Authors John Audubon and Annie Dillard wrote passages describing a murmuration of starlings. The use of their craft in the description of this phenomenon is perfected through their utilization of diction, syntax, and tone. While both authors write with similar diction and syntax, Audubon writes with an exact scientific tone, and Dillard writes with a reflective and artful tone. In Audubon’s passage about the flock of birds, he uses very descriptive diction to paint a picture of the starlings. Dillard also uses extremely descriptive diction. To begin with, Audubon’s vivid diction recreates the moment he experienced when he uses words such as “torrent” and “undulating.” In a similar way, Dillard’s sensational diction to portray the phenomenon
