...reading the Death of the Moth, I found a broad choice of rhetorical devices that make this story increasingly powerful yet straightforward. Despite the fact that this story is fairly short, Virginia Woolf, the author, is still capable to write such a detailed story with a forceful type of metaphor. A device that Woolf uses in her story that I caught right away was parallelism, which occurred when I read, “That was all he could do, in spite of the size of the downs, the width of the sky, the far-off smoke of houses, and the romantic voice, now and then, of a steamer out at sea.” (Woolf 2). When I continued to read the story, Woolf used an impressive sentence regarding a hyperbole which is introduced in this following sentence, “One could...
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...As mortals with limited time on this Earth, humans are faced with the inescapable and inevitable subject of death. In the essay “The Death of a Moth”, by Virginia Woolf, the author depicts the struggle of life and death as an impossible battle to win. Woolf utilizes rhetorical devices such as tone, diction, structure, and imagery to convey this message and invoke the feeling of pity and despair in her reader. As the tone shifts throughout the piece, Woolf’s stylistic choices strengthen her tone and further support her philosophy that death cannot be beat. Woolf maintains a desperate and hopeless underlying tone throughout the literary piece and further develops it in relation to the surface tone of subtle indifference and fascination. Both...
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...in the Human Condition An analysis of contradicting elements in selected personal essays of Virginia Woolf An author fascinated with boundaries, Virginia Woolf blurs the line between black and white in her essays The Death of the Moth and Street Haunting. In both essays she highlights opposing extremes: Street Haunting articulates the innate conflict of impulse and restraint, and The Death of the Moth articulates the enduring struggle between life and death, from which death always rises as the victor. The juxtaposition of these conflicting extremes as contradictory ultimately results in a dialectical synthesis of the two, proving that one is synergetic with the other. Through this synergy Woolf emphasizes the strength of the human condition to transcend the boundaries of its ambiguities, but clearly defines its inability to fully surpass the boundaries of the physical world. The Death of the Moth makes a piercingly clear point that life is futile in the face of its unfailing conqueror: death. Yet embedded at the heart of Woolf’s essay and thesis lies an inherent contradiction. Woolf constructs her essay to revolve around death’s victorious potency. Yet that is not enough. For, to glorify the power of death, she must also paint life as a substantial opponent to overcome. She does accomplish this purpose, describing the moth’s “gigantic effort…against a power of such magnitude” (Moth 2), a surprisingly fervent struggle originating from a frail and awkward body. The struggle...
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...The death of moth & The battle of ants At first, I read the death of moth. I thought this articles are kind of elusive especially the death of moth. However, after reading several times and gathering more information about the writer, I have some own opinion about it. Comparing the death of moth, the battle of ants is more powerful, and depicts more detail about the process of battle. No one writes about such a negligible things and describe it in such details. Through reading the process of ant’s struggling and the movement of tussling, I not only feel the power of two group of ants, but also I even can experience writer’s mood. However, the death of the moth is kind of negative to me cause it express the death always defeat us. The Virginia Woolf, the writer of the death of moth, used the same insignificant objet in her article. Use a lot word like “ not properly” “ little” “nothing” to create a negligible object. Though she described all the big beautiful background for the nature, this comparing between significant surrounding and a little moth brings me more stronger feeling that no one care about the moth. Both articles illustrate the struggling between life and death. Virginia Woolf’s opinion is focus on the futility of struggling. Henry David Thoreau emphasized the contending between two groups. Reviewing the death of moth, I noticed that there are many metaphors in the article. Like so stiff or so awkward", or "The horses stood still” are all the signs...
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...Universal Themes of Death Death is no stranger to humanity, but mankind by nature fear death and will do all in their power to preserve their life. The event of death causes despairing emotions for those around us, but will also effect those around us morally by educating them to acknowledge the value of life and to change their perspectives. In “Shooting the Elephant”, George Orwell describes a time where he sensed a moment of injustice surfacing in his life. George was hated by large numbers of people, because of who he was and his authority over the Burmese people. To avoid looking like a fool in front of the Burmese Indians, Orwell shot an elephant while hundreds of Burmese watched from behind him. Orwell repeats many times throughout the story that he “simply did not want to shoot the elephant” but yet he still did because the pressure of the thousands of Burmese standing behind him. After the elephant’s death, George feels nothing but guilt but tries to relieve his shame by stating “besides, legally I had done the right thing”. And in the end Orwell states that he “could not stand it any longer and went away”, Orwell tries to avoid his guilt by simply walking away finding it unbearable to watch it die, and then says he “legally” had done the right thing. “Death of a Moth” by Virginia Woolf describes her thoughts of when she was observing a moth’s death. Woolf’s thoughts turn an insignificant moths death into a whole new perspective of what death really symbolizes. Woolf...
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...are all aware of death, and we know that one day it will come to us. For many of us the subject of death brings an awful chill down our spines. Unfortunately, we all must face death in the end. Since true fear stems off having a lack of knowledge for a subject, which makes death a powerful and fearful subject. Because of this fear, of such a simple yet powerful aspect of our natural lives, people try to fend it off, not even seeing that it is an inevitable act. They try to believe that there is a way to fend off the ‘enemy’ and go against the tide of nature. However ever in the middle of death there is true beauty even in the unlikely of creatures. In two essays the most unsuspecting characters take on death in a different perspective from the way we as group sees it. In the story "The Death of the Moth" by Virginia Woolf and Annie Dillard’s essay, “Living Like Weasels” both touch on such insignificant creatures and the dynamic between life and death. While we cower at the face of death the moth and the weasel face death in a more valiant way. Both of these creatures that we do not even give a second thought in our day to day lives, live and die with more appreciation, and it is admirable. In “The Death of the Moth” and “Living Like Weasels” the speakers show the smallest of creatures living with strength even as they face death and how they reflect life in their small presence. It is comparable that we as a group lives with the same vigor as the moth, but once being on...
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...strategies are simply ways of effectively and adequately presenting material. In the essays of discussion the effectiveness of how imagery, emotional appeal and tone build the writers credibility and enhance the essay will be discovered. For example, Virginia Woolf uses rhetorical strategies in “The Death of The Moth”. Woolf begins by using imagery effectively throughout her essay by strategically incorporating descriptive details. Woolf encountered this moth in the day time, so she begins her essay by stating, “moths that fly by day are not properly to be called moths . . .” (para. 1). This statement spikes wonder; what does that mean? She explains that moths in the day “ . . . do not excite that pleasant sense of dark autumn nights and ivy-blossom which the commonest yellow-underwing asleep in the shadow of the curtain never fails to rouse in us” (Woolf para. 1). Her sense of imagery is full of color and expression which helps her credibility in her writing. It truly makes you visualize that “dark autumn night” and “ivy-blossom” as if you experienced it yourself. Woolf continues her essay by using more imagery to describe the day of her encounter. As she was sitting by her window on a mid-September morning, she noticed the moth “ . . . fluttering from side to side of his square of the window-pane” (para. 2). Woolf stated “One could not help watching him”...
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...“Behind the Fair Façade” Representations of Femininity in Three Walt Disney Animated Features Bachelor Thesis Bethany Schouten, 3278972 Media en Cultuurwetenschappen Genderstudies Supervisor: Domitilla Olivieri May 31st, 2011 “Behind the Fair Façade” Representations of Femininity in Three Walt Disney Animated Features Bachelor thesis by Bethany Schouten, 3278972 Index Introduction 3 Methodological and theoretical Framework 4 Corpus 9 The Research: SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS 11 The Research: THE LITTLE MERMAID 18 The Research: THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG 24 Findings and Interpretation 31 Identity Formation 35 Conclusion 38 Literature 41 Media 43 Introduction The Walt Disney Company’s cultural products have been a great influence on popular culture since the 1930s and an inspiration for generations all over the world ever since. For many, including myself, the Princes, Princesses and fantastical creatures of Disney’s animated fairy tales have become symbols of their youth. Seeing the films gives rise to a feeling of nostalgia, they become a memento of one’s childhood world. But what kind of world is this? What kind of realities do Disney’s fantastical representations construct? In my thesis, I will analyze a specific element of Disney films: gender roles constructed through the representation of femininity in their animated...
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...To the Lighthouse Woolf, Virginia Published: 1927 Categorie(s): Fiction Source: http://gutenberg.net.au 1 About Woolf: Virginia Woolf (January 25, 1882 – March 28, 1941) was an English novelist and essayist regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century. During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929) with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction". Also available on Feedbooks for Woolf: • Mrs. Dalloway (1925) • A Haunted House (1921) • The Waves (1931) • Mrs Dalloway in Bond Street (1923) • Between the Acts (1941) • The New Dress (1927) • The Mark on the Wall (1917) • The Duchess and the Jeweller (1938) • The Years (1937) • An Unwritten Novel (1920) Copyright: This work is available for countries where copyright is Life+70. Note: This book is brought to you by Feedbooks http://www.feedbooks.com Strictly for personal use, do not use this file for commercial purposes. 2 Part 1 The Window 3 Chapter 1 "Yes, of course, if it's fine tomorrow," said Mrs Ramsay. "But you'll have to be up with the lark," she added. To her son these words conveyed an extraordinary joy, as if it were settled, the expedition...
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...A Passage to India E. M. Forster Online Information For the online version of BookRags' A Passage to India Premium Study Guide, including complete copyright information, please visit: http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide−passageindia/ Copyright Information ©2000−2007 BookRags, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare &Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources. ©1998−2002; ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license. The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". © 1994−2005, by Walton Beacham. The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". © 1994−2005, by Walton Beacham. All other...
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...critical theory today critical theory today A Us e r - F r i e n d l y G u i d e S E C O N D E D I T I O N L O I S T Y S O N New York London Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Routledge Taylor & Francis Group 270 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group 2 Park Square Milton Park, Abingdon Oxon OX14 4RN © 2006 by Lois Tyson Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business Printed in the United States of America on acid‑free paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 International Standard Book Number‑10: 0‑415‑97410‑0 (Softcover) 0‑415‑97409‑7 (Hardcover) International Standard Book Number‑13: 978‑0‑415‑97410‑3 (Softcover) 978‑0‑415‑97409‑7 (Hardcover) No part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data Tyson, Lois, 1950‑ Critical theory today : a user‑friendly guide / Lois Tyson.‑‑ 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0‑415‑97409‑7 (hb) ‑‑ ISBN 0‑415‑97410‑0 (pb) 1. Criticism...
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