In the memoir Moments of Being, Virginia Woolf remembers a sailing trip she took when she was younger. She is walking through the boring streets of London when she thinks of something more exciting. The afternoon's sailing turns out to be better than the walks, and she begins to talk about specific memories of her experience at sea. The language she uses in this case helps to emphasize the importance of the moment by using long sentences, describing everything in great detail and images, and thinking about how the experience affects her as she walks the streets of London. In such language, Woolf writes to remember and capture the feelings she experienced in her past memories, and to conclusively justify her existence, drawing on the title of her memoir, Moments of Being. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Repeatedly, Woolf uses long sentences to make the small moments of memory seem longer than they actually were. Long sentences make the excerpt longer and overall create the feeling of a lasting memory. An example can be found in lines 13-19: “Sometimes lines were handed to us; baited with cups cut from fish; and the line quivered in the fingers as the boat rocked and spun in the water; and then – how can I express this excitement? – there was a small tug jumping; then another; up to one transported; the white, twisted fish rose through the water; and was slapped to the ground. This exceptionally long sentence reveals the tone one would have when talking about a past experience. Without pause and keeping a constant order of short sentences, the author creates the feeling of a rapid memory slowed down in order to capture the entire moment. By slowing the reader down, Woolf is able to emphasize the importance of the moment and does so by forcing the reader to linger in the passage. Woolf then proceeds to incorporate large details into particular thoughts, resulting in images for the reader. In doing so, the reader can see how Woolf covers all aspects of her memories and reveals how strong they remain in her mind. In lines 6-10, the author describes Thoby as he leads them back to shore: “And Thoby took the place of the fisherman; and directed; red and with his very blue blue eyes, and his tight mouth, he sat there, leading us around the point, into the port, without letting go of the flag. She then talks about jellyfish in lines 10-12: “One day the sea was full of pale jellyfish, like lamps, with flowing hair; but they sting you if you touch them. Both examples recognize the strength in Woolf's mind to remember a moment important to her. The imagery also allows the reader to see the moment, as if looking into the author's brain to watch the specific flashback and have it resonate in the mind. Through understanding and imagery, the reader is allowed a deeper reflection on what was happening in Woolf's eyes. Toward the end of the short passage, Woolf shifts to her reflection on what her father said to her during the trip. She thinks that from this memory, she remembers what passion feels like, something that has the power to change the way a person's life could have been. Woolf mentions this idea in lines 33-38: "It is one of those priceless seeds, from which... one can grow something which represents the experiences of others." You often have to make do with seeds; the seeds of what could have been if life had been.