Journal #2

1. How are the moths in the essay’s opening different from the moth at the campsite? What do the different moths represent?

The moth in the beginning just died because its life was over not because of anything else. The moth that died in the fire went out with a bang but also sold its life short. The moth in the beginning was playing it safe and the moth at the campsite was living on the edge.

2. What lesson does the moth provide that Dillard takes back to her students?

That being a writer consumes your life. That you need to be willing to make sacrifices not matter what they be for the things you want to do most in your life. That some things trump other things in your life.

3. How many references are there to fire in the essay? What’s the larger significance of fire in the essay?

The first reference is when she is reading a book about candlelight, the second one is when she feels warmth or comfort like being by a fire, and the last one is when the moth flies into the fire at the campsite. There are definitely several references to fire in the essay. The larger significance of the fire is that life can consume you in something if you’re not ready for it. If you can't handle something it might take you over just like the fire took over the moth.

4. Address how each of the following quotes connect to Dillard’s overall point.

a. “I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”

-Jack London

b. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

-William Butler Yeats

c. “A book should serve as the ax for the frozen sea within us.”

-Franz Kafka

1. This relates to the story because Jack is talking about how he wants to go out with a bang instead of just wither away. He doesn’t want to waste his life but use it for everything that it is good for.

2. William is saying that life has to be spontaneous and exciting not tedious and boring. You only get one life, so live it to the fullest and don’t waste it.

3. Franz is saying that education and learning something new should open our eyes to something new that we haven’t experiences. The axe is kind of like a chisel and every time we learn something new we get shaped a little bit more into the person we will one day be.