Dillard Reflection

Rhetoric devices are often used by writers to clarify ideas, emphasize key points, or relate insights to the reader. In both “The Death of the Moth” and “On Keeping A Notebook, ” the authors heavily rely on such devices to get their points across to the audience, and these devices help strengthen overall theme the authors want to communicate. Though several may argue that Didion’s use of metaphor and rhetorical question compliment her essay very well, the repetition and metaphors Dillard uses are more effective in developing the theme of loss and gain throughout the story.

Watching the hopeless death of the vulnerable moth leaves Woolf contemplating her own life, as she compares the moth to herself, and the human race. The moth, caught in a windowsill, is compared to the outside world by Woolf; while the moth flutters and exhibits life,

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

I would not let this happen to me.” (Dillard, P.26) She had realized how people’s youthful appearance deteriorate as they aged. It kind of scared her, because she didn’t want it happening to her. Another difference Dillard observed was religion. She disliked the Catholic schoolchildren, because she was afraid of their beliefs. She expressed thoughts on how uptight the religion was compared to her own when she said “Whatever the pope said, I thought it was no prize, it didn’t work, our Protestant lives were much sunnier, without our half trying.” (Dillard, P. 33). She also talked about changes in Pittsburgh’s appearance. “City workers continually paved the streets, They poured asphalt over the streetcar tracks, streetcar tracks their fathers had wormed between the old riverworn cobblestones, cobblestones laid smack into the notorious nineteenth-century mud.” This message is important because after childhood, you start to grow more aware of the world around you, which is a big change. Children are often oblivious to changes, but as you get older, you notice how things change more up-close and personal.

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 fictional short story about the narrator’s personal hardship of watching her grandmother die slowly because of natural causes. Although, the name of this story is “The Moths” don’t let this fool you. In this story, references to moths are only used twice. Using the moths, the author is able to convey a theme, help create the tone, and resolve the central conflict. I believe that the moths are actually being used in this story to symbolize some sort of healing and relief. In the following paragraphs, I would like to defend my claim and also show you examples of how Mrs. Viramontes utilizes the moths for many different elements in this story.

Virginia Woolf’s appeals to emotion assist her purpose as they allow the reader to connect to the moth. The moth is the symbol that Woolf uses in order to convey her message that life is as significant as you make it. She writes,

Daniel Tammet sees the world a bit differently than most, and his uniqueness always made him stand out. His story tells of how the things that made others look down on him in his past now make him someone I and many others look up to. While his experience is so rare and only few people have gone through, somehow, his journey, his struggles, and passions are relatable. It’s quite ironic actually, while Daniel suffered from a disability which made socializing and empathy difficult, he was able to share his story in a way where I felt like I’ve had very similar experiences. I believe I loved this story so much mainly because I have quite a few things in common with Daniel. He’s a gay Christian who has a mental illness and I’m a gay Christian raised young man whose parents both suffered from mental illnesses. It was astounding to me to read about how much Daniel was able to grow personally, not even to mention the other things he was able to accomplish because of that growth.

Throughout Annie Dillard’s essay, examples are used from sports to make connections in life. Also, there is a separation between childhood and adulthood. Dillard does a fantastic job of embedding symbolism in her writing to give the reader opportunity to closely analyze the meaning of her writing.

At DePauw, I want to study english literature in hopes of one day working as an editor at a book publishing company. One might think that this means that reading and writing are naturally easy for me, but in truth I often struggle to get my thoughts gathered and cohesively written on paper. That is why I want to pursue work as an editor rather than a writer. I’m much better at tweaking and critiquing another’s work than producing my own. Much to my displeasure, I also find that I write some of my best work under the pressure of a time crunch. I realize I need to work to get out of that habit this year.

Visiting Adelanto in my point of view was a good experience because having a different idea about detainee jail in United States is important for me. I was impressed about how neat and organized was the place. Also, I have never been in a jail or a detention´s place like that, in this regard.

I do not recall learning about reflective practice in my undergraduate studies. Reflective practice according to Barbour (2013), “is the cyclic process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self, existing knowledge, and experience; resulting in a changed conceptual perceptive and practice” (p. 7). According to Barbour (2013), reflective process has many positive outcomes to help guide the nurse to become an expert nurse that can make on the spot decisions that do not interrupt patient care. I feel that reflective practice would have been beneficial to help guide me from a student nurse to a practicing nurse with critical thinking skills.

2. The author’s main purpose in writing this book is to present some lies or myths that some people might believe concerning Christianity, and show them the truth of what the Bible says about those topics.

This semester I learned a lot about writing in English 151. It has been a roller coaster ride with these essays for me this semester. I learned step by step how to write a good essay and how to have your readers be engaged in what you’re trying to tell them. Each essay I did has taught me something valuable I can take to the next level of English. I feel as if as the semester went by I did not take my writing that seriously and that reflected in my grades I received in each essay. It made me a better student and writer and it will reflect next semester. In this essay, I will reflect on what I learned throughout this semester that you should apply in your writing when you begin English 151.

A long-term irony of Wright’s life is that in spite of his belief in environmental determinism, he fulfilled his dream of success against all odds. In his essay How Bigger Was Born, Wright explains how he grew up surrounded by different types of Biggers, and that social reality determined his literary personality. (Applebee) Indeed, he was at different times in his youth an unstable child, but ultimately he became Richard Wright, and not Bigger Thomas.