Analyzing Annie Dillard's 'Death Of A Moth'
Bona 1
Dylan Bona
Period 1 Smith
February 21, 2014
AP Lang
Rhetorical Analysis “Death of a Moth”
Annie Dilliard, a wellknown nature writer, in her piece “Death of a Moth” recounts an experience where she witnesses a moth get caught in the flame of a candle. Dilliard’s purpose in the passage is to convey the brutality yet beauty of nature through the death of a moth. She uses similes, choice diction regarding colors, and adopts a fascinated tone in order to portray her feelings about nature, that it can be brutal yet beautiful at the same time, for her general audience that reads her passages.
In “Death of a Moth”, Dilliard uses several similes such as “like a boiling fire glimpsed through silhouetted walls, like a hollow saint, like a flamefaced virgin gone to God” …show more content…
throughout the passage. Her use of similes are strategic in conveying her message to the audience; the similes make the elaborate and eloquent actions of nature more understandable for the reader. Similes also aid in the understanding of the nature because
Annie Dilliard writes in the first person to retell her experience, and comparing what she saw to other known actions helps pass the intimate observation of the moth to her audience.
“Ignited like tissue paper, like angels’ wings” is another pair of similes that Dilliard uses to convey her feelings on nature. It is significant that in both of the sets of similes mentioned, they both carry descriptions relating to religion. The connection to religion creates an emotional appeal of sacrality of nature to the readers, an aura of holiness that Annie Dilliard
intended to create so that her readers would to feel the beauty of nature despite the brutal death of the moth.
The diction used in the passage to describe the moth itself and how it went up in flames is also significant. In “Death of a Moth” Dillard uses words like golden, blue, green, red, gold, and saffronyellow as adjectives for the event of the moth’s death. The use of numerous color descriptions not only creates imagery for the readers so that they can picture the colors as the moth catches on fire, but also to underline the beauty of nature. The wide array of adjectives described emphasizes the beauty of nature with the variety of colors that are pleasing to the eye.
Colors affect people on an emotional level because there are certain associations with each one, and when Dillard uses at least seven different colors as adjectives for the moth, it was intended to tap into the emotional associations of the readers.
The diction with color words by Dillard is intended to appeal in pathos towards the readers.
Annie Dillard adopts a fascinated tone to convey her feelings of the brutality and beauty of nature. Her tone, evident in the lines “I must have been staring at the candle... I saw it all”, can also been seen through the perspective that such an extensive description was given to a simple action where a moth flies into a candle. Her numerous similes and comparisons, her vivid colors and imagery, and the fact that she is retelling a past experience in great detail supports the idea that aNnie Dillard was truly fascinated by the death of a moth.
Her tone alongside her use of personal pronouns and first person narration creates a sense of intimacy and awe between her and the reader, both tapping into the emotional appeal of her audience. She tell the story as if amazed by the beauty every time she recounts the events, and with the personal connection obtained through first person narration, the readers
were intended to feel the same fascination and awe as Dilliard. through seeing the death of a moth
through the authors eyes, the audience felt the same feelings of beauty despite the brutal death of the moth.
Annie Dillard's rhetorical strategies of similes, diction, and tone help connect the reader to her ultimate feelings about nature; that nature is truly beautiful despite the brutality ie. death.
Dylan Bona
Period 1 Smith
February 21, 2014
AP Lang
Rhetorical Analysis “Death of a Moth”
Annie Dilliard, a wellknown nature writer, in her piece “Death of a Moth” recounts an experience where she witnesses a moth get caught in the flame of a candle. Dilliard’s purpose in the passage is to convey the brutality yet beauty of nature through the death of a moth. She uses similes, choice diction regarding colors, and adopts a fascinated tone in order to portray her feelings about nature, that it can be brutal yet beautiful at the same time, for her general audience that reads her passages.
In “Death of a Moth”, Dilliard uses several similes such as “like a boiling fire glimpsed through silhouetted walls, like a hollow saint, like a flamefaced virgin gone to God” …show more content…
throughout the passage. Her use of similes are strategic in conveying her message to the audience; the similes make the elaborate and eloquent actions of nature more understandable for the reader. Similes also aid in the understanding of the nature because
Annie Dilliard writes in the first person to retell her experience, and comparing what she saw to other known actions helps pass the intimate observation of the moth to her audience.
“Ignited like tissue paper, like angels’ wings” is another pair of similes that Dilliard uses to convey her feelings on nature. It is significant that in both of the sets of similes mentioned, they both carry descriptions relating to religion. The connection to religion creates an emotional appeal of sacrality of nature to the readers, an aura of holiness that Annie Dilliard
intended to create so that her readers would to feel the beauty of nature despite the brutal death of the moth.
The diction used in the passage to describe the moth itself and how it went up in flames is also significant. In “Death of a Moth” Dillard uses words like golden, blue, green, red, gold, and saffronyellow as adjectives for the event of the moth’s death. The use of numerous color descriptions not only creates imagery for the readers so that they can picture the colors as the moth catches on fire, but also to underline the beauty of nature. The wide array of adjectives described emphasizes the beauty of nature with the variety of colors that are pleasing to the eye.
Colors affect people on an emotional level because there are certain associations with each one, and when Dillard uses at least seven different colors as adjectives for the moth, it was intended to tap into the emotional associations of the readers.
The diction with color words by Dillard is intended to appeal in pathos towards the readers.
Annie Dillard adopts a fascinated tone to convey her feelings of the brutality and beauty of nature. Her tone, evident in the lines “I must have been staring at the candle... I saw it all”, can also been seen through the perspective that such an extensive description was given to a simple action where a moth flies into a candle. Her numerous similes and comparisons, her vivid colors and imagery, and the fact that she is retelling a past experience in great detail supports the idea that aNnie Dillard was truly fascinated by the death of a moth.
Her tone alongside her use of personal pronouns and first person narration creates a sense of intimacy and awe between her and the reader, both tapping into the emotional appeal of her audience. She tell the story as if amazed by the beauty every time she recounts the events, and with the personal connection obtained through first person narration, the readers
were intended to feel the same fascination and awe as Dilliard. through seeing the death of a moth
through the authors eyes, the audience felt the same feelings of beauty despite the brutal death of the moth.
Annie Dillard's rhetorical strategies of similes, diction, and tone help connect the reader to her ultimate feelings about nature; that nature is truly beautiful despite the brutality ie. death.