Analysis Of The Cask of Amontillado - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1734 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/05/23 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: The Cask of Amontillado Essay Did you like this example? Pride. Anger. Vengefulness. These are all emotions that every person, at some point in their lives, has felt. While most would not act rancorously on these feelings, Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of someone who let an attack on their pride lead to committing an unspeakable and abhorrent act of murder. The Cask of Amontillado is arguably one of Poers most famous and chilling works of literature. The story is made famous not only by its brilliant storyline, but by its incorporation of a first-person narrator, its themes, and ironic symbolism. It tells the vindictive story of a man, Montresor, who deceives a longtime friend-turned-enemy of his, Fortunato. Montresor tells a very inebriated Fortunato that he has acquired a cask full of an extremely rare and sought-after wine- amontillado- and that he wants Fortunato to come and taste to see whether or not it is amontillado. While on their journey through Montresorrs vaults, Montresor picks up bottles of wine for Fortunato in an effort to worsen his condition so that he may ultimately be helpless for the tragedy that is about to befall him (Poe). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Analysis Of The Cask of Amontillado" essay for you Create order Upon reaching the end of the cellar, much to the demise and chagrin of Fortunato, there is no cask of amontillado, but instead a set of chains connected to a brick wall. Before Fortunato could realize what was happening, Montresor had already shackled him to this wall. Fortunato, taking this as a joke laughs and tells Montresor to unchain him, but instead he begins to lay bricks to fill in the space in front of the now captive Fortunato. Despite the pleas and screams from Fortunato, Montresor continues, brick-by-brick, sealing this eternal prison where Fortunato has met his ill-fated demise. The last stone is laid into place and the cries have been silenced. The story ends with Montresor telling the reader that no one has discovered Fortunato and this heinous crime has gone unsolved for around 50 years (Poe). The story is written from the point-of-view of a first-person narrator, Montresor, telling the reader the story of what happened on that carnival night half a century ago. Through this style, Poe conveys the illusion that Montresor is actually engaging in conversation with the reader, especially so at the beginning of the story. This method of storytelling is used to create a connection between the reader and the storyteller. This point of view inserts the reader into the mind of Montresor, and an extreme emphasis on his true hatred of Fortunato becomes readily apparent. In the first lines of the story, Montresor tells the reader The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge (Poe). This shows the reader that the events about to unfold are not a spontaneous act engendered from immediate insult, but a carefully planned and calculated act of murder. This leads in to the clear representation of Montresorrs family motto Nemo me impune lacessit, translated into modern English no one attacks me with impunity (Merriam-Webster). Montresor takes this motto to heart and does not let the ac tions of Fortunato go unpunished. Throughout all of his work, Poe uses a wide variety of themes, but in Amontillado he uses three prominent and powerful themes to appeal to readers of all sorts. These are: freedom and confinement, betrayal, and mortality. Each of these powerful themes contributes to the great success that the story has had over the course of its existence. Freedom and confinement are very obviously the exact opposite of one another, but they come together to create one of the main themes in Amontillado. Montresor feels that he is confined by the wrongdoing and injustices done to him by Fortunato, he knows that one can never be truly free if they have a sort of confinement. He sees the only way to make himself truly free is by killing Fortunato, therefore confining him to death. Some may argue, however that this in fact does the exact opposite. Some critics believe that whenever Montresor has passed the point of no return, he begins to feel remorse and regret for his actions, but follows through with his intended plan because he does not want to let insult to his family name go unpunished. In the very last lines of the story, Montresor says My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labour (Poe). Montresor wrote this off simply as a problem adjusting to the disgusting atmosphere of the catacombs, but critic Robert Fossum suggests that this is due to the sudden nausea of guilt, of the horror of his crime,. Fossum argues that Montresor is in denial of the guilt that now confines him, which is why he is telling the story to the reader over 50 years later and he is using it as a means of a clearing his conscience on his deathbed (Jacoby). An act of betrayal is not one that is easily forgiven or forgotten. Poe recognizes that the emotions brought on by betrayal are very powerful and he exploits them in this story to enhance a theme of betrayal. Although we do not know the severity of the initial betrayal by Fortunato, whatever the act was, Montresor found it heinous enough to retaliate with the most severe punishment: death. The driving force behind the plot of The Cask of Amontillado is Fortunators act of betrayal towards Montresor; without betrayal or Montresorrs psychological need for revenge, there is no story. Amontillado shows just how far a person may go to react to feelings of betrayal. The story has a very clear fixation on the macabre, especially death and mortality. At the end of the story Poe shows just how serious and sobering the realization of mortality can be. While Montresor is entombing Fortunato, his attitude changes from lighthearted and joking to very panicked and terrified. When he is being barricaded, Fortunato quickly realizes this is how his life will end and he begins to experience different stages of grief, beginning with depression I had scarcely laid the first tier of the masonry when I discovered that the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off. The earliest indication I had of this was a low moaning cry from the depth of the recess. It was not the cry of a drunken man (Poe). He then feels anger A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back (Poe). As Montresor moves the last brick into place, Fortunato moves into a stage of denial. He tries to play off the whole thing as a joke, laughing and saying that Montresor cannot be serious about this, refusing to accept the fact that he is about to be buried alive with no hope of being found. He then becomes so overwhelmed by grief that he passes out as Montresor lays the last brick into place. Symbols are an important part of what make The Cask of Amontillado the great short story that it is. Symbols that are important and apparent in revealing the irony of the story are Carnival, Fortunators jester outfit, and Fortunators name. Montresor is telling the reader a story that occurred in the past, but from the beginning of the story, we know that the events take place during Carnival season, because he says so in the fourth paragraph, It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend (Poe). Carnival, in essence, is a celebration of all of the enjoyable things in secular life. It is a period of feasting observed before the beginning of the Lenten season which is a time of fasting and sacrifice in the Christian church. Author Andrew Grant Wood says, Carnival is an utterly life affirming holiday and an essential date on the spring calendar (Wood). The incorporation holiday is a very apparent notion towards the irony of Amontillado, because while Fortunato is in the middle of celebrating life and all that comes with it during the Carnival Season, he is oblivious to the fact that his own life is about to come to an end. Whenever Fortunato stumbles into the story and encounters Montresor, he had just finished a night of celebrating carnival and was dressed in a jesterrs costume for the festivities. The costume was bright and colorful and had a hat with jingle bells. The whole costume is symbolic of the vivacious and happy mood that Fortunato is in because he has just finished a night full of partying, however the costume has an underlying and ironic meaning to it (Kennesaw.edu). In the medieval times, the court jesters were also known as fools, and it is commonly known that a fool is someone who is easily deceived or just outright unintelligent. In the case of Amontillado Fortunato is dressed for the part of the fool he is about to play in Montresorrs scheme (Lorcher). In the Italian language, the word fortunato translates to fortunate, so Fortunators name is quite literally, fortunate. This is a very ironic name for someone that is about to be trapped forever in catacombs underneath the Italian streets. To the reader, the name seems almost fitting when we read the description of Fortunato, as even Montresor recognizes this in the third paragraph stating that he was a man to be respected and even feared (Poe). So, when the fortunate man falls victim to an unfortunate situation, the reader can plainly see the symbolic irony that lies within the name. Once a symbol of a man of power, dignity, and respect, the name Fortunato has now turned into a mockery of what it once meant as it now belongs to a man who has befallen the gravest side of fortune (Lorcher). The Cask of Amontillado, although award-less, is an incredibly well-known piece of literature that has been the inspiration for different works and retellings of the story such as Christopher Moorers book The Serpent of Venice and in a graphic novel by Richard Cohen titled The Premature Burial. The use of a first-person point of view narrator, bone-chilling storyline, incorporation of various themes and ironic symbols, make The Cask of Amontillado a timeless classic and one of Edgar Allan Poers greatest works.

Alices Adventures in Darwinism and the Realm of Child...

Alice in Wonderland, the most famous work of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, is the enduring tale of one girl’s journey into a world of whimsy and imagination. The story was written for the enjoyment of all children, as Carroll had a strong love and attachment to them, especially little girls. It was however, written more specifically for a dear, close child-friend of his by the name of Alice Liddell, who was the inspiration for the title character. Alice in Wonderland has been, throughout the years since it’s publication in 1865, endlessly deconstructed, analyzed, and studied for underlying meaning in the text (as in Martin Gardner‘s The Annotated Alice). One of the most noticeable and famous facets of the story†¦show more content†¦One such theme is the many changes in size that Alice undergoes. Through these multiple changes in size in the timeless story of Alice, Lewis Carroll fuses the emerging scientific revelations of the t ime made by Charles Darwin with his own love of entertaining children with whimsical storytelling, giving the story appeal for both children and adults. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;quot; ‘I am fond of children (except boys),’ quot; Carroll once wrote, and admitted that one of his most loved hobbies was entertaining little girls. During his life, Carroll entertained many quot;charmingquot; little girls, but his first love and favorite of them all was Alice Liddell. Alice was the daughter of Henry George Liddell, who was during the time of their relationship the dean of Christ Church. Little Alice Liddell captivated Carroll’s attention and heart, and to entertain and please her was everything to him (Gardner xvii-xviii). He cared so much for her that the title character of Carroll’s most famous work, Alice in Wonderland, was named for Miss Liddell. The Alice character is depicted as seven years old, which is the age of the real Alice when Carroll first came to know her (127). As suggested in U.C. Knoepflmacher’s article quot;The Balancing of Child and Adult: An Approach to Victori an Fantasies

Where Have All the Booklovers Gone Free Essays

here Have All the Booklovers Gone? Where have All the Book Lovers gone? By William B. Ongsitco (www. thenewstoday. We will write a custom essay sample on Where Have All the Booklovers Gone? or any similar topic only for you Order Now info, September 11, 2008) In my conversations with parents in the school where I work, one of the favorite topics is fostering among the young people the love for reading. For some of them, this is a real concern. In a generation saturated by iPods, online games, and media blitz, it is not surprising to see book lovers getting lesser and lesser. But wait, does it really pay to be a young reading aficionado? Ah, there’s no doubt about it. Ask any teacher who has taught for at least a year and he can assure you that book lovers have a cutting edge that helps them a great deal in accomplishing their academic demands. For educators, it is a fact that wide readers do much better in school compared with those who simply pick up their text books because there’s going to be an exam the next day. | | It’s very interesting how some parents managed to raise kids who take great delight in reading. Here are some of their secrets. Read to your kids. Smart parents start reading to their children as soon as the latter can appreciate stories. And they read to them whenever there’s an opportunity. They recite to their kids stories, kiddy poems, limericks and even the tiny words on candy wrappers. While riding in a jeepney or a bus, they unlock to their children the meanings of the words they see around the city-on stores, buildings, hotels, and many more. In this way, young children begin to see the wonders behind the words they encounter everyday. It is important however that when we read stories to children, we do it with theatrical enthusiasm and gestures. Children will love reading if they see that those who know how to read take delight in doing so. Allow yourself to be seen reading by your children. Kids thrive in examples. This is a principle that all parents have seen in their own children. In fact this is how very young kids assimilate language- by unconscious imitation. And if a child sees that father and mother regularly spend some time reading everyday, the chance that the child would pick up the habit of reading is much greater compared with a child who seldom sees his parents going over a literature. Habitual reading then is something well worth acquiring on the part of the parents even if only to help their children develop early love for books and magazines. Tell your kids about the latest book you’re reading. It is indeed a great idea to share them the latest stories we’ve read. When children see that books are sources of awesome information, their reading interest is heightened. And there are countless of opportunities for the sharing. One can do this while taking a meal, strolling on a beach, or even while doing a chore with a child. By the way, it would be good for parents to read about matters that interest their children. For instance, if a boy is very curious about dinosaurs, it is advisable that parents read up on this topic and tell their kid that they have gotten the information from a certain book. It is almost sure that the boy will pick up that book to satisfy all his curiosities about dinosaurs. Have plenty of interesting and good books at home. While any printed materials can help children learn how to read, it is much better to expose them to value-laden books and magazines. In this way, we hit two birds with one stone- they learn to read and they get to know what is right and what is wrong. Parents have to be extra careful with the reading materials that penetrate their homes. Even the seemingly innocuous teen magazines may actually contain information that can undermine the values you teach your children. Likewise, let us keep again in mind the interest of the children as we select the books we will display at home. Regulate television viewing and playing of video games. This last advice is really crucial. Habitual reading of books and addiction to TV or video games are incompatible. Children who are often found riveted to their television set or whose only delight is spending hours and hours playing computer games often find it very difficult to develop the habit of reading. The explanation is very simple. Most of the kiddy shows such as cartoons do not encourage sustained concentration on children. Many of the programs we see on TV are simply there to give pure entertainment. Unlike reading which often requires focus, active thinking and effort to imagine, most of the TV programs simply require passive viewing. Much of the information are transmitted through flashy images and exciting sounds. And when kids are used to getting information in this way, and sure enough video games are included in this category, then they find reading really boring. All these practical advice my require parents to change some of their personal habits. But considering the great benefits they could bring to the whole family, altering some of our practices is certainly worth all the effort. How to cite Where Have All the Booklovers Gone?, Essay examples