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The Death Of The Moth Analysis

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Everyone leads different lifesytles and varying experiences, but no matter how diffrering a humans life is, it all ends with death. 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 an essay filled with literary devices, diction, detailed descriptions, and use of contrast that provide us with a clear perspective on Virginia Woolf 's acknowledgment of our ultimate destiny with death. Throughout the essay Woolf did an …show more content…

The diction and tone in Woolf’s essay affects her message as it was melancholy and calm. The diction was clear and understandable to ensure that the audience could understand her message, rather than try and decipher large incoherent words. Woolf also uses many words with negative connotations, but takes a neutral attitude to the subject. At the beginning of the essay Woolf 's tone is very hopeful, but as the essay progresses it turns dark and somber. At the beginning Woolf used phrasing such as “ Pleasant morning” (Woolf 5) and “enormous energy of the world”(Woolf 24) . Then toward the end of the essay she uses words such as “helplessness” and “failure” (Woolf 42). By using this diction she correlates it with the path her ideas take, which lets the reader feel her attitude change.Though Woolf takes a neutral attitude to the subject, she still has a very serious and authorial voice to show the seriousness of the

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