“The Death of the Moth,” written by Virginia Woolf, explains the brief life of a moth corresponding with the true nature of life and death. In this essay, Woolf puts the moth in a role that represents life. Woolf makes comparisons of the life outside to the life of the moth. The theme is the mystery of death and the correspondence of the life of the moth with the true nature of life. The images created by Woolf are presented that appeal to the eye. For instance, the moth’s body during the death is appealing to the eye. The image makes the reader more interested. The essence of true life is energy. As Woolf describes, “I could fancy that a thread of vital light became visible. He was little or nothing but life” (Woolf 427). The thread of vital light represents the energy. Woolf employs several stylistic devices that make the essay more interesting to the reader. The changing in tone, lengthy sentence structure, and personification are three devices that are significant in the essay. Throughout the essay the tone changes by Woolfs’ attitude towards the moth. The actual change of tone is pity. At first her focus is not totally on the moth and she is not exactly impressed with the moth as well. Then, as the essay continues, Woolf begins to be more interested and starts to feel a sense of pity or sympathy for the moth. As described here, “Watching him, it seemed as if a fibre, very thin and pure, of the enormous energy of the world had been thrust into his frail and diminutive body” (426-427). This sentence shows Woolfs’ attitude starting to change towards the moth. In the beginning of the essay, Woolf does not show the interest like she does towards the end of the essay. When the moth starts to go through death the tone changes dramatically and Woolf is a state of wonder and awe for the moth. When the moth is dying Woolf uses lengthier sentences to bring out the import...
