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Alexandrea Peters
Essay questions

A.
1. Woolf manages to make the moth a symbol of life by stressing it's joy for simple experiences and determination to not give up without a fight when it is met with a challenge. "It was as if someone had taken a tiny bead of pure life and...had set it dancing and zig-zagging to show us the true nature of life." On the other hand the moth is also used as a symbol of death. No matter how hard it tries to fight it's fate, everyone must die at one point. "...nothing, I knew, has any chance against death."
2.I characterize Woolf's conception of the universe as being interwoven with the tiniest creature being a perfect symbol of every creatures fighting spirit.
3. Woolf's scene-setting in paragraph one causes us to view the moth as being insignificant compared to the rest of the world.
4. In the begining of the essay, Woolf uses the words "the present specimen" because it depicts the moth as being a sample of observation rather than a living creature with it's own place in the world. As the author starts to use the word "moth" instead, it shows that she recognizes the significance of the moth.
B.
1. Dillard shows a connection between writers and moths by saying that each has only one purpose in life; they cannot decide to do something else. Rimbaud, too, seemed to have only one purpose in life, very similar to Dillard.
2. Paragraphs 1-4 introduce the essay by introducing the moth into it slowly. I personally feel that these first four paragraphs were a poor start to the essay because not only were they boring but they also seemed extranious details.
3. Of these verbs flamed and fired gave me the best, most vivid pictures. However, frazzled is unfamiliar to me.
4. In paragraph seven Dillard's description is engaging because she uses verbs that easily paint vivid images.
5. Dillard's intention in composing the sentence as such seems to be to seperate the description from the event in a poetic manor, which speaks volumes for those who are used to understanding writing in a poetic structure.

Alexandrea Peters
Thinking Like a Naturalist

2. Dirt smell, brown, golden specks, bumpy, rough, uneven.

3. My object is like a mountain.

4. Right now I am feeling very unsure about the future. Let's just say, Rocky, that you are so lucky you don't have to worry about college.

5. If I throw my rock at a wall, will it chip? Why does my Guinnea pig like to use my rock as a pillow? Does it actually fell comfortable to her?

6. The moth's in both Dillard's and Woolf's essays are a very good representation of courage in it's strongest form. The courage to not only be who they are but also strive for survival with all the odds stracked against them is what courage is about.

7. I actually thought that out of all the assignments in this packet this one would be fun, until I hit question three. I don't feel any difference, but my mind was definately at work. My experience was pretty boring and provided no surprises for me.