...Comparing and Contrasting Poe and Roald Dahl’s Literature Setting The setting used by Edgar Allan Poe in his literature inspired Roald Dahl's writing style. Edgar Allan Poe is known as the father of modern detective stories. His short stories influenced a great deal of authors that came after him, and one of them was Roald Dahl. Dahl was greatly influenced by the setting of Poe’s stories. He showed this by using some of Poe’s elements in his setting, such as a descriptive environment, time, and word choice. All of Poe’s works have a similar setting in which he describes in detail. For example, in his poem, The Raven he writes, “Once upon a midnight dreary.” (Poe “The Raven” L.1). Poe’s settings are generally at midnight and create a mood...
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...For most readers, the name of Edgar Allan Poe has become a byword for horror and fear. Moreover, the images and motifs created by the novelist had an immense influence on the following generations and works of other authors, so that they even became immersed into the popular culture. Poe’s memorable images and quotes became an integral part of the world’s cultural heritage, giving inspiration to the horror movie script writers and novelists. As a result, many fans of the horror genre don’t even rate Poe’s contribution at its true value, taking his efforts for granted. For nearly two centuries so far, Poe has been providing realistic images of morbidity, fear and the horror of life to everyone who is interested in the genre or makes parallels between fiction and certain moments in life. The biography of Edgar Allan Poe is full of mystery which can be explained by his own passion for exaggeration and fantasies, which confused biographers who were trying to learn about his life from his works or his own words. However, most biographers agree that Poe hardly knew his parents and when biographers claim that he was a spoiled child, they mean the family who adopted Edgar. Edgar was born in a family of young actors. His father was an alcohol addict, whose addiction went so far that he even was drunk on the stage. Once he left his wife and kids and nobody saw him ever again. Edgar’s mother fell ill and died when Poe was only a child. That’s how Edgar was adopted by the Allens, the family...
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...For most readers, the name of Edgar Allan Poe has become a byword for horror and fear. Moreover, the images and motifs created by the novelist had an immense influence on the following generations and works of other authors, so that they even became immersed into the popular culture. Poe’s memorable images and quotes became an integral part of the world’s cultural heritage, giving inspiration to the horror movie script writers and novelists. As a result, many fans of the horror genre don’t even rate Poe’s contribution at its true value, taking his efforts for granted. For nearly two centuries so far, Poe has been providing realistic images of morbidity, fear and the horror of life to everyone who is interested in the genre or makes parallels between fiction and certain moments in life. The biography of Edgar Allan Poe is full of mystery which can be explained by his own passion for exaggeration and fantasies, which confused biographers who were trying to learn about his life from his works or his own words. However, most biographers agree that Poe hardly knew his parents and when biographers claim that he was a spoiled child, they mean the family who adopted Edgar. Edgar was born in a family of young actors. His father was an alcohol addict, whose addiction went so far that he even was drunk on the stage. Once he left his wife and kids and nobody saw him ever again. Edgar’s mother fell ill and died when Poe was only a child. That’s how Edgar was adopted by the Allens, the family...
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...Alliteration- The repetition of the same consonant sounds in words that are close together in a poem. Ex- Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and a flutter, In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore. ~ From “the Raven,” Edgar Allan Poe Assonance- The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds. Ex- Thou foster child of silence and slow time ~ From “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” John Keats Consonance- All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests. Ex- Skinny and slender both have the same literal definition- thin; but their connotations are completely different. End Rhyme- Rhymes at the end of lines. Ex- My last defense Is the present tense. It little hurts me now to know I shall not go Cathedral-hunting in Spain Nor cherrying in Michigan or Maine. ~ Gwendolyn Brooks Internal Rhyme- Are rhymes in the middle of a line. Ex- Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary ~ From “The Raven,” Edgar Allan Poe Onomatopoeia- Created by words that imitates the sound of an object. Ex- Crackle, pop, fizz, click, zoom, and chirp Repetition- The act or process or an instance of repeating or being repeated. Ex- By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells Of the bells Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells In the clamor and the clangor of the bells! ~ From “bells,” Edgar Allan Poe Rhyme- The repetition of accented vowel sounds and all...
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...Edgar Allan Poe sets the eerie tone of his classic horror short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart," from the opening sentences. The narrator admits that he is mad immediately, although he tries to convince the reader that he is sane, establishing that the story will bring some sort of unnatural actions. Poe uses words such as "nervous," "dreadfully," "hell," and "mad"--in the first paragraph alone--to help set the mood of horror. Most of the story is set late at night and in darkness, symbols of both evil and death. By the third paragraph, the narrator establishes that he has already killed the old man, and Poe draws the reader in and proposes the unanswered questions about how the murder will happen and whether the killer will get away with it....
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...In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Black Cat”, many things are repeated and follows a similar pattern to the rest of his stories. A black cat is killed and a very similar one is found shortly after, all while the narrator is losing his mind. Through the use of diction and syntax, Poe reveals that the narrator's voice is mad. The narrator uses syntax to affect his voice and to sound insane. Not only are his ideas insane but also the way he describes them. Through the use of long, run on sentences as a form of syntax, the narrator describes many ideas at once. After stating a few ideas, “...[he] resolved to dig a grave in the floor of the cellar… casting it in the well in the yard---about packing it up in a box as if merchandise…[he] determined...
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...Jonathon Criswell Essay 1 Assignment 3/14/2016 Foreshadowing Fortunato’s Fate in Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe introduces the readers with an unpleasant tale of revenge in The Cask of Amontillado. It is revealed by Montresor who confesses to the murder of his old friend Fortunato over fifty years ago. Montresor led Fortunato to the catacombs where he was entombed. Fortunato, is led into the catacomb to his impending death with the assurance of a magnificent sherry, amontillado. As Montresor pilots Fortunato deeper into the catacombs, Poe foreshadows the impending murder. The word cask in Cask of Amontillado, is an abbreviation for the term casket. Fortunato is being led to his casket or final resting place in the catacombs. Elena Baraban, of “The Motive for Murder in “the Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe”, believes that “the whole imagery of the crypt suggests that the word “Amontillado” is a metaphor” (55). This is symbolic of the way Fortunato is killed. The title could easily have read “The Grave of Fortunato.” Special importance is placed on Carnival in the story. Montresor saved his revenge until the Carnival celebration began, because it would be an excellent time to carry out his plan of revenge “during the supreme madness of the carnival season,” (Poe 227). Nothing is as it seems during the Carnival. People pretend to be something that they wish they could be. Carnival is an escape for the people. Many things happen at...
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...PREFACE This major project examines the indispensable desiderata of Transcendentalism in comparison to the Dark Romantics background and how these technicalities prepare this work of art as an influential synthesis of human imagination incorporated with mystic facts. Transcendentalism and Dark Romanticism were two literary movements that occurred in America during roughly the same time period (1840—1860). Although the two had surface similarities, such as their reverence for Nature, their founding beliefs were quite different, enough to make one seem almost the antithesis of each other. Moreover one’s genesis is ventured out from other; i.e. Dark Romanticism from the roots of Transcendentalism or precisely the lacunae are best determined for raising up the term called Dark Romanticism. Contents S. No. Page no. Chapter 1.........................................................................................................4-14 Chapter 2.........................................................................................................15-23. Chapter 3..........................................................................................................24-27 Resolution.........................................................................................................28-29 Work Cited................................................................
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...In The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe, the feeling is sorrow by the end of the story. In the story the author writes, “And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall.” This quote proves that the feeling brought is sorrow because of Poe’s choice of words. Poe describes that everyone is “dropping” or dying, due to the Red Death. This brings sorrow because when a person dies, family and friends always feel the pain and sorrow. Throughout the story Poe also uses the words such as bedewed and despairing to create a mood. Both of these words resemble death and death brings a lot of sorrow and pain to individuals. Another quotes that proves sorrow is, “And...
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...Edgar Allan Poe uses word choice, structure, voice, and form to create tension and meaning. For example, through out the story the narrator insists that he is not mad, but the word choice and voice that Poe uses indicates another thing. In the first paragraph Poe writes, “ How, then, am I mad? Hearken! And observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.” In this quote Poe makes it obvious that the narrator had done something that has caused him to be so paranoid. Also, tension is starting because of how nervous the narrator’s voice sounds. Poe writes this story in a way to make it seem that the narrator is confessing what he had done. The narrator believes that one of the old man’s eye was evil. On the second paragraph Poe uses a metaphor to describe the old man’s eye, “He had the eye of a vulture.” A vulture is a threatening and large bird, the narrator might have felt like...
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...brighter, the drinks are better, and the sexes all look fantastic. What other motivation do you need to continue? How about people who are dealing with stressors that are driving them up the wall and to the edge of insanity. The family is falling apart, their job is terrible, and they can barely, if at all, make ends meet. That all changes when you take that drug. In that time frame the weight of the world is lifted off your shoulders. You can laugh, you can sing, and be merry or you can just sink in to a world of mental bliss unknown to men who never had the drug before. Just with these two scenarios, what would motivate them to refrain for using drugs? These drugs are improving the quality of their lives, in their opinion. A quote from Edgar Allen Poe States: “I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom” (St. Rosemary, 2014) Drug use normally starts as recreational or as a way to escape reality. Before most people know it, an addiction that changes their life. The recreation turns into an insatiable need. The craving becomes so strong that they would do anything to get just one more hit. Soon the very drug that was helping them escape problems is creating more...
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...When you read the classics, such as: Dr. Seuss’ stories, The Pit and The Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe, and the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, you get an insight to history. A classic is only a classic if it talks about, or tackles, the problem of the day that it was written or the problems of the future. Classics are historical books that have an outstanding meaning to them and they all relate to life and they are relevant today because the meaning portrayed by them, transcend over time. Classics are classics if they consist of one of these topics: love, death, and wishes. The first theme you’ll see most commonly used in a classic is love. In the stories, “Sonnet 18” and “Sonnet 130” by W. Shakespeare, and “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe, they all portray that love is a wonderful thing. In Sonnet 18, lines 1-4, it states, “So long as man can breathe or eyes can see so long lives this, and gives life to thee.” The meaning of this is that your beauty and love for one another is never failing as you continue to live. In sonnet 130,lines 9-11, Shakespeare wrote, “I love to hear her speak, yet well I know that music hath a far more pleasing sound. I grant I never saw a goddess go.” As you can see, love can be a good or bad thing. In this case, love is a hideous thing and Shakespeare wrote about how love is funny. In a change to the meaning of love we move to the light happy side.In “Annabel Lee”, Poe states on lines 36-37, “And the star never rise, but I feel the bright eyes, of the Beautiful...
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...Many short stories come from a first person perspective and many times first person perspective can influence the reader’s perception. The short story, “Cask of Amontillado,” by Edgar Allan Poe, demonstrates the narrator influencing the perception of the story itself as well as the characters. The narrator, Montresor, plays a huge key in the story because he tells the readers his thoughts about the other character and the opinion of other people's thoughts on the character. We as readers have no choice but to take his word, knowing no previous information of the other characters but the one given by him. Montresor starts the story off with how fortunate insulted him. What specifically how he was insulted by Fortunato is not for told but This immediately gives a bad impression to Fortunato because the impression is given that Fortunato has done something terribly wrong to Montresor. The narrator then goes on to say that he seeks great revenge upon Fortunato and that this revenge is harsh. It's harsh because he says, “ I must not only punish, but punish with impunity.”...
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...not bother our heads with the mysteries of sadomasochistic attraction” Angela Carter; Foreword to Perrault’s Short Stories. In much of today’s feminist writings, the Gothic era is frequently defined as a period in which the oppression of females was at its most intense. In response to fin de siècle anxieties of a social revolution in which gender stereotypes could be overhauled, gothic writers, it is claimed, sought to reassert cultural and gender norms – a reassertion which inevitably resulted in the oppression of women. In view of such contemporary analysis, it is thus all too tempting to offer a sweeping judgement of gothic literature as victimising, oppressive and misogynistic; Dracula’s “victims” are all “unambiguously women[1]”, Poe victimises through an “idealised and dehumanising image of women[2]”, while Carter is a “pseudo feminist” who merely “reinforces patriarchal views” with her “pornographic” writing[3]. Yet such views are largely artificial, and are primarily based on potted summaries of the above works, rather than a closer textual analysis. If one takes the definition of a victim as a being who is subject to the successful predatory actions of another, and who is resultantly devoid of power[4], then such primitive analysis in blindly labelling “all women as victims of the beastly male[5]” becomes flawed. Read in the context of Carter’s ironic foreword[6] to Perrault’s Short Stories, a deeper exploration reveals women as being willingly complicit in adopting...
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...The Creation of Suspense in "The Tell-Tale Heart" Robert Burns wrote that, “Suspense is worse than disappointment,” and yet we mostly enjoy it- the feelings of tension and anxiety, which can be found in many frightening films and terrifying stories. However, the creation of suspense is not always straightforward. In particular, along with a horror theme, an appropriate pace, vivid descriptions, adequate choice of words, and lively characters are all essential elements of suspenseful literature. Edgar Allan Poe’s skillful use of the above literary methods has made him one of the most famous writers of dreadful stories and poems. In the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Poe especially focuses on language and literary devices to keep the reader in suspense. By changing the pace of the story from slow to fast, the author succeeds in building up suspenseful tension. The unnamed narrator describes the nights, he spent watching and waiting for the perfect moment to strike, which seem endless to the reader:"It took me[the narrator] an hour to place my whole head within the opening(19),” and “A watch’s minute’s hand moves more quickly than did mine(29).” The cautiousness of the murderer’s motion, which slows down the story’s tempo, not only leaves the reader in uncertainty- What is he going to do? What is going to happen? -but also creates great tension, since the time before a crime is committed is often terrifying to the murderer. While the killer’s waiting moments are depicted...
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