Annie Dillard Reflection

Annie Dillard’s essay “Sight into Insight” emphasizes how specific moments in time can be interpreted differently, therefore; no two people will be able to compare perspectives on the same situation. Dillard starts her essay off by connecting to the reader through a story she tells “either when she was six or seven years old” (Dillard para.1). For fun Dillard would hide pennies in trees and make signs saying stuff like “SURPRISE AHEAD” or “MONEY THIS WAY” (para.1) to lure people into checking what was exactly inside the tree. The point of this was not to see what kind of people would actually take the time to look, but the mind-blowing thought of how “someone would receive a free gift from the universe”(para.1). Although it all depends on the

In literature, themes shape and characterize an author’s writing making each work unique as different points of view are expressed within a writing’s words and sentences. This is the case, for example, of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” and Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death.” Both poems focus on the same theme of death, but while Poe’s poem reflects that death is an atrocious event because of the suffering and struggle that it provokes, Dickinson’s poem reflects that death is humane and that it should not be feared as it is inevitable. The two poems have both similarities and differences, and the themes and characteristics of each poem can be explained by the author’s influences and lives.

Anne Bradstreet’s and Phillis Wheatley’s poems both share the themes of death and religion, but Bradstreet explores these themes by tying them to nature and her personal struggles with simplicity and a religious lens, while Wheatley incorporates race using a sophisticated, Christianity-saturated perspective often bordering on impersonal.

Annie Dillard, the author of "Death of a Moth" and Virginia Woolf, the author of "The Death of the Moth" have different perspectives on the subject of life and death.

"The Death of the Moth," written by Virginia Woolf, explains the brief life of a moth corresponding with the true nature of life and death. In this essay, Woolf puts the moth in a role that represents life. Woolf makes comparisons of the life outside to the life of the moth. The theme is the mystery of death and the correspondence of the life of the moth with the true nature of life. The images created by Woolf are presented that appeal to the eye. For instance, the moth's body during the death is appealing to the eye. The image makes the reader more interested. The essence of true life is energy. As Woolf describes, "I could fancy that a thread of vital light became visible. He was

Annie Dillard and Virginia Woolf both wrote beautiful essays, entitled “Death of A Moth,” and “Death of the Moth,” respectively. The similarities between the two pieces are seen just in the titles; however, the pieces exhibit several differences. While both Dillard and Woolf wrote extensive and detailed essays following deaths of moths, each writer’s work displays influence from different styles and tone, and each moth has a different effect on the respective writer; Dillard utilizes more blunt, and often graphic description in her writing, contrasting with Woolf’s reverent and solemn writing. Dillard is affected by allowing her to contemplate the concept of eternity and purpose

many aspects of textiles and weaving, using words such as, “skein… banner… oriflamme… knitted… rugs…” Her choice of these words indicate that she saw the the flocks of birds as a work of art rather than a scientific observation. Moreover, Dillard uses intense imagery within her writing, including figurative language and sensory details. As an illustration, she writes, “They gathered deep in the distance, flock sifting into flock, and strayed towards me, transparent and whirling, like smoke.” Her view of the birds is not one of scientific observation but rather an artful description of nature and its beauty. She reflects on these images when she asks, “Could tiny birds be sifting through me right now, birds

To conclude, Annie Dillard’s piece “The Death of the Moth;” is about Dillard being reminded of the death of a moth she observes and how it relates to herself, this piece is a great depiction of the impact of life and death. She talks about her personal experience in a tone that

Dillard's primary analogy is that of a spider. an exercise in parallelism connecting between the fourth and tenth paragraphs, literally—printed as a book, the fourth paragraph is superimposed on top of the tenth; this cannot be a coincidence. Dillard is the spider, and the husks of insects are her students, in correspondence with stereotypical impressions of schools. Just as the spider leaves the insects empty, it is a commonly held belief that schools suck children dry, empty. The spider is hanging over the mess of bugs like Dillard speaks in her classroom. But there are different types of insects, sowbugs, earwigs, and moths. Sowbugs, just like a sow's ear, are run of the mill students, uniform, unimpressive, and simple passing through. Covered in a coat of thick armour, it is difficult for Dillard to reach the sowbugs, engage them, interest them. Ambling along, they will pass through her class much the same as the went in, their looks never changing, yet all the while fragile enough to be on the brink of destruction: the epitome of a "C" student, an unengaged student who scarcely skates by. They are "hollow and empty of colour," scarcely being noticed. Then there are the mysterious shreds of an earwig, a corpse who somehow seems less present, but still shows promise, "shin[ing] darkly and gleam[ing]"; the whole creature which Dillard describes only superficially, lacking the vivid imagery and relying instead on scientific nomenclature. The moths are last, described as "wingless and huge" and as "arcing strips of chitin...a jumble of buttresses for cathedral vaults," signifying that she has students, the Nick, Margaret and Randies,

Dillard also accomplishes to draw a strong parallel between herself and the symbol of this essay. As Dillard reads by candlelight, a “golden female Moth, a biggish one” flies into her candle, bringing itself to its own demise. Dillard closely analyzes this majestic Moth that has suddenly flapped itself to the center of her world. In paragraph five, after she has witnessed the Moth burn into bits and pieces, Dillard says “that candle had two wicks, two winding flames of identical light, side by side”. Dillard then begins to draw similarities between herself and the ill-fated moth. The moth was “golden” and “biggish” before she had flew into the fire, much like the writer that Dillard was like before she became a victim of writer's block. Dillard also draws a connection to religious figures in paragraph six, when she says “She burned... like a hollow saint, like a flame-faced virgin gone to God.” A parallel that can be

The Moths by Helena Maria Viramontes is a short story about a relationship between a teenage girl and her abuelita. Although, the title seems unfitting for a story about a loving relationship between family members the significance of the moths, in this story, has a much deeper meaning than one would think. Like many other aspects of the piece, the insects have a symbolic meaning in order to convey the author’s feelings during the time of her grandmother’s death. Throughout the story we see the use of multiple descriptions, settings, as well as dialogue in order to pass a message to the audience. The Moths is not only a story about death and brokenness, but a story about cures and peace. Upon further examination of this narrative, the story presents symbolic attributes about the main characters personalities, descriptions, and religious imagery that tell the story about a cure for brokenness, a rebirth of hope, and coming of age.

When needing to retreat, Annie Dillard goes to Tinker Creek and immerses herself in nature. During one of these trips, she has a snippet of a revelation, which makes her see beauty and ugliness in harmony and see the world as meaningful; even though there is sorrow. In this passage, Dillard uses the symbolism of a maple key and similes to explain its descend as something beautiful, seeing the positive in the negative.

In the short stories, the “Death of the Moth,” Annie Dillard and Virginia Woolf discover a moth flying and observes it. The short versions has two versions and both author tries to explore the theme of life and death and explains their perspectives on it. Both of the short stories have similar titles, but both pieces exhibit several differences. Annie Dillard starts off her short story by beginning the death of the moth and realizes the value of life. Virginia Woolf tells us that she sees the moth as a pathetic creature and sees that death is a powerful force that no one can stand up to. Both authors go into great detail pertaining to life and death.

‘“One could not help watching him. One, was, indeed, conscious of a queer feeling of pity for him. The possibilities of pleasure seemed that morning so enormous and so various that to have only a moth’s part in life, and a day moth’s at that, appeared a hard fate, and his zest in enjoying his meager opportunities to the full, pathetic’” (Woolf 1). She continually pities the fact that the moth continues to make the most of his desperate and futile situation. No matter his frailty and impending doom, the moth continues to carelessly dance around the windowpane, either because he is unaware that he will soon die, or because he chooses not to care about his demise. However, Woolf begins to realize that the moth’s strength is failing him, and she comes to the cold conclusion that he is at death’s door. Not soon after that, the moth senses that his strength is failing him, but even upon knowing his inevitable death, the moth continues to fight. Woolf’s heart goes out to the insect. ‘“It was superb this last protest, and so frantic that he succeeded at last in righting himself. One’s sympathies, of course, were all on the side of life (Woolf 2)’”. She resolves to root for the moth, and applaud his final protest against death. By the use of her writing style, Woolf has caused the audience to root for the moth’s final efforts along with her. By getting so emotionally

The essay “The Death of The Moth” was published posthumously in 1942, a year after Virginia Woolf lost a battle with depression and mental illness, and at age 59 committed suicide. Virginia Woolf's "The Death of the Moth" shows the audience the power of death through a short narration about everyday, yet very symbolic moth. Woolf uses her own experience of watching a moth die to apply it to a larger theme. Woolf connects a simple moths lifespan to paint a gorgeous picture of “life” and then destroys it right in front of the audience's eyes, to leave a lasting impression of Woolf's perception of life and death. With further analysis and a more in depth look at its message, it is a essay filled with literary devices,