Please SOAPSTone the Krisol article and read Dillard's "Death of a Moth". Answer Discussion Questions 1 and 2 on the blog.
27 comments:
Anonymous
said...
1. When she sees the moth die, Dillard is camping because she wants to be out in the nature and read Ullman's novel about Rimbaud. This novel "had made me want to be a writer when I was sixteen" (par. 5), so now she hopes to be inspired again.
2. When Dillard describes the moth's death, she uses an abundance of verbs, many times describing what is happening its body. For example, after the moth enters the fire, it "dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled and fried in a second" (par. 7). This sequence of verbs really lets the reader see the scene in his or her mind. Then, she describes how the wing sets on fire: "enlarging the circle of light...and creating out of the darkness the sudden blue sleeves of my sweater, the green leaves..., the ragged red trunk of a pine" (par. 7). I love this quote because when reading, I could just see the fire become bigger and lighting up the surroundings, all because of the moth's wings set on fire. At the end, the moth's head "jerked in spasms...antennae crisped and burned away...mouth parts crackled like pistol fire" (par. 7). This last vivid imagery puts an end to the moth's immediate death. In this description, Dillard not only appeals to the sight but also the sense of hearing.
1. Dillard is camping because she wants to read James Ramsey Ullman's "The Day on Fire," a story about Arthur Rimbaud, a young poet. Dillard hopes that the combination of the pristine environement in which she is camping and the inspiring novel will convince her to throw her whole life into writing.
2. Dillard uses verbs to bring the reader into the story and make the death of the moth more real, more convincing, and more horrifying. Dillard writes that the moth "stuck, flamed, frazzled and fried in a second" (par. 7). This quick succession of verbs, along with the alliteration, causes the description to stick in the reader's mind. Dillard goes on to describe how the moth's legs "clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased, disappearing utterly" (par. 7). Again there is a bit of alliteration, and again a quick succession of verbs. The sequence of verbs lends action to the scene and causes the reader to picture the death of the moth in motion. While many writers' descriptions use adjectives and create a picture in the reader's mind, Dillard uses verbs and creates more of a movie that readers can view as they read.
1. The reason why she was camping when the moth died was because she wanted to read "among other things, James Ramsey Ullman's The Day on Fire, a novel about Rimbaud that had made me want to be a writer when I was sixteen; I was hoping it would do it again" (par. 5).
2. Dillard uses verbs to her advantage by describing the death of the moth in lavish detail in order to envelope the reader in the scene. By only using adjectives, the author effects one sense--the eyes. When she discusses how the moth's "head jerked in spasms, making a spattering noise," and "her antennae crisped and burned away and her heaving mouth parts crackled like pistol fire," Dillard is allowing the reader to use the senses of sight, smell, and noise (par. 7). When reading this passage, I was able to not only visualize the burning of the moth, but I was also able to imagine the spark noises and the scent of a burnt match. I believe this method is ultimately more effective when describing a scene because the reader feels more involved.
1. Dillard is camping in order to find inspiration again for writing. She took a book on about the French poet Rimbaud, who at one point inspired her greatly. She hopes that by reading the book again, she'll feel the same way about writing that she did at 16.
2. When describing the moths death, Dillard uses a lot of verbs to make the death all the more vivid. The death of a moth is usually uninteresting, but by describing it in such a way, she draws the readers curiosity. The reader actually sees the moth falling into the wax, "stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second" (par. 7). She also chooses verbs over adjectives when describing how the moths dying body began "enlarging the circle of light" that Dillard sat in (par. 7). I think she also employs anadapolis several times, such as when she says "gone, gone the long way of her wings and legs" (par. 7)I think Dillard's way of describing things is more effective because the reader is drawn into the story more.
1.Dillard is camping when she sees the moth die because she yearns to be passionate about writing once again. She is planning on reading James Ramsey Ullman’s The Day on Fire because it inspired her to be a writer when she was sixteen, and she is hoping that it will have the same affect on her now.
2.Dillard uses verbs as well as adjectives to describe the moth’s death because they add an interesting flare that adjectives do have the ability to add. For example, she writes, “A golden female moth…dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck. Flamed, frazzled and fried in a second” (par. 7). By using these verbs, the story progresses while she tells it instead of sitting in one place. She uses the same repetition of verbs when she says, “her six legs clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased” (par. 7). The addition of several interesting verbs adds intrigue, suspense and action to the descriptive writing.
1. She goes up to camp to read Ullman's the Day on Fire because that is the book that made her want to be a writer at 16.
2. She also uses verbs to describe the picture in a way that helps the reader picture what is happening much better, " her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled, and friend in a second." (7). Also again she writes, " At the same time her six legs clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased, disappearing utterly." (7). In my opinion, using verbs can be much more affective than adjectives because it gives you a more then just a picture but like a small video.
1. Dillard is camping alone in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia because she wants to read James Ramsey's Ullman's "The Day on Fire." This novel is about Arthur Rimbaud who was a major poet that wrote must of his work at a young age, between the age of sixteen and twenty. A few years ago, Rimbaud inspired Dillard to be a writer at an early age, and now she goes to the campsite to try and be reinspired to go after her dreams of writing.
2. In addition to descriptive adjectives, Dillard uses several verbs to convey her point to the reader. One major way Dillard accomplishes this is through her use of parallel structure. At the same time that the moth's wings are being burned, "her six legs [are] clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased" (par. 7). Also, the moth "dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second" (par. 7). The use of a constant verb tense over and over really accentuates the meaning of the verb, making it more important and dramatic to the reader. Similarily, in paragraph 9, the moth "burned for two hours without changing, without bending or leaning - only glowing within." Dillard's parallel structure emphasizes her use of verbs in many ways.
1. When Dillard watches the moth die, she is camping in Virginia in order to regain her inspiration to be a writer by reading out in nature. She specifically mentions a book about Rimbaud.
2. Dillard's use of verbs to provide detail is demonstrated in paragraph 7 where she describes the death of the moth. The example that best reflects this technique goes as following: "A golden female moth, a biggish one with a two inch wingspan, flapped into the fire, dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second" (par. 7). From this quote, the quick succession of verbs (flapped, dropped, stuck, flamed, frazzled, fried) perfectly describes the situation without using adjectives. Another example appears just a few sentences later, when Dillard writes, "And her head jerked in spasms, making a spattering noise; her antennae crisped and burned away and heaving mouth parts cracked like pistol fire" (par. 7). Here again a situation is perfectly described using mostly verbs. These two quotes reflect Dillard's unique writing style.
1. She is camping so that she can read in the wolderness and become reinspired to write again. She decides to read a book that had once inspired her in the past and that she hoped would again. I guess that it worked.
2. In paragraph 7, Dillard uses verbs like "hiss" and "recoil" to further exemplify the dying of the moth. Rather than using adjectives, Dillard opts for verbs to have a stronger impact for what is happenning. The reader can hear and feel what is happenning to the moth which paints a better, clearer picture in their minds. Also, Dillard uses many verbs at a time to describe the series of events that take place as the moth is dying, burning, curling, and dying more.
1. Dillard is camping alone out in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia because she wanted to re-read James Ramsey Ullman's The Day on Fire. She had stated that this collection of poems initially inspired her to become a writer when she was sixteen. Also she reveals that she "was hoping it would do it again" (140) or inspire her to write again. Dillard indicates that she is in a writer's slump and may not feel as much passion for writing as she used to. 2. Diller's usage of intricate verbs makes the description of the moth's death vivid and even frightening. She states that the moth "dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried" (141). In using such descriptive verbs, the reader is able to picture the actual frying of the moth in his head. As the moth is in fact dying, Dillard describes its legs to have "clawed, curled, blackeened, and ceased, disappearing utterly" (141). This excessive description allows the reader to picture the true extent of grotesqueness of the scene. The extent at which she decribes might even frighten the reader as her description just so aptly describes a violent and brutal death.
1. When she sees the moth die, Dillard is camping in order to read The Day on Fire by James Ramsey Ullman. It "made [her] want to be a riter when [she] was sixteen; [she] was hoping it would do it again" (Par. 5).
2. As the moth immolates until its very existence is gone, Dillard not only uses a variety of adjectives but also a variety of verbs in order to provide more descriptive detail. For example, she mentions how her "sex legs clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased, disappearing utterly" (par. 7). By using such descriptive verbs, Dillard helps the reader step into her shoes at the time and visualize the event happening as if it was occuring right before their very eyes. Next, she describes the moth's head and its reactions. She says "her head jerked in spasms, making a splattering noise; her antennae crisped and burned away and her heaving mouth parts crackled like pistol fire" (par. 7). By using words like spattering and crackle, Dillard appeals to more than just the sense of sight, but also the sense of hearing and somewhat of a sense of taste (tasting goo). In her overall description, Dillard uses vivid verbs in order to amplify her descriptions and help the reader imagine what the situation would have been like had he or she been able to see it for himself or herself.
1. When Dillard sees the moth die, she is camping in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, reading James Ramsey Ullman’s The Day on Fire. This book had inspired her to become a writer when she was 16, so she hopes that, by reading the novel again in a peaceful and beautiful environment, her interest in writing would be renewed.
2. When describing the moth’s death, Dillard uses many verbs to introduce significant details and engage the reader. For instance, she writes that the moth’s “six legs clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased, disappearing utterly” (par. 7). Here, she uses the harsh long “c” sounds in her alliteration, which creates the auditory effect of the moth burning in the fire. Also, she effectively uses the verbs to create an image that the reader can picture easily; also, by not using adjectives, she allows the reader to imagine the scene in his or her own way.
1. I think there are two answers to this question: the literal reason and the reason she chose this setting to describe the death of a moth, as opposed to a different place the moth could have died. The literal is that she wants to read about Rimbaud. But for the purposes of creating an effective story, I think she chooses this setting because being alone in nature compliments the main point (or at least what I think the main point is) of the story. Life is fragile, small, forgettable. So how then, can you find beauty? Perhaps for Dillard, her life lies in writing. Regardless, setting the image of a fly dying alone in wilderness is especially powerful because it brings out the solidarity and lonliness of life by putting the tiny life of a moth in the setting of vast wilderness.
2. The fly "flapped, dropped, flamed, frazzled, fried, ignited, vanished, clawed, curled, blackened, ceased, disappeared, jerked, crisped and burned" (141). Even if most readers, like me, don't want to picture the death of a moth... well we really don't have a choice. Dillard uses imagery, alliteration, and onomatopoeia to make sure that one really visualizes the moth's death. I don't like Dillard for doing it, but I guess she did it for a reason: she wants her readers to suffer. Joke. But not really--she wants her message to be unavoidable, like the images her verbs create. One cannot escape the truth that in the end, we will all die and become as insignificant as the moth. But how, then, will we make our lives significant? That is the question Dillard presses, I think.
1. Dillard is camping because she is looking to find inspiration while re-ignited her desire to be a writer by reading Ramsey Ulman's The Day of Fire. The title of this book is ironic because her focus on the ignited moth turns her own story into a day of fire. It is also significant she's camping because she seems to be most intune with nature and draw her observations with the intraciaces of it.
2. Dillard is able to better zoom in on the description of the Moth by evoking a more active depiction with verbs. She describes the fly to have, "stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second". This use of asynedeton speeds up the death but in a more detailed fashion. When she is surrounded by this huge world of nature, she uses these quick, active verbs focus all the attention on this little chasm of nature while everything else seems to stand still. This isolation through the use of verbs creates a much more powerful description than if she were to just use accurate adjectives.
1. Dillard is camping because she was once inspired at 16 years old to become a writes by reading Ulman’s “The Day on Fire,” and she is hoping to motivate herself to write again. I believe Dillard went camping to devote herself to reading and get away from any distractions that were causing her not to be able to write at the time.
2. Dillard does an excellent job of using verbs to describe the death of a moth. By using verbs like “flamed, frazzled, and fried” we get a very clear, vivid picture of the scene. She continues with verbs such as “clawed, curled, and blackened” to describe the moth’s legs. Each part of the moth’s body is vividly described using verbs that relate to fire. I think there also is a connection between the fire, the action of the moth burning, and Dillard’s desire to be energized and burn with the need to write again.
1. She is camping because she wanted to read James Ramsey Ullman's the Day on Fire. "a novel about Rimbaud that had made me want to be a writer when i was sixteen" (par 5)
2.Dillard uses many verbs to describe the moth as it got caught in the flames of the candle. She describes her appearance , "golden and biggish with a two-inch wingspan", but then describes how her body 'flapped in to the fire', 'stuck to the wax' 'flamed, frazzled, and fried' (par. 7).Then, she tells how her wings 'enlarged' the circle of light and '[created] a out of the darkness a sudden blue sleeves of my sweater' (par 7). Her wings are further described as a fine, foul smoke. Same as her body, her legs are also described by verbs: "her six legs clawed,, curled, blackened, and ceased" (par.7). Furthermore, Dillard describes her head jerking and "making a splattering noise", her antennae crisping and mouth parts crackling like a pistol fire(par 7). Dillard captures the readers attention by using vivid verbs to describe the moth on top of numerous adjectives.
1. When she sees the moth die, Dillard is trying to find an inspiration to write again. She writes that she had packed a store of books, especially The Day on Fire, and spent her time reading in the mountains. What irony since her next story would tell of a moth who spends all night on fire. By losing herself in nature and in her books, perhaps Dillard is hoping to find a new perspective from which to write her next work.
2. Dillard uses a series of parallel verbs to describe the moth's death to bring it to life more and add extrasensory details. She describes how the female moth "stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second. Her moving wings ignited like tissue paper" (par. 7). This description gives the scene a sense of urgency as the poor creature is roasted in the candle, but it also gives the reader an acute image of the moth's death. Furthermore, Dillard says that "her six legs clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased, disappearing utterly. And her head jerked in spasms, making a spattering noise" (par.7). Dillard's repeated syntax makes her story an easy read and allows the reader to concentrate more on the action rather than the words. Even so, her word choice, although a bit gruesome, lends fantastic visual and auditory imagery to her tale. Her use of verbs to add detail to the story brings the whole thing to life for the readers, as if they are sitting on a log right next to Dillard, watching this moth burn to a crisp and float away with the smoke.
1. Dillard is camping when she sees the moth die because she wants to be out in nature and exploring. Also she wants to read a book called "The Day on Fire" because she needed inspiration. When she read the book when she was sixteen years old, the book inspired her to be a writer, and she was hoping for more inspiration.
2. When Dillard is describing the moth's death, I think he uses vivid verbs to describe precisely what is happening to the moth. For example, when the moth "stuck, flamed, frazzled and fried in a second" (paragraph 7). By doing that, he is making the situation as real as possible so the reader can feel the same feelings as she was. I think this was a very effective way to let the reader feel the same feelings as Dillard.
1. The realistic reason for the moth dying while she is camping is due to the fact that nature fascinates Dillard, so she spends a lot of time outside for her own enjoyment. As well, this death would be less common and less likely to be seen in any interior. The symbolic reason for the moth dying while she is camping is because it becomes a spiritual entity to her to represent the torture of life and the struggles one goes through to go to heaven or advance in life.
2. She uses verbs to her advantage to describe the moth's death since they help depict the struggle and make the sequence significantly more dramatic. In the beginning of the paragraph, she uses the verb "flapped" to show the apparent innocence of the creature (Par. 7). Then, once the moth is caught in the flame she uses the verbs "flamed, frazzled and fried" to give the sudden shift and complete reversal of actions (Par. 7). These verbs wonderfully describe the appearance and her gut reaction to the events. Later, she describes the pain of the moth when she uses "clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased" to show the rapidness of the moth's motions and how desperate it became to escape (Par. 7). She then says it "jerked", giving it the description of being a trapped being with no hope (Par. 7). The verbs in this passage are used excellently to help keep the action going while demonstrating the emotions of both the moth and Dillard.
1. She is out camping to read her book, which she is hoping will inspire her to write again. 2. Her use of verbs helps instill the suddenness of the moth burning. Instead of saying that the moth's legs were clawed and curled, and it was black, she replaces those with verbs. This helps communicate how quickly this happens. - Chase
1. Dillard is camping because not only does she want to remind herself that she has passion for what she does, but for a descriptive write nature is the perfect place. It's isolated and raw, there is no fake beauty in the wilderness, it doesn't lie to you, it just lets you see right through it.
2. Verbs like, "clawed" and "vanished" and "robed" specifically refer to the completeness of the moth being captured in fire. It's tormenting enough to imagine being stuck in a fire and dying that way, but to imagine the moth's legs clawing, curling, and blackening is disturbing. The moth is just blanketed in this fire and doesn't seem to stand a chance.
1. Dillard is camping out in the woods in the hopes that she could rekindle the passion and desire to be an author that she had when she was sixteen. She brought the book, The Day on Fire, which made her want to be a writer when she was sixteen with her again in the hopes that it would have a similar effect (140, par. 5)
2. The moth dies in an incredibly vivid moment, and Dillard's use of verbs make it seem like the moth's death is an action and not just an image. When an animal is said die in such a way that it has "clawed, curled, blackened, ceased, disappeared" and all of this after "jerk[ing] in spasms" the image is pretty clear (141, para. 7). The verbs make the death come to life (haha...) in a way that adjectives couldn't have.
1. Dillard is camping when she sees the moth die because she wants to be inspired. She is camping in teh Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and reading James Ramsey Ullman's The Day on Fire . This novel is about Arthur Rimbaud, a French poet, and it inspired her to want to be a writer when she was sixteen. Out in the woods, Dillard hopes that the novel will again inspire her to write.
2. Dillard uses not just adjecties but also verbs to provide descriptive detail about how the moth died. She states that the moth "dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled and fried in a second" (141). Dillard uses very specific verbs that evoke a descriptive image. By placing short verbs one after another, Dillard illustrates an image of how quickly the moth burned. In the same way, Dillard writes that the moth's legs "clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased" (141). Again, the sequence of these verbs creates a vivid image of the moth burning very quickly. Dillard's use of verbs provides descriptive detail of the action that is taking place when the moth burns and creates an image of the burning in the reader's mind.
1. Dillard has temporarily lost her drive for writing. This she hopes to cure by re-reading the very book that made her want to become a writer to begin with. She escapes to an area wherein no outside influences can distract her. Instead, only the natural elements in life can reach her- - like the moth.
2. In Paragraph 7, Dillard's well-known detailed descriptions are used. She includes multiple streams of verbs riddled with alliteration to create a sound similar to that of the noises she hears. With the verbs combined with the constant alliteration, Dillard captures the effect of onomatopoeia. For example, she writes that the moth "frazzled and fried" (Par. 7). When saying those words out loud, one can almost hear the moth frazzling. In addition to using verbs combined with alliteration to create a unique sound, Dillard uses verbs to keep the passage active. The paragraph itself feels as violent as the moth's death. The reader can get a better feel for what Dillard is experiencing, because she uses more verbs than adjectives for description.
1. Dillard is camping when she sees the moth dies because she wants to be out in the wild and read a novel by Ullman.
2. She uses verb to describe the actions located within her description. As in, the actions of what she is describing are depicted not just what the actors look like, what they actually acting upon and how they're doing it.
27 comments:
1. When she sees the moth die, Dillard is camping because she wants to be out in the nature and read Ullman's novel about Rimbaud. This novel "had made me want to be a writer when I was sixteen" (par. 5), so now she hopes to be inspired again.
2. When Dillard describes the moth's death, she uses an abundance of verbs, many times describing what is happening its body. For example, after the moth enters the fire, it "dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled and fried in a second" (par. 7). This sequence of verbs really lets the reader see the scene in his or her mind. Then, she describes how the wing sets on fire: "enlarging the circle of light...and creating out of the darkness the sudden blue sleeves of my sweater, the green leaves..., the ragged red trunk of a pine" (par. 7). I love this quote because when reading, I could just see the fire become bigger and lighting up the surroundings, all because of the moth's wings set on fire. At the end, the moth's head "jerked in spasms...antennae crisped and burned away...mouth parts crackled like pistol fire" (par. 7). This last vivid imagery puts an end to the moth's immediate death. In this description, Dillard not only appeals to the sight but also the sense of hearing.
Derek Lee
1. Dillard is camping because she wants to read James Ramsey Ullman's "The Day on Fire," a story about Arthur Rimbaud, a young poet. Dillard hopes that the combination of the pristine environement in which she is camping and the inspiring novel will convince her to throw her whole life into writing.
2. Dillard uses verbs to bring the reader into the story and make the death of the moth more real, more convincing, and more horrifying. Dillard writes that the moth "stuck, flamed, frazzled and fried in a second" (par. 7). This quick succession of verbs, along with the alliteration, causes the description to stick in the reader's mind. Dillard goes on to describe how the moth's legs "clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased, disappearing utterly" (par. 7). Again there is a bit of alliteration, and again a quick succession of verbs. The sequence of verbs lends action to the scene and causes the reader to picture the death of the moth in motion. While many writers' descriptions use adjectives and create a picture in the reader's mind, Dillard uses verbs and creates more of a movie that readers can view as they read.
I totally almost did the wrong Death of a Moth...
1. The reason why she was camping when the moth died was because she wanted to read "among other things, James Ramsey Ullman's The Day on Fire, a novel about Rimbaud that had made me want to be a writer when I was sixteen; I was hoping it would do it again" (par. 5).
2. Dillard uses verbs to her advantage by describing the death of the moth in lavish detail in order to envelope the reader in the scene. By only using adjectives, the author effects one sense--the eyes. When she discusses how the moth's "head jerked in spasms, making a spattering noise," and "her antennae crisped and burned away and her heaving mouth parts crackled like pistol fire," Dillard is allowing the reader to use the senses of sight, smell, and noise (par. 7). When reading this passage, I was able to not only visualize the burning of the moth, but I was also able to imagine the spark noises and the scent of a burnt match. I believe this method is ultimately more effective when describing a scene because the reader feels more involved.
--Lauren Taniguchi
1. Dillard is camping in order to find inspiration again for writing. She took a book on about the French poet Rimbaud, who at one point inspired her greatly. She hopes that by reading the book again, she'll feel the same way about writing that she did at 16.
2. When describing the moths death, Dillard uses a lot of verbs to make the death all the more vivid. The death of a moth is usually uninteresting, but by describing it in such a way, she draws the readers curiosity. The reader actually sees the moth falling into the wax, "stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second" (par. 7). She also chooses verbs over adjectives when describing how the moths dying body began "enlarging the circle of light" that Dillard sat in (par. 7). I think she also employs anadapolis several times, such as when she says "gone, gone the long way of her wings and legs" (par. 7)I think Dillard's way of describing things is more effective because the reader is drawn into the story more.
-Carole
1.Dillard is camping when she sees the moth die because she yearns to be passionate about writing once again. She is planning on reading James Ramsey Ullman’s The Day on Fire because it inspired her to be a writer when she was sixteen, and she is hoping that it will have the same affect on her now.
2.Dillard uses verbs as well as adjectives to describe the moth’s death because they add an interesting flare that adjectives do have the ability to add. For example, she writes, “A golden female moth…dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck. Flamed, frazzled and fried in a second” (par. 7). By using these verbs, the story progresses while she tells it instead of sitting in one place. She uses the same repetition of verbs when she says, “her six legs clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased” (par. 7). The addition of several interesting verbs adds intrigue, suspense and action to the descriptive writing.
Rachel Marty
1. She goes up to camp to read Ullman's the Day on Fire because that is the book that made her want to be a writer at 16.
2. She also uses verbs to describe the picture in a way that helps the reader picture what is happening much better, " her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled, and friend in a second." (7). Also again she writes, " At the same time her six legs clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased, disappearing utterly." (7). In my opinion, using verbs can be much more affective than adjectives because it gives you a more then just a picture but like a small video.
-Matt
1. Dillard is camping alone in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia because she wants to read James Ramsey's Ullman's "The Day on Fire." This novel is about Arthur Rimbaud who was a major poet that wrote must of his work at a young age, between the age of sixteen and twenty. A few years ago, Rimbaud inspired Dillard to be a writer at an early age, and now she goes to the campsite to try and be reinspired to go after her dreams of writing.
2. In addition to descriptive adjectives, Dillard uses several verbs to convey her point to the reader. One major way Dillard accomplishes this is through her use of parallel structure. At the same time that the moth's wings are being burned, "her six legs [are] clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased" (par. 7). Also, the moth "dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second" (par. 7). The use of a constant verb tense over and over really accentuates the meaning of the verb, making it more important and dramatic to the reader. Similarily, in paragraph 9, the moth "burned for two hours without changing, without bending or leaning - only glowing within." Dillard's parallel structure emphasizes her use of verbs in many ways.
1. When Dillard watches the moth die, she is camping in Virginia in order to regain her inspiration to be a writer by reading out in nature. She specifically mentions a book about Rimbaud.
2. Dillard's use of verbs to provide detail is demonstrated in paragraph 7 where she describes the death of the moth. The example that best reflects this technique goes as following: "A golden female moth, a biggish one with a two inch wingspan, flapped into the fire, dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second" (par. 7). From this quote, the quick succession of verbs (flapped, dropped, stuck, flamed, frazzled, fried) perfectly describes the situation without using adjectives. Another example appears just a few sentences later, when Dillard writes, "And her head jerked in spasms, making a spattering noise; her antennae crisped and burned away and heaving mouth parts cracked like pistol fire" (par. 7). Here again a situation is perfectly described using mostly verbs. These two quotes reflect Dillard's unique writing style.
1. She is camping so that she can read in the wolderness and become reinspired to write again. She decides to read a book that had once inspired her in the past and that she hoped would again. I guess that it worked.
2. In paragraph 7, Dillard uses verbs like "hiss" and "recoil" to further exemplify the dying of the moth. Rather than using adjectives, Dillard opts for verbs to have a stronger impact for what is happenning. The reader can hear and feel what is happenning to the moth which paints a better, clearer picture in their minds. Also, Dillard uses many verbs at a time to describe the series of events that take place as the moth is dying, burning, curling, and dying more.
1. Dillard is camping alone out in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia because she wanted to re-read James Ramsey Ullman's The Day on Fire. She had stated that this collection of poems initially inspired her to become a writer when she was sixteen. Also she reveals that she "was hoping it would do it again" (140) or inspire her to write again. Dillard indicates that she is in a writer's slump and may not feel as much passion for writing as she used to.
2. Diller's usage of intricate verbs makes the description of the moth's death vivid and even frightening. She states that the moth "dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried" (141). In using such descriptive verbs, the reader is able to picture the actual frying of the moth in his head. As the moth is in fact dying, Dillard describes its legs to have "clawed, curled, blackeened, and ceased, disappearing utterly" (141). This excessive description allows the reader to picture the true extent of grotesqueness of the scene. The extent at which she decribes might even frighten the reader as her description just so aptly describes a violent and brutal death.
1. When she sees the moth die, Dillard is camping in order to read The Day on Fire by James Ramsey Ullman. It "made [her] want to be a riter when [she] was sixteen; [she] was hoping it would do it again" (Par. 5).
2. As the moth immolates until its very existence is gone, Dillard not only uses a variety of adjectives but also a variety of verbs in order to provide more descriptive detail. For example, she mentions how her "sex legs clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased, disappearing utterly" (par. 7). By using such descriptive verbs, Dillard helps the reader step into her shoes at the time and visualize the event happening as if it was occuring right before their very eyes. Next, she describes the moth's head and its reactions. She says "her head jerked in spasms, making a splattering noise; her antennae crisped and burned away and her heaving mouth parts crackled like pistol fire" (par. 7). By using words like spattering and crackle, Dillard appeals to more than just the sense of sight, but also the sense of hearing and somewhat of a sense of taste (tasting goo). In her overall description, Dillard uses vivid verbs in order to amplify her descriptions and help the reader imagine what the situation would have been like had he or she been able to see it for himself or herself.
1. When Dillard sees the moth die, she is camping in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, reading James Ramsey Ullman’s The Day on Fire. This book had inspired her to become a writer when she was 16, so she hopes that, by reading the novel again in a peaceful and beautiful environment, her interest in writing would be renewed.
2. When describing the moth’s death, Dillard uses many verbs to introduce significant details and engage the reader. For instance, she writes that the moth’s “six legs clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased, disappearing utterly” (par. 7). Here, she uses the harsh long “c” sounds in her alliteration, which creates the auditory effect of the moth burning in the fire. Also, she effectively uses the verbs to create an image that the reader can picture easily; also, by not using adjectives, she allows the reader to imagine the scene in his or her own way.
-Emily L.
1. I think there are two answers to this question: the literal reason and the reason she chose this setting to describe the death of a moth, as opposed to a different place the moth could have died. The literal is that she wants to read about Rimbaud. But for the purposes of creating an effective story, I think she chooses this setting because being alone in nature compliments the main point (or at least what I think the main point is) of the story. Life is fragile, small, forgettable. So how then, can you find beauty? Perhaps for Dillard, her life lies in writing. Regardless, setting the image of a fly dying alone in wilderness is especially powerful because it brings out the solidarity and lonliness of life by putting the tiny life of a moth in the setting of vast wilderness.
2. The fly "flapped, dropped, flamed, frazzled, fried, ignited, vanished, clawed, curled, blackened, ceased, disappeared, jerked, crisped and burned" (141). Even if most readers, like me, don't want to picture the death of a moth... well we really don't have a choice. Dillard uses imagery, alliteration, and onomatopoeia to make sure that one really visualizes the moth's death. I don't like Dillard for doing it, but I guess she did it for a reason: she wants her readers to suffer. Joke. But not really--she wants her message to be unavoidable, like the images her verbs create. One cannot escape the truth that in the end, we will all die and become as insignificant as the moth. But how, then, will we make our lives significant? That is the question Dillard presses, I think.
--sarina
1. Dillard is camping because she is looking to find inspiration while re-ignited her desire to be a writer by reading Ramsey Ulman's The Day of Fire. The title of this book is ironic because her focus on the ignited moth turns her own story into a day of fire. It is also significant she's camping because she seems to be most intune with nature and draw her observations with the intraciaces of it.
2. Dillard is able to better zoom in on the description of the Moth by evoking a more active depiction with verbs. She describes the fly to have, "stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second". This use of asynedeton speeds up the death but in a more detailed fashion. When she is surrounded by this huge world of nature, she uses these quick, active verbs focus all the attention on this little chasm of nature while everything else seems to stand still. This isolation through the use of verbs creates a much more powerful description than if she were to just use accurate adjectives.
1. Dillard is camping because she was once inspired at 16 years old to become a writes by reading Ulman’s “The Day on Fire,” and she is hoping to motivate herself to write again. I believe Dillard went camping to devote herself to reading and get away from any distractions that were causing her not to be able to write at the time.
2. Dillard does an excellent job of using verbs to describe the death of a moth. By using verbs like “flamed, frazzled, and fried” we get a very clear, vivid picture of the scene. She continues with verbs such as “clawed, curled, and blackened” to describe the moth’s legs. Each part of the moth’s body is vividly described using verbs that relate to fire. I think there also is a connection between the fire, the action of the moth burning, and Dillard’s desire to be energized and burn with the need to write again.
-Angela Gradiska
1. She is camping because she wanted to read James Ramsey Ullman's the Day on Fire. "a novel about Rimbaud that had made me want to be a writer when i was sixteen" (par 5)
2.Dillard uses many verbs to describe the moth as it got caught in the flames of the candle. She describes her appearance , "golden and biggish with a two-inch wingspan", but then describes how her body 'flapped in to the fire', 'stuck to the wax' 'flamed, frazzled, and fried' (par. 7).Then, she tells how her wings 'enlarged' the circle of light and '[created] a out of the darkness a sudden blue sleeves of my sweater' (par 7). Her wings are further described as a fine, foul smoke. Same as her body, her legs are also described by verbs: "her six legs clawed,, curled, blackened, and ceased" (par.7). Furthermore, Dillard describes her head jerking and "making a splattering noise", her antennae crisping and mouth parts crackling like a pistol fire(par 7). Dillard captures the readers attention by using vivid verbs to describe the moth on top of numerous adjectives.
--Steph
1. When she sees the moth die, Dillard is trying to find an inspiration to write again. She writes that she had packed a store of books, especially The Day on Fire, and spent her time reading in the mountains. What irony since her next story would tell of a moth who spends all night on fire. By losing herself in nature and in her books, perhaps Dillard is hoping to find a new perspective from which to write her next work.
2. Dillard uses a series of parallel verbs to describe the moth's death to bring it to life more and add extrasensory details. She describes how the female moth "stuck, flamed, frazzled, and fried in a second. Her moving wings ignited like tissue paper" (par. 7). This description gives the scene a sense of urgency as the poor creature is roasted in the candle, but it also gives the reader an acute image of the moth's death. Furthermore, Dillard says that "her six legs clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased, disappearing utterly. And her head jerked in spasms, making a spattering noise" (par.7). Dillard's repeated syntax makes her story an easy read and allows the reader to concentrate more on the action rather than the words. Even so, her word choice, although a bit gruesome, lends fantastic visual and auditory imagery to her tale. Her use of verbs to add detail to the story brings the whole thing to life for the readers, as if they are sitting on a log right next to Dillard, watching this moth burn to a crisp and float away with the smoke.
~Katherine
1. Dillard is camping when she sees the moth die because she wants to be out in nature and exploring. Also she wants to read a book called "The Day on Fire" because she needed inspiration. When she read the book when she was sixteen years old, the book inspired her to be a writer, and she was hoping for more inspiration.
2. When Dillard is describing the moth's death, I think he uses vivid verbs to describe precisely what is happening to the moth. For example, when the moth "stuck, flamed, frazzled and fried in a second" (paragraph 7). By doing that, he is making the situation as real as possible so the reader can feel the same feelings as she was. I think this was a very effective way to let the reader feel the same feelings as Dillard.
1. The realistic reason for the moth dying while she is camping is due to the fact that nature fascinates Dillard, so she spends a lot of time outside for her own enjoyment. As well, this death would be less common and less likely to be seen in any interior. The symbolic reason for the moth dying while she is camping is because it becomes a spiritual entity to her to represent the torture of life and the struggles one goes through to go to heaven or advance in life.
2. She uses verbs to her advantage to describe the moth's death since they help depict the struggle and make the sequence significantly more dramatic. In the beginning of the paragraph, she uses the verb "flapped" to show the apparent innocence of the creature (Par. 7). Then, once the moth is caught in the flame she uses the verbs "flamed, frazzled and fried" to give the sudden shift and complete reversal of actions (Par. 7). These verbs wonderfully describe the appearance and her gut reaction to the events. Later, she describes the pain of the moth when she uses "clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased" to show the rapidness of the moth's motions and how desperate it became to escape (Par. 7). She then says it "jerked", giving it the description of being a trapped being with no hope (Par. 7). The verbs in this passage are used excellently to help keep the action going while demonstrating the emotions of both the moth and Dillard.
1. She is out camping to read her book, which she is hoping will inspire her to write again.
2. Her use of verbs helps instill the suddenness of the moth burning. Instead of saying that the moth's legs were clawed and curled, and it was black, she replaces those with verbs. This helps communicate how quickly this happens.
- Chase
1. Dillard is camping because not only does she want to remind herself that she has passion for what she does, but for a descriptive write nature is the perfect place. It's isolated and raw, there is no fake beauty in the wilderness, it doesn't lie to you, it just lets you see right through it.
2. Verbs like, "clawed" and "vanished" and "robed" specifically refer to the completeness of the moth being captured in fire. It's tormenting enough to imagine being stuck in a fire and dying that way, but to imagine the moth's legs clawing, curling, and blackening is disturbing. The moth is just blanketed in this fire and doesn't seem to stand a chance.
last one from shayma by the way
1. Dillard is camping out in the woods in the hopes that she could rekindle the passion and desire to be an author that she had when she was sixteen. She brought the book, The Day on Fire, which made her want to be a writer when she was sixteen with her again in the hopes that it would have a similar effect (140, par. 5)
2. The moth dies in an incredibly vivid moment, and Dillard's use of verbs make it seem like the moth's death is an action and not just an image. When an animal is said die in such a way that it has "clawed, curled, blackened, ceased, disappeared" and all of this after "jerk[ing] in spasms" the image is pretty clear (141, para. 7). The verbs make the death come to life (haha...) in a way that adjectives couldn't have.
Simon Hochberg
1. Dillard is camping when she sees the moth die because she wants to be inspired. She is camping in teh Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and reading James Ramsey Ullman's The Day on Fire . This novel is about Arthur Rimbaud, a French poet, and it inspired her to want to be a writer when she was sixteen. Out in the woods, Dillard hopes that the novel will again inspire her to write.
2. Dillard uses not just adjecties but also verbs to provide descriptive detail about how the moth died. She states that the moth "dropped her abdomen into the wet wax, stuck, flamed, frazzled and fried in a second" (141). Dillard uses very specific verbs that evoke a descriptive image. By placing short verbs one after another, Dillard illustrates an image of how quickly the moth burned. In the same way, Dillard writes that the moth's legs "clawed, curled, blackened, and ceased" (141). Again, the sequence of these verbs creates a vivid image of the moth burning very quickly. Dillard's use of verbs provides descriptive detail of the action that is taking place when the moth burns and creates an image of the burning in the reader's mind.
Audrey Virginia Proulx
1. Dillard has temporarily lost her drive for writing. This she hopes to cure by re-reading the very book that made her want to become a writer to begin with. She escapes to an area wherein no outside influences can distract her. Instead, only the natural elements in life can reach her- - like the moth.
2. In Paragraph 7, Dillard's well-known detailed descriptions are used. She includes multiple streams of verbs riddled with alliteration to create a sound similar to that of the noises she hears. With the verbs combined with the constant alliteration, Dillard captures the effect of onomatopoeia. For example, she writes that the moth "frazzled and fried" (Par. 7). When saying those words out loud, one can almost hear the moth frazzling. In addition to using verbs combined with alliteration to create a unique sound, Dillard uses verbs to keep the passage active. The paragraph itself feels as violent as the moth's death. The reader can get a better feel for what Dillard is experiencing, because she uses more verbs than adjectives for description.
-Emily Ottke
I am so excited to sleep. good night. :]
1. Dillard is camping when she sees the moth dies because she wants to be out in the wild and read a novel by Ullman.
2. She uses verb to describe the actions located within her description. As in, the actions of what she is describing are depicted not just what the actors look like, what they actually acting upon and how they're doing it.
MARK WITZKE
Post a Comment