Religion And Sin

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Aly Tracy Religion and Sin In Anne Dillard’s essay the sense of reverence is present in explaining the beautiful process of death and how that correlates as a representation for how one should write, while Virginia Woolf’s essay expresses death as insignificant and even pessimistic which correlates to her life and ultimately her suicide. Anne Dillard uses many contextual words and phrases that relate back to Catholicism which gives the expression that death is meant to be beautiful and not feared in the eyes or religion because one has something greater to look forward to after life. Virgina Woolf contradicts this expression by giving a negative connotation throughout her essay that life is nothing really to live for and as Woolf uses often that life is pretty “insignificant”. Dillard uses many Catholic words and undertone meanings to help support her idea that death is a beautiful process within the church. Some may fear death but it’s a process that is natural and should not be feared. Within her writing Dillard uses the obvious references such as “cathedral domes” (pg 140),” God” (pg 141),” monks” (pg 141), and “saints” (pg 141) to relate her view of the moths death back to a religious view. Then she uses the more undertone words and phrases to further her idea of this moths death and how it relates to Catholicism such as, “A golden female moth” (pg 141). The use of the word gold in this phrase refers to the color of riches and majesty which then correlates to Jesus Christ and God. She also uses the motif of candles throughout her essay “That candle had two wicks…” (pg 141) candles in the church are forever lit when God is present. Catholics use candles at their first communion at their baptism to represent that God is with them. Another reference that Dillard makes is that of referring to the moth as a female and not a male. “She burned for two hours…”
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