"The Death of the Moth" by Virginia Woolf - Description

“The Death of the Moth” by Virginia Woolf is a strong example of good writing. Woolf fully avoids all of the conventions of bad writing, which leads to a pleasant and effective read. Stylistically, Woolf employs flawless grammar and spelling, and selects words of great artfulness and sophistication. Furthermore, “The Death of the Moth” has an extremely clear focus. It is fixed on describing the last moments of life experienced by a moth, and refrains from including unnecessary commentary. The length of the piece is appropriate for the subject matter, and the writing in no way is over hyped, too clever, or thinks too highly of itself. Consequently, “The Death of the Moth” is an exemplar of good writing.

As well as being a firm model of good writing, “The Death of the Moth” by Virginia Woolf is also an exceptional example of the description method of development. The essay does not tell a story about a moth. Instead, it gives an impression as to what the act of a moth dying is like. Woolf utilizes extremely specific words and phrases. Instead of using vague description, Woolf’s is vivid. For example, Woolf beautifully describes the creature’s struggle when, “[the moth] was trying to resume his dancing, but seemed either so stiff or awkward that he could only flutter to the bottom of the windowpane.” Many inexperienced writers would often simply say, ‘the moth could not fly very he well so it fell to the bottom of the window,’ whereas Woolf selects radiant and evocative adjectives and verbs to explore the death of the moth. Woolf also makes use of metaphor, simile and figurative language to fully describe the moth’s death. The use of these devices further enhances the magnitude of the moth’s demise, and the narrator realizes the profound effect of death when he states he, “could only watch the extraordinary efforts made by those ting legs against an oncoming doom which could, had it chosen, have submerged an entire city, not merely a city, but masses of human beings.” As a result of the artful adjectives, nouns, verbs, metaphors and similes, the death of a seemingly insignificant creature is heightened, and made into a far more emotional and jarring affair.

Ultimately, “The Death of a Moth” by Virginia Woolf is tremendously stirring and clear, which makes it a prime example of the method of development of description.