The Death of the/a Moth Essay

Woolf is sad you have a paper to write

The use of metaphor is important in literature, poetry, film, and other writing. It is no less important in The Death of the Moth by Virginia Woolf and The Death of a Moth by Annie Dillard. Choose one of the following prompts and answer it in a well-written analytic essay. In the prompts that ask for reflection, that reflection should encompass no more than 25% of your word count.

• Dillard explores the nature of solitude and introspection in her essay The Death of a Moth. Examine the way in which Dillard uses rhetorical strategies to develop and explore that theme. To conclude your essay, reflect on the role of solitude and introspection in your own life.
• Woolf explores the relationship between life and death in her essay The Death of the Moth. Examine the way in which Woolf uses rhetorical strategies to develop and explore her theme. To conclude your essay, reflect on the role of her theme in your own life.
• Why is the moth central to the essays of Dillard and Woolf? Contrast their respective central ideas and how each of them uses rhetorical strategies to develop those respective ideas. To conclude your essay, reflect on the way in which one of those central ideas resonates with you.
• How do Woolf and Dillard create a setting and evoke a specific mood in their essays? How do these strategies enrich and advance their respective theses?

Due Date: January 3, 2013
Word Count: 750 +/- 10%

Here is this essay assignment in printable form.

Dillard has some good advice for your essay