The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Alan Poe - 884 Words

In Platizky’s (1999) article on the Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Alan Poe is choppy and, sometimes, wandering critique. Albeit, the historical reference Platizky uses on how Poe â€Å"ambiguously capitalizes on psychological fear and historical reality† (p. 206), is the ultimate essence of the article which sets a novice reader on the right path to understanding the story. Platizky’s use of historical facts and sources leads me to believe this article could help provoke a logical thought process for anyone to understand the fascination, and or fear, of being buried alive and the symbols used within the story. Platizky’s article jumps from point to point with no clear direction. The order of Platizky transition s could be more concise; instead of jumping from Poe’s earlier work, to tidbits of history, to the symbolism of points in the story, back to more historical references, and finally a weak conclusion that leaves readers wanting closure. This fact is not forthcoming of an adequate flow to follow. The flow is comparative to a Quentin Tarantino film jumping back and forth in the time line of the plot. Another aspect where Platizky’s article lacks clear direction is through the explanation of the story’s symbols and how they are historically tied. The statement of how â€Å"the catacombs could be symbolic due to Christian history and their nitrous decay† would serve readers best, not to elaborate on the catacombs. In which, damp nitre filled vaults lead Montressor to ask FortunatoShow MoreRelatedThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Alan Poe1074 Words   |  5 Pages Edgar Alan Poe s short story The Cask of Amontillado is the typical example on how revenge can cause a man to murder without a conscious. This shouldn’t be anything new to someone is versed in Edgar Alan Po’s literature because he is best known for his tales of mystery and macabre. Merriam-Webster definition of Macabre can be described as, â€Å"having death as a subject: comprising or including a personalized representation of death †. It can be said the character Monstresor has revenge saturatingRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1575 Words   |  7 Pageshas committed the perfect murder in just such a tale, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado.† Montresor plots and kills an unwary friend/foe during carnival time for motives that are unclear. The author of this tale, Edgar Allan Poe, influenced by his somewhat tragic life and one of the most influential Gothic writers, uses symbolism and irony to show the multitude of complicated motives of the narrator in his famous horror story. Upon examining Edgar Allan Poe’s life, one is not surprised that he chooses toRead MoreHow The Cask of Amontillado Uses Symbolism and Irony1291 Words   |  6 Pagesstreet light: red means stop, yellow means slow down, and the green means to proceed. Another technique used in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†is irony. Irony, (in literature), is when the writer uses words to emit a meaning that is usually the opposite of its literal meaning. It is used to catch the reader’s attention and to give the text more depth. In the short story, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, there is verbal and dramatic irony. Irony is important because it allows the reader to transmit an intense meaningRead MoreA Gray Atmosphere By Edgar Alan Poe1404 Words   |  6 PagesA Gray Atmosphere Edgar Alan Poe is the father of Dark Romanticism. He brought out the ‘gothic’ of literature and with that said not many of his pieces had a happy ending. When thinking of Poe a chill comes over me, the brute force, imagery and vocabulary that he used was enough to make any reader shudder, yet keep reading. Poe talks of dark things such as murder, insanity and betrayal; he certainly had a different perspective when it came to writing. The culture and ethical value in his storiesRead MoreEssay about Fortunatos Greatest Weakness 1207 Words   |  5 Pages Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado is a dark and frightening tale of revenge, temptation and murder. The victim of the heinous crime, Fortunato, is a respectable gentleman with a weakness. He has flaws like any other human being, but the difference lies in the severity of his imperfections. For poor Fortunato, his vulnerabilities prove to be the cause of his death. If Fortunato had not been drunk at the ti me of his homicide, he would not have been susceptible to the enticements of his murdererRead MorePoe vs Hawthorne1992 Words   |  8 PagesLiterature Comparisons Between Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne Kimberley Prescott LIT/210 08/01/2012 Sherry Salant Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne Popular literature is incomplete without the names of Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Both of these authors lived in the same time period, yet lived very opposite lives. In fact, Poe received notoriety for criticizing Nathaniel Hawthorne. (Poe, 1847) In his career, he wrote several critiques of Hawthorne’s workRead More Atmosphere of Terror and Suspense in Gothic Literature Essay4335 Words   |  18 Pagescharacterized by their romanticism, melodrama and dark foreboding settings. They were critical of the society of the day and fiercely anti- catholic, disliking the church?s power and brutality. Some of the main gothic writers of the time included Edgar Alan Poe, Charles Dickens, H.G.Wells, Charlotte and Emily Bronte. By the end of the19th century Mary Shelley?s famous novel of Frankenstein had been published and later on Bram Stoker?s Dracula. Of all the stories written in the gothic era, they allRead MoreThe Autobiographical Elements in the Works of Edg ar Allan Poe1663 Words   |  7 PagesThe Autobiographical Elements in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportions (Biography on Poe 8). Edgar Alan Poe endured a very difficult life and this is evident in his literary style. He was once titled the master of the macabre. One of the aspects in his life with which he struggled was social isolation. He used this as a topic in a number of poems and short stories. Poes life was also filled with periods of fear and irrationalityRead MoreEssay Edgar Allen Poe1513 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe was born at 33 Hollis Street, Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1809. Poe’s parents were struggling actors. His father deserted him, and his mother died of tuberculosis when he was three years old. Young Edgar was taken in by a wealthy tobacco exporter by the name of John Allan, from whom he took his middle name. Most of his early life was lived in Richmond, Virginia, with the exception of a five-year period when the Allan family lived in England. His life