The Death of a Moth

  When she sees the moth dying in the window pane she changes her views about death.  The moth and her are completely opposite about death.  The moth fights until his death and she just kills herself.  I think she almost goes into to deep about studying the moth. 

Her experience was when she saw the moths death it changed her mind about how she saw death. When the moth tried to fight its way out the window and died a few seconds later she wondered that the moth was fighting to go outdoors which was its life. In my opinion I did not understand how the moth got in going up and down, corner to corner smashing his self on the window and also how did the moth died so fast. I went back a couple of times to get the meaning of the story. I really understand the point of the story which caught my attention. This experience relates to a book I read a long time ago. That story was about a slave who stood up and fought for freedom and died freeing his fellow slaves. But the message to that story was standing up for you. I believe Virginia’s story was saying that what she saw was a sweet death.  This story is inspirational for life, also a great experience to others that read it. I wonder why Virginia did not open the window for the poor moth. If I was in that position where Virginia was I probably try to free the moth. This story makes me think about how animals and plants relate to people. For instance it’s funny how when you cut down a tree into a tree stumps that it will grow back and start a new life. In reference to that it seems like everything has life. That is how I feel about this story. It changed her life by the way she saw the beautiful death of the moth.

-Robenson Therezie

When I read the short story "Death of a Moth" by Virginia Woolf, the main thing that caught my eye was just the detail that she went to, and how she took such a minuscule as a moth trying to escape a window. She managed to take the relatively common event and makes one think really deep about it. Reading this, eventually the reader ends up questioning why we are so insensitive to events like this.

-waterboy

Death of a Moth

When I read the short story Death of a Moth by Virginia Woolf, I was somewhat confused for a little while about what she was trying to describe. After reading it again I came to the conclusion that she was describing some of her own personal struggles with life itself. When Ms. Woolf goes in depth in the description of the fluttering moth in the window pane, I feel that she is trying to let out her emotions through this image. She is obviously struggling with her views and feelings about life so she is letting them out via the moth. When the moth eventually comes to it's end and dies, the author describes it in a way that death is "all powerful." I took this as the author giving in to death somewhat and not fully enjoying the life they were blessed with. I think this piece shows a lot about the character of the author, and simply by reading the story you can see the problems and questions the author has.

Charlie Gallagher

Blog Response 1: "Death of a Moth

The essay "Death of a Moth" by Virginia Woolf has a philosophical depth that strikes as insightful in a way. The reader begins the essay accompanying the author first hand as she takes in the scene of the windowsill looking outward at the various marvels of nature. All of the things she sees are ordinary but her insight provides them a light through which we the readers can gain a look into how she sees the world. Her first sighting of something out of the ordinary really takes the reader much further into her psyche and allows us to see what was mentioned in the preface, her depression. She noted that it was quite strange to see a moth during the daylight hours and stated that it was different than other moths that she had seen before. She then went on to notice that the small moth's world was so utterly miniscule yet he knew no better therefore the lost would go on unnoticed. Finally as a few moments of observation, the moth seemed to be struggling to stay in the world of the living while death was becoming so close and eventually died. Ms, Woolf has created a sort way of broadcasting her views of the world without it looking so blatantly obvious. When we first saw the moth in the daylight, a naive person lost in the world or simply too innocent to know any better such as a child or one with childlike innocence. This innocence allowed the moth to be satisfied with its small life in the window pane just as a child thinks the world is perfect because it knows life only in the confines of its home or neighborhood or school never really realizing the great magnitude of the world we all live in til later in life. Finally when we saw the death of the moth the reader is shown that the innocence or ignorance of the moth is a parallel to that of a human who tries to beat death, it showed that you may try all you want but it will never be enough. These were all views into Ms. Woolf's psyche that showed the depression that we all know manifested into her death. Her use of hidden parallels shows how an expert can show emotions so complex as loneliness, hopelessness, and despair in a simple story about a moth that landed on a windowsill.

Virginia Woolf's "Death of a Moth"

I have read two of Virginia Woolf’s novels (Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse) and one nonfiction book (A Room of One’s Own), and this essay shares the same tone that flows throughout most of her works: death. She seemed to be fascinated by it, and death can be applied as a universal idea. Who has not ever thought of death? It can be disguised as heaven or hell or nothingness, depending on your beliefs, but you have thought of it nonetheless. I think that she really points out how insignificant death can be. For most of us, we think of death as a loved one, someone that we cared deeply for, but no one really considers the moth on the window pane. She suggests that death is overlooked and ignored every day. I believe that she wrote in some of her most depressive states and that she is simply expressing how she feels about her own impending fate. When she dies, will she be remembered fondly and celebrated or will she be disregarded like the moth that was “neither gay nor somber?” Who has not contemplated the same idea? “How will I be remembered?” I find Virginia Woolf’s works very intriguing. She offers a slice of her psyche to you in every piece of composition. At the same time, she also portrays her macabre thoughts beautifully and eloquently. She is one of the few writers that can take such a dark subject and make it sound peaceful. And just like that, “the struggle was over.” That, to me, is one of the most calming avowals that could be written into a story about dying. I would love to be able to write so articulately and powerfully.

The Death of a moth

When I read the Death of a Moth, by Virginia Woolf, I really felt as if everything about this story was her cry for help and if this was her cry for help. She felt as if death was coming and couldn't do anything to stop it. Her life/death was out of her control. No matter how hard she tried to hold on to life, and regain her strength, something would just keep pushing her back down. 

I thought it was really interesting how descriptive she is of the moth. It almost seems as if she wants to take the the time to describe it and notice it because she knew she would be the only one who would. I think this may have had a great deal with how she felt, like she just wanted someone to take the time to notice that much about her.

The death of the Moth

I thought it was an interesting story, but kinda boring to read. It seems to me like the author was pretty bored and lonley to notice something that unique. I did however like the fact that the moth kept fighting to try and make it and get up on that corner.  Was that like a morning ritual for that thing? it seemed to me like it was going in a distinct pattern. Do all moths do that?

"Death of a Moth" --- Woolfe

   While Virginia Woolf's "Death of a Moth" is considered by many to be an impressive piece of writing, I on the other hand, couldn't help but find it oppressive. After reading the text, I couldn't help but cringe at how wordy it was. Also, it was written at a time when Woolf was contemplating death herself. Eventually she did commit suicide by drowning herself. I believe that may have had an effect on her ability to write the story of the moth. In her view, death seems to be inevitable, which it is, but to welcome it early just seems to be a waste. The moth fought to live out his life, even to the bitter end. She manages to capture that especially well, yet she used the words "pathetic" and "helpless" far too often in my opinion. Somebody needed to give that moth a smile. Yes, death was coming for him, yet he stared it in the face and kept kicking, for what little time he had left. To look down on the little guy after he had fought so hard to live seemed to be out of place. Yes, moths are small and somewhat overlooked in the grand scheme of life. Yet, for Woolf to take such a pessimistic view of the small life in front of her shows us exactly how little regard for life that she had left that late in her own life. In the story, she seems to express the same goal as the moth: to avoid death. However, unlike the moth, in her own life, she failed to fight to do so. She gave in. Yes, Woolf did have some mental issues of her own that contributed to her death, and yet I feel that they are no excuse. If she can view life in such a way, why not fight to live out and enjoy her own life? However little or great the amount of it that seems to be remaining, fighting to live out life is always important, no matter how close you are to the end.

The Death of The Moth

Virginia Woolf's “The Death of the Moth” was about her describing what would seem like a non-impacting event but actually played a significant role in her life. In the beginning of the story she noticed the moth flying around on the window. The first significance the moth had on her life was when she noticed the life that the moth had. She started to think about all of the possibilities of her life that the moth cannot do but still seemed to be enjoying what it was doing. In her eyes the moth did all it could do. The other significance the moth had was it made her notice deaths role. After seeing the moth die even though it gave so much effort to stay alive, death still overcame it. Woolf then realized that death is a part of life and nothing can stop it not even her. This story affects me as a reader because I used to think I would only like reading if it was a topic I was interested in. Now I see that if a person has a significant reason to writing the story then I can also become interested. This story affected me as a writer because I learned that describing events and things in detail can make a huge difference in a story. I think Woolf does a good job of letting the reader actually be able to visualize what is happening. The part of the story that stands out to me the most is the ending. The way she described the moths last few minutes before it died and after it died I thought was very interesting.

 

Death of a Moth

In Virginia Woolf’s “Death of a Moth” she is describing a small portion of time that changed her perspective.   This story makes me think she is writing about how she feels inside. She is sitting at her desk and sees a moth inside trying to get out.  She may feel like she catches people’s attention but is trapped by her shyness.  I believe she is trying to express her feeling through the moth.  The moth is trying so hard to get out of this window that it dies.  Maybe she is trying so hard to get out of her comfort zone that she feels that it is killing her.  As a writer after reading this I feel like I need to be more descriptive while I write, try to get every detail I can think of.

Death of a Moth

I skipped the introduction, as did many other students in the class. I also had the same outcome. The story by itself left me confused on why a writer would describe such a somber account with nature. I assumed she was just writing about how animals struggle with death everyday, but after reading the introduction it is obvious she is comparing the moth to herself. She uses the moth's stuggle to right itself as a metaphor to her own life. She then goes on to decribe how after the fight the moth basically gave up all hope and allowed death to win saying: "death is stronger than I am." I believe after reflecting on this she makes the decision to commit suicide.
As a reader, this story allows me to see deeper into what the author was going through at the time of her death. She was a depressed individual who felt as if she was fighting the world everyday when she got out of bed. Also she feels that there is no way out of this situation and finally she believed that death was stronger than she was.
-Colton McKinney

"Death of a Moth"

In my opinion the significance of Virginia's story was her feeling of helplessness in regards to death. She is watching a moth struggle to escape a window when all it has to do is simply fly out instead of up and around. The same applies to her, she is sitting at a window taking a deep look into her own life feeling cornered when she must simply press on rather than be content. The way she describes the rooks flying and the field being ready for plough leads me to think about new beginnings and the way the rooks fit together as one individual group. I feel as though she yearns to be apart of such an ornate group for strength and companionship and remembers what it was like to have that "new" outlook on life like a field ready for plough. The part where she thinks about helping the moth when it is on its back is a cry for help wishing that someone would reach out to her in this dark time in her life. Her descriptions paint a clear picture of what she is looking at outside the window and how the moth is struggling to get out of its ordeal.

In Virginia Woolf's "Death of a Moth," her significance for writing this piece is to show how important and short life really is. People take life for granted everyday and the things we are blessed with. When she witnessed the death of this hard working moth, she felt sorry for it and wished she could help it. The moth had shown so much life and beauty, even though it was only a moth, that it put her life into perspective and  what she could bring to the world. She showed that she had a very dull and boring life in what seemed like a trapped room in her house, while she could look out her window and she what was going on in the world outside. The moth spoke to her when she saw how fast and easily death can come, and you might not even no it. It showed her the life that was going on right outside her window and she might not have even noticed it before the experience. This story affects me as a reader because it shows everything, no matter how big or small, makes up the world and contributes to it. We need to be more grateful for the things and people we have around us. It effected me as a writer because it shows me the detail that can be put into writing and that you really can write about anything. The detail in the story about this little moth stood out to me the most.
Mallory Parrish

Death of a Moth

Death of a Moth was an interesting story. Wolf was captivated by the moth's determination to stay alive and to be free. Yet, the moth seems insignificant to humans, it is a lot like us and our ability to keep living and being able to enjoy the world. I liked the way Wolf described how the moth was dancing and zigzagging to show us the true nature of life, it is so full of energy. Us, as humans, seem to not have that much energy like the moth did. Wolf was baffled by the way the moth died so quickly, because the moth was so set on being free. 

Death of a Moth

In “Death of a Moth” by Virginia Woolf, the “why” in writing this piece is to talk about life and death. Woolf goes into detail about how insignificant the moth is compared to everything else that is surrounding the author. It is such a tiny fragment of life, but goes about everything in a carefree way. Yet, the moth travels tediously back and forth with enjoyment. Even though the moth is so insignificant, it still flies around quickly, which to the author seems sort of pathetic. As the author continues to watch the moth fly around, what soon follows is the moth’s fate. After the moth stops on the windowsill, the author realizes that the tiny glimmer of life in this small creature is beginning to fade. The author notices that the moth is slowly dying. As the author watches, she realizes that there really isn’t much she can do to help it because it is inevitable what would happen next. The moth gave such an effort to fight for its tiny life, but it couldn’t help itself. The moth makes the author think about life in a different way because normally one doesn’t think about their life all the time and how grateful they are for each moment in time, no matter how small it may be. Life can be taken for granted because so quickly it can be taken away, like in the example of the moth. The story really makes you think of life in a different way because every moment should be cherished because, like with the moth, the moments can pass so quickly.

Lindsay Warden 

"death of a Moth"

At first I fell this passage had no meaning and was just listing details about an insignificant moth.  Although as I continued to read I saw it was an illustration of a creatures will to live.  It also show me that no matter how hard one tries death comes to everything no matter its importance.  The great detail in which the moth was described allowed the reader to envision the moth and its struggle for life.  The detail also shows the reader that even though the moth is small there is still a great deal of detail to be seen.

Death of a Moth

I noticed that in the essay she writes about the life of a moth. The essay tells how the moth exerts energy and happiness even though it is doomed to die in the end. She also points out how the moth struggles to continue living, but in the end can not do so. The story itself gave me a new perspective on how the life of a small creature, such as a moth, can relate to another life. The part of the story that stands out to me the most is when she describes the moth dancing around, and continuing to try to dance even after it has used up its small ball of energy.  Overall, I would say that this essay has a negative and downtrodden tone, which relates to the authors own personal story. This negative portrayal is a great view into the mindset of Virginia Woolf and very significant in trying to explain why she would choose to write this essay.

"The Death of the Moth" Virginia Wolf

When I first began to read this story written by Virgina Wolf I did not understand why she wrote about something so insignificant as a moth. However, upon further reading and recalling the introduction, I drew the conclusion that Wolf was comparing herself to the moth. She spoke of the moth fighting to survive. Wolf found it so strange that something so small and that had nothing to live for, would fight so hard to stay alive. Wolf talks about the change in the moth from being energetic and full of life to then being faced with death. In my opinion this may be a comparrision to her own life. I think this because the introduction tells us that Virginia Wolf suffered from depression and soon died after writing this story. At the end of the story she speaks of the moth finally giving into death, which i feel like also is a comparrison to the writer.

The Death of a Moth

The first time that I read this I skipped over the introduction, thinking it would be general information that had nothing to do with the essay. Continuing to read I could not figure out any deeper meaning in the story besides the fact that everyone and everything lives for period of time and can suddenly die without much warning. However, re-reading it, including the introduction this time, I was able to draw the conclusion that Virginia Woolf is comparing the moth to herself. Knowing that she suffered from depression I think that she was either dealing with the death of a loved one, or she was comparing the moth to herself and wondering what separates herself from the moth and that is why she paid so much attention to the moth. As a reader, Woolf’s essay compels me with her descriptions, allowing me to picture the scene and put myself in the eyes of the person viewing the moth. As a writer this taught me to be able to write and make a story about something completely random and seemingly insignificant.

Greg Guslani

Death of a Moth

             In Virgina Woolf's story, Death of a Moth, she  experiences a moths life pass and go right before her eyes as she is wrinting a story. The question is, why? Why would she write about this moth that caught her attention. I believe that when she saw the moth she saw another life, something that was so intersting she had to keep watching. I think as she is depicting what is going on with words of imagery, she describes the moths life coming and going. the thing is she doesnt know that it is going, as she watches and as time goes, she can see that this moth is fighting for its life. She described it so well though, that you could really see it happening in your mind. When she writes about the moth falling to the window sill, I believe thats when she truely knows that the moth is at its time, and at the final moment she depicts the moth pushing itself upright to finally pass. I do believe that the final struggle for the moth to get upright had the most emotion in it, and therefore stands out to me. Virgina Woolf made me feel like i was there.

-Nick Funck

Death of a Moth

In Virginia Woolf’s essay “Death of a Moth,” I started out thinking it was very strange and that I couldn’t comprehend her point of the writing. As I kept reading, I became interested as I noticed that she was not only showing that every part of life is important and ends in death, but I feel that she meant for this writing to reflect the ways she was feeling at this time, as if she were the moth. Every life has meaning, but Woolf used a moth of little significance to describe the actions of and watch its life go from energetic and lively, to struggling and slowly dying. It was stated that “Death of a Moth” was published soon after her suicide, and it brings to my attention that the way she explains the life of the moth in great detail, she must have been struggling with her own life and felt as if death were near. I think the “why” of this story was for Virginia Woolf to inform readers of her perspective on life in a view that most people would usually not pick up on. The negative feeling that is brought through this essay allows one to realize that all living things go through death whether it is important to us or not and there are struggles in every life. The writer looked from the life of the moth to the window a few times and it is obvious that she chose to watch a struggle between life and death rather than watch the workers at work and the other lively animals outside. It made me feel as though she was a depressed woman and could relate more to struggles than looking outside and admiring the scenery. Not everyone would notice a moth over horses or workers in a field. This essay proved to me that one can use any kind of situation or story to show feeling or get a point to readers about such an important part of life.

Devin Clarke

"Death of a Moth" was quite an interesting story. Reading the introduction about the author automatically made me have a feeling that this story was going to be depressing. I think the moth dying symbolizes the author's own death shortly after. The way the moth was described seems like the author's mind was slowly becoming at peace. This peace is probably the peace you feel before you die. Suicide seems like it is becoming more and more common. People are becoming more overwhelmed and they feel like they can not overcome their difficulties. Rest in peace Virginia Woolf.

Bradee Aiyer

Blog Response 1: "Death of a Moth"

In class today, we talked about the significance of your story or the "why." What is Virginia Woolf's "why" in her experience? Is there more than one "significance" to her story, and how does her story affect you as a reader AND as a writer? Respond to her story answering these questions, pointing out what you think she does or does not do well, and tell me the part of the story that stands out to you the most.

I'm expecting 250-300 words, paragraph form. Due by class time on Thurs.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts,
Mrs. Elmer

Dear Class...

Welcome to your first section of Composition 1.  I am so glad that you will be a part of my class this semester.  As a writer, I know that a huge part of how we write and function in the classroom comes from who we are, where we are from and how we see the world around us. So, I thought I would start the semester by introducing myself to you so you know where I come from.

           

I am originally from the dreaded enemy territory of Athens, GA. But instead of staying there and becoming a bulldog, I came to college at Auburn University.  I graduated from Auburn Suma Cum Laude in English and began my Master’s specializing as a transatlantic specialist with a teaching emphasis.  In my graduate studies, I have taught classes, both composition and American Literature, worked for the Office of University Writing acting as Dr. Marshall’s personal assistant, but also as a Defoe Research Fellow in historical writing research.  However, before all that, I sat in your exact seat. I was an Auburn freshman who got lost in the Haley Center, lived on campus, and had to start completely over in a new place. Auburn holds a special place in my heart, and as your freshman writing teacher, I hope to equip you with skills that will carry you through the rest of your college career no matter what your major is.

Outside the classroom, I love to travel and try new things.  Other cultures and languages fascinate me, and I have travelled to 13 different countries thus far. I think my love for places and adventure ultimately comes from a love of people. Life is made up of relationships, wouldn’t you say? Also, I can never get enough music, books and movies! And one day, I hope to live by a body of water – lake, ocean, river – I don’t care which! But still, the parts of my life that are of utmost importance are my friends, my family, and my Savior, and these are the details of my life that have made me who I am today. 

So, for your very first assignment, I want you to write a letter back to me.  Who are you? Where are you from? What has made you who you are today as you sit in my classroom? This assignment should be at least a one-page letter of introduction.  This semester, I will be working hard to challenge you and improve your writing.  In turn, I hope you will work hard to benefit from this class. I look forward to reading your letter. It is so very nice to meet you!

Sincerely,

           

Mrs. Laura Elmer

(a picture from my freshman year)