moth Literary Devices

Journal 2 Essay

Nowadays, effective performance feedback is playing a crucial role in any organizations. It is not only a method to improve individual and team performance, but also it enhances employee engagement, motivation, and job satisfaction effectively (Aguinis, Gottfredson & Joo 2012, p.106). However, many managers do not know how to deliver feedback effectively to their employees. They are unaware weaknesses- based feedback fails to improve employee performance, and frequently provided it on employees’…

Words 599 - Pages 3

Essay on Journal 2

not want America to interfere with their political and economic systems as what American is apparently famous for doing. Whatever the reasons are, many innocent Christians become victims of this hatred in which continue the cycle of hate between the 2 dominant religions Christianity and Islam. There is also exclusion within Christianity itself. It can happen when you carry two or more special identity aside Christianity. For example: gay marries are still prohibited in majority of U.S because it…

Words 1080 - Pages 5

Essay on Journal 2

Decline in world wildlife population-“We need to act” The term wildlife refers to the animals those are generally not domesticated and live in the great outdoors, scattered around different parts of this mighty planet, Earth. Their existence is important as they support ecosystems. Recent studies show that, Earth has lost more than half of its wild animals, in the last 40 years. The main reasons, amongst the numerous others, for the declination of this population to such a great extent, would be…

Words 467 - Pages 2

Journal 2 Essay

Question number:1 It was easy to pick the prompt I wanted to go with for this journal, cause the passage really was, very interesting in so many ways. First, I really found the reading interesting. The format of the passage it self was interesting itself. The main thing that I found interesting was how it was broken down. How each paragraph was one part of his life, as well as he was able to overcome the challenges the many minorities face. Another very interesting part of the passage is how he used…

Words 348 - Pages 2

Essay on Journal 2

Roman Imperial Society was based upon a number of different cultural values (i.e., mos maiorum). Which of these values do you think had the largest impact on the development of the Roman Empire, and why? Western Civilization Journal #2 Becka Brown The Roman Empire’s expansion was the greatest increase of population and territory seen in the ancient world. This was done by taking outsiders in as their own or conquering land using force. Rome’s social, cultural, political, legal, and economic…

Words 1023 - Pages 5

Assertion Journal 2 Essay

Assertion Journal #2 “Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly.” -Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God This assertion is true. The assertion can be interpreted to mean that women have a skewed version of the past. This can be deduced from the text by the fact that in the very first sentence it states, “Now, women forget all those things they…

Words 351 - Pages 2

Response Journal 2 Essay

Response Journal - Life of Pi (Part 2) The first half of part 2 in Life of Pi takes a completely different route than the first. The section begins with 16 year-old Pi Patel, who is upon his incredibly long voyage to Canada, awakening in the middle of the night due to an unknown noise within the hull of the ship. Out of curiosity, he ventures top deck to investigate- only to make an unbearable revelation; the floor beneath his feet is slowly shifting and his only source of safety is sinking .In…

Words 1501 - Pages 7

Journal 2 psych Essays

Michael May Psychology 1010-121483 Journal 2 March 26, 2015 Journal 2 In the article, “Psychological Correlates of Perception of Sexual Intent in Women” published by Eric Koukounas, and Nicole M. Letch, they are studying the way women act towards men, and how men perceive their actions. They do this study by starting out, and having 183 and 186 women. The participants are to watch a short clip, with a man and a woman interacting. The authors of this experiment were focused on the eye contact,…

Words 1050 - Pages 5

Reading Journal 2 Essay

Jovin Alexander November 9, 2014 Reading Journal #2 1. The Game Made, The Substance of the Shadow, Dusk, Darkness, and Fifty-Two. The Game Made were chosen to refer to the French Revolution; Fifty-Two refers to the fifty-two people being led to the guillotine and The Game Made refers to the innocent falsely accused during this time. Dusk and Darkness aren’t symbolic, the chapters are just about Darnay’s imprisonment in the morning and Carton’s actions during the night. But they could represent the…

Words 981 - Pages 4

Journal Abstract 2 Essay

Journal Abstract- Benefits and Barriers to Elementary Studen-Led IEPs Danneker, J., & Bottge, B. (2009). Benefits of and Barriers to Elementary Student-Led Individualized Education Programs. Remedial and Special Education, 30(4), 225-233. http://dx.doi.org.ezp.lndlibrary.org/10.1177/0741932508315650 Educators have debated the issue of having elementary school students participate in their own IEP Meetings. Because “elementary students with disabilities are frequently taught in highly structured…

Words 644 - Pages 3