When someone encounters a snake, their reflex is to get as far away from the snake. That is not the case when Dillard encounters a Copperhead snake in her short story “Snakes”. Instead, she has the opposite reaction; she is so awestruck by the snake that she stays to observe the beauty of the flawless snake. Throughout the passage, Dillard uses language to express her feelings of being fascinated and impressed by the attractiveness of the snake. Through the use of descriptive diction, Dillard is able to convey how amazed she is by the exquisiteness of the Copperhead snake. The author creates a picture of the snake’s perfect skin by the use of words like “perfect” and “unblemished.” With the use of these words, Dillard demonstrates how captivated