XXXX XXXXX ENGL 200 November 16, XXXX Dear Prof. XXXXX I am writing on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”. I chose this work because I have always been intrigued by the dark, gothic nature of the author and his work. I wanted to explore how Poe uses symbolism to enrich the story. My understanding of this particular piece of work did not change because of my familiarity with the piece and with the author’s style. The hardest part of the writing process for me is beginning.
In this chapter, analysis will be focused on the traits of Poe’s writing methods. Section 5.1 Symbolism in Poe’s Works "Symbolism" refers to a rhetorical device of choosing representative symbols to illustrate a carried meaning which concealed in a subject’s literal meaning. Edgar Allan Poe used symbolism in most of his poetry and short stories in order to force the reader to see his views on life, love, and death. His opinions are mirrored through that of his characters and his use of symbolism allows for a broader spectrum of interpretation. One of Poe’s most famous symbolic short stories is The Masque of The Red Death, a tale about a prince and his followers failed to escape the plague.
Could Death Be Just A Dream… An Analysis of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” The short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” written by Ambrose Bierce is a work of fiction due to the fact it is a narrative short story that deals with an event and characters that are not real but rather born in the imagination of Bierce. It is a story whose characters, plot, and surprise ending came from the experiences of war that Bierce learned by living them. In this work Bierce pushes the reader to expand their mind in an attempt to take a deeper look into the human experience. This work falls into place in the Realism movement of American literature. Its characters and plot stand out and seem to render a realistic tale that has a distinct air of verisimilitude in its content.
Poe utilizes literary techniques such as foreshadowing, revenge with pride, and irony, in order to create a horrific and suspenseful masterpiece. Poe utilizes foreshadowing in a most grim and dark way. First when Fortunato says, "’I shall not die of a cough’", Montressor replies, "’True – true’" (Poe 16). Instead, Montressor knows that Fortunato will perish from his vengeful scheme of walling him up, Huffman 2 and having him die by means of a slow suffocation. Fortunato is a proud man and he does not think that his death with be due to something as petty as a cold.
The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe is a very well known writer in American literature. He was known for his short stories, poems of mystery and style of writing. In “The Cask of Amontillado” Poe exhibits a lot of irony, imagery, symbolism and foreshadowing. His writing was very unique, dark, and consisted of pessimistic moods. This aroused people to think Poe was a sociopath and strange as a person in real life.
Even though things are not understood when the story is read but if research is done you can usually find that the author has used some kind of historical context to further display the story’s message. In the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allan Poe portrays a lot of historical context within the text. In fact, it is one of the main ways that Poe has been able to create this fictional story. He has used many different ways to insert this historical context into the story. The first time you read this story you will probably not understand a lot of what is going on or what they are talking about because the time frame that the story took place in is very different of that today.
The Cask of Amontillado, one of Edgar Allen Poe’s many short stories, has a very interesting point of view and an extremely unique and well thought out plot. Written in his mysterious and ghastly style, Poe uses these two important literary elements to create a suspenseful atmosphere and to intrigue the readers. It is essential to see how these two components affect this short story in order to understand the author’s intention. Firstly, the point of view is a source of the suspense in The Cask of Amontillado. The story’s absence of important information leaves the readers hanging on the edge of a cliff, asking themselves “What’s going to happen next?” During the whole tale, Montresor never precisely explains how he was hurt or insulted by his old friend, Fortunado.
How could she, without over-narrating, get a deep problem involving such characters when they do not speak enough to reveal that problem? Frome's character and his marital relationship are at the heart of the novel, but they are revealed only indirectly. Wharton solved her difficulty in a masterful way by her use of imagery and symbolism. It is in her use of imagery and symbolism that the depths of the story are to be found. Without an understanding of them, a reader would find the characters unmotivated and the tragedy contrived.
Therefore, this analysis bases itself upon a theory of fiction and, more specifically, of short-stories. First, it is necessary to briefly expose what has been written on fiction. Common sense immediately associates it with “unreality” or “lack of truth”, but this does not fulfill the entire concept: the fictional element that interests literary criticism has more to do with imagination than to philosophical truth itself. All the later literary theory developed from Aristotle and on has defined narrative, poetry, and drama as the broader categories of literature. Narrative interests us as it includes short-stories, such as Updike’s work analyzed herein.
My strength in this essay is, I think the unique perspective I bring to the story and it’ characters, while my weakness is that my interpretation might not be understood by many. I would appreciate whatever feedback you provide on this essay because like always I appreciate you and your criticism. Sayed Haroon Professor Wolfgang LITR201 June 30, 2013 The Antagonist of Sakoontala In many stories there are usually always a protagonist and an antagonist, or simply put a hero and a villain tha have a battle in the story. However, this distinction is not always clear cut. This determination of which exactly the protagonist and the antagonist is, is sometimes a sort of gray area.