Death Of The Moth Compare And Contrast
Comparison and Contrast Essay
Virgina Woolf and Annie Dillard both wrote an essay entitled, “The Death of the Moth.” Woolf wrote her essay in 1942. During this time, she was a female writer struggling with mental illness and the constraints placed on her by society. In her essay, Woolf uses a moth to symbolize her own life. 32 years later, Dillard wrote her essay. In the time that she wrote her essay, she was a teacher wanting to inspire her students, and herself, to dedicate themselves to writing. In the essay, Dillard recounts a time when she had no motivation to write. She then has an experience with a moth, similar to Woolf. The most significant difference however, is that while Woolf sees herself in the moth, Dillard finds motivation in
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For Woolf, the moth symbolizes herself. She sees herself and her life in the moth. In the beginning of her essay, Woolf describes day moths as “hybrid creatures.” She herself feels as such because of the societal expectations for women in the 1900’s. Woolf expresses that she cannot be a true writer because she is not a man. Yet, that she cannot be a true woman because she does not want to live how women were expected to live. Also, in the last paragraph of her essay, Woolf describes the moth that she had been watching as an “insignificant little creature.” She believes that she is insignificant because she is not a man and therefore, not able to truly share her writing with others. In contrast, the moth in Dillard’s essay symbolizes inspiration for writing. In the middle section of her essay, Dillard recounts the moment a moth flew into her candle and caught fire. She describes how, when the moth caught fire, it lit up everything around her. She was able to see the vibrant colors of her surroundings. She was inspired by the death of this moth and it brought back her motivation to be a writer. Towards the end of her essay, Dillard describes how the moth that got caught in her candle began to act a second wick. The moth “burned for two hours without changing, without bending or leaning.” This inspired Dillard to continue writing because even though she had no motivation, she was able to find it through the strength of the moth. While both Woolf and Dillard center their essays around a moth, the moths signify very different things for both of
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