"Florence Nightingale" Essay   The author's view of Florence Nightingale is that she is a strong, caring person deeply stirred to help others, much more than people know. He conveyed his conception of her to the reader in a more subtle and artful way than just stating facts, and did this through creative and descriptive diction and imagery. Throughout reading the passage, I noticed the unique choices of diction that Lytton Strachey used to subtly send the message that she is an extremely caring person. For example, in line 6, Strachey talks about her "…consecrating with her goodness the dying soldiers couch…" sending the message that she is practically glowing with good spirit or even holiness. He could have merely said, "she cheered the soldier up", but instead went with these more powerful and unusual words to convey his true feelings about Florence (this makes readers think about the meaning, too). Another of the many examples of diction choice in this passage is how he wrote, on line 12, "…a demon possessed her", instead of just saying "she felt obligated to help". Once again, his choice of stronger words really brings out his full feelings about Florence. Another element that Strachey utilized to let his view of Florence be known was imagery. Perhaps the passage's best example is the last few words. Strachey compares her to an Eagle, rejecting Florence's parents' view that she was a wild swan. An Eagle is one of the most powerful, strong, free creatures. The author is pointing out that although Florence feels a deep obligation to help the less fortunate, she remains a respectable and dignified person. Her feeling of a need to constantly help others comes from deep within… it is very powerful and apparently will not be overcome by laziness, selfishness, etc. The author's choice of words tells the reader what he thinks of Florence (her being an extremely strong, caring, and hard working person) in a more sophisticated, artful, and subtle way, which also causes the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. This allows each reader to have a slightly different interpretation of the meaning… which contributes to the entertainment and value of the story.   Plagiarism warning: Please read!