...Synopsis: "A half-insane, gutter-minded synesthete who can't flirt to save her life is a guy's ideal girlfriend." That's what Veronica's philosophy is, and she swears by it. But what happens if you're the half insane, gutter-minded synesthete? What a disaster. Disaster It was quiet in Veronica's language arts class, something that almost never happened. Veronica sat at her table, casually typing, listening to the sounds of her fingers tapping against the white plastic keys. She brushed a thin strand of rouge hair behind her ear and continued to type, her ebony colored eyes focused. Most of the students were chatting in hushed voices, but Veronica could see it all, even if she couldn't hear it. What she saw was hard to explain, but it looked as though colors were flying out of there mouths with each word they spoke. It wasn't just the voices either. The clicking of Veronica's fingers against the keys of her Chromebook had colors as well. Veronica loved the colors, watching them dance from people’s mouth and twirl about with another person's. Sometimes the colors reflected the person’s feelings. Deep purple for anger, yellow for happiness, pink for love. Veronica looked up from her work for a...
Words: 763 - Pages: 4
...Browning’s “Porphyria’s Lover” In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “Tell Tale Heart” and in Robert Browning’s “Porphyria’s Lover,” both unnamed narrators commit murder and provide the audience with a seemingly unjustifiable reason as to why they murder their loved ones. In “Tell Tale Heart” and in “Porphyria’s Lover,” both narrators attempt to pose to the audience that they are not insane and effectively accomplish this through their tone and explicit narration. Two of the recurring themes within both Poe’s short story and Browning’s poem are madness and the tension between love and hate. The themes are reinforced through calm tone and passive tone and through the characterization of the narrators. In Poe’s “Tell Tale Heart,” the narrator opens up the short story denying the fact that he is insane and defends his statement by confessing to killing an old man in a very calculated and precise manner with the simple motivation being his fear of the old man’s “eye of a vulture.” The narrator goes through with his plan of murdering the old man and hides the body only to be engulfed by a feeling of guilt which leads him to confessing his act to the police. Throughout the short story, the narrator continues to tell the audience that he is not insane due to his “sharpened … senses” and his “calm” way of telling the whole story, yet it is his tale of murder that contradicts the very claim that he attempts to defend throughout the short story. The narrator’s sharpened senses, particularly his...
Words: 809 - Pages: 4
...During the American civil war lots of men where forced into the battlefield. They had to obey orders. Several men very killed, other turned into cold-blooded murders. Men who used to be good working fathers, where thrown into the war. ”The thing you want” is a short story written by Jack Trammell. The short story deals with the topics; war, desire, madness and power. It pictures a man after the war and the consequences of his participation in the American civil war. The short story is told though a third person narrator and he is using past tense. “At that moment someone else entered the room. Cabe had the sixth sense common to survivors of war…” At some points in the text the third-person narrator seems omniscient, because we have access to the characters feelings and mind. “They assumed it was abandoned…” “No one asked any questions. Something inside of him was dead, though, and at the same time, a tiny spark was flickering.” There is used direct speech in the story “,,Looking for food, sir” ,, You won’t find it in her dress, Private”” This narrative mode gives a “filmic-twist” to the story, because we often connect direct speech with manuscripts. The short story starts in medias res and takes place in the real world, in continuation of the Great War (WW1). It elapses chronological and lasts no longer than 1 hour in the “great brick house”. The language is formal and very describing. “A withered, languorous old woman stared at them blankly.” The sentences are very...
Words: 473 - Pages: 2
...century and many gothic novelists was inspired to include this conflict in their works. Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, the black cat, is a great example of how the literature reflected the conflict of the real world. In the horrific short story, the black cat, by Edgar Allan Poe, the reader follows the mind of a reflective 1.st person narrator, whose sanity and reliability is constantly questioned. To do this, Poe uses many literary techniques, which add up to the constant questioning of the narrator’s reliability. One technique is the distancing of norms and values between the reader and the narrator. An example proving this is the clinical and calmly description of how the narrator plans to hide the carcass of his wife: “Many projects entered my mind.” Notice how the narrator thinks rationally about hiding the carcass because it has a significant meaning later on in the interpretation. One might think that this is a sure sign that the narrator is completely insane, but because Poe uses a 1.st person narrator, he is, arguably off course, able to justify all his wicked actions. This is partly due to the 1.st person reflective point of view, where the reader follows the mind of the narrator, but also due to the narrator’s constant tries to convince the reader that he is rational and sane, and in such a degree that he is stating his sanity in the beginning of the short story. “Yet, mad am I not - and very surely do I not dream.” Other techniques used, which adds up to the questioning...
Words: 952 - Pages: 4
...Edgar Allan Poe is a writer of horror stories and poems. His stories, generally follow a common theme and have some similar events throughout his many short stories. Some of his well known books include The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, The Cask of Amontillado, and the System of Doctor Tarr. Most of his work involves the motifs of irony, arrogance, and insanity as well as many other elements commonly seen in horror. Poe weaves a lot of irony into his writing, especially in the name of the characters. For example, In the story of the “Cask of Amontillado” , the main character's name is Fortunado, implying that he is fortunate and lucky. When in the story, he is actually extremely unlucky because he ends up getting killed by the speaker. Poe does this to create the element of surprise, because you wouldn't expect the character named Fortunato to be as unlucky as to die in the end. Another example of the irony in one's name is in “The Masque of the Red Death”. In this story, the prince's name is Price Prosperous. The name “Prosperous” makes you think that he is very wealthy and successful. When in reality, although he is wealthy,...
Words: 631 - Pages: 3
...Poe’s suspenseful short story, Tell-Tale Heart, effectively portrays the killer through the use of literary tools and themes such as mortality, imagery, and point of view. The main character wants to show he is not insane, and even offers a story as proof. The narrator’s decision to kill the old man so that the eye would stop looking at him marked the initial situation. The motives of the killer aren’t understood, which makes the murder mystery difficult to understand. Was the narrator insane? Did he kill the old man in self-defense? As such, the fear of death is expressed in the text. For example, “I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.” This excerpt illustrates the narrator’s thoughts of mortality. “Yes, he was stone, stone dead”, depicts how the narrator continued to express the old man’s death in a conspicuous/ distinct manner. Edgar Allen Poe can build so much fixated context over the old mans “vulture eye”, amplifying the use of imagery in the text. “You fancy me mad...You should have seen how wisely I proceeded.” This is ironic because the man tells himself he is normal that he is killing a man because of his eye. Another example is, “a pale blue eye, with a film over it.” The symbol in this quote was the film over the eye, how the man couldn't see as well what was going on right under his nose. Poe creates confusion using his pandemonium literature to render the imagery of the story. Whether or not the old man...
Words: 526 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 500 - Pages: 2
...as if they were in the scene of the stories. Stephen King’s short story, “1408”, is about a man named Mike who writes all types of books. Madness is defined as a state of severe mental illness (Merriam-Webster). In Stephen King’s “1408”, the author uses third person point of view with limited omniscience to show the mental and emotional transformation of Mike’s increasing madness from the beginning to the end of the story. Hotel Dolphin is like any other normal hotel that one would assume is safe to stay in. The only difference is that it contains a room like no other. The room seems to always play with people’s head causing horrible fatalities. One could assume that Mike Enslin started showing a little bit of madness even before he entered room 1408. For example, one would have to be insane to stay in room 1408. Instead Mike’s hard headedness shows no change on his mind about staying in the room. This could possibly foreshadow his traumatic experience in the room. Mikes madness clearly increases as he enters in the hallway. For example, the door of 1408 appeared to be slanted. This can either mean that the door is actually slanted or it could also mean that Mike is beginning to feel the side effects of the madness that the room delivers on its guest. Everyone who enters the room have gone insane and have died in a horrid way. Stephen king allows the reader’s to be able to tell mike’s emotion form the beginning to the end of the story. Stephen King’s puts this in third...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
...The narrator of the story is insane because of his suffering from madness, past made him insane, his dead wife inspired most of his stories. The narrator of the story is suffering from madness. The narrator was in poverty barely supporting himself. His work never brought him money. He lost hope and suffered from depression. His only happiness was his wife, who died a year later. He got expelled from some universities. His mom died while he was young. He was moved around from family to family. His past made him insane. The narrator suffered a horrible past. After his birth his father left him, and a year later his mother died. He was expelled from the United States Military Academy. His work wasn’t bringing him money. His short stories brought...
Words: 252 - Pages: 2
...and Theory on “The Yellow Wallpaper” March 25, 2014 Professor Langston The Yellow Wallpaper was published in 1892 by Charlotte Perkins is a short story of one woman’s decline into madness. It can also be viewed as an accusation of shrewdness over creativity or the horrifying inequality in marriage back in the 1890’s, it depicts that back in the 1890’s the societal pressures were placed on women. Charlotte writes this short story so that the reader can see the dangers of rest as a form of cure. She is trying to prove that the method does damage to a person. A woman suffering from post-partum depression is driven mad by her over baring husband who allows her to do nothing more than to merrily exist. Her husband treats her like a child and confines her to a house in the country. Her husband doesn’t think there is anything wrong with her and that it’s all in her mind, she tries to write but it exhausts her to hide it from everyone, she is forbidden to “work”.( pg 1 The Yellow Wallpaper) Her husband is a physician and leaves her alone so often to “work difficult cases in town”. They chose a bedroom that is at the top of the stairs and takes up most of the floor and the wallpaper that was hideous. She keeps starring at it day in and day out until it looks as if there is someone was moving behind it, the wallpaper drives her insane and she finally tears it down. Unfortunately her husband does not give her any support. Also she isn’t allowed to go visit family but her husband...
Words: 445 - Pages: 2
...In 1843, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe was published, telling a tale of the madness within one’s mind, written for entertainment. Fifty-six years later, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, discussing mental deterioration, was published. Both stories use different symbolism and themes to create a climatic tale. “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman compare in a way that both characters suffer from a mental illness and the authors show this using repetition and suspense to make the reader curious throughout the story. However, they differentiate because in “The Tell Tale Heart”, the narrator from the beginning is clearly insane whereas in “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator makes it less obvious and takes longer to reveal her true mental illness,. Both stories discuss madness but both narrators use different language and metaphors to show that. Although there are many similarities between the stories, one that really stand out it the fact that the main characters in both stories are mentally ill. In the “Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator is isolated from the outside world because of her husband. We see her madness through her eyes. This is an example of a story told by showing, rather than telling. One has to assume that there really isn’t a woman trapped in the wall, it’s all in narrator’s mind because she’s not living in reality. In “The Tell-Tale Heart”, the situation is very similar. The narrator is a madman...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
...own. It is or is it not true that Hamlet was faking his insanity? Highly doubtful that Hamlet was faking the whole thing. The meaning for insanity on Dictionary.com is “a permanent disorder of the mind.” Hamlet didnt have a permanent disorder of the mind he knew what he was doing and even planned the majority of the events that happened. Most of the time anyway. Having your father die is bad enough, but to have your mother marry your uncle, within a few weeks of your father’s death? Then to see the ghost of your dead father. That would drive anyone a little insane, but maybe not to the extent that everyone thought Hamlet was acting. Hamlet is torn between acting sane and letting everyone else see him as insane. Throughout the story Hamlet pretends to be insane and even dies acting out this front of insanity. At first it seems as though Hamlet is just acting, but then it appears that he does truly indeed go insane. Even after he has gathered evidence against Claudius, he continues to act strangely. When he murders Polonius, thinking that he is Claudius, he does not react to his actions in the manor in which a sane person would. This act enrages Laertes who then desires to avenge his fathers death by slaughtering Hamlet. The death of Claudius by the hands of Hamlet also contributes to the dismay of Ophelia. In these ways, Hamlet's insanity...
Words: 1932 - Pages: 8
...different concepts that authors use, one concept that is used is the 'hero concept,' which can capture any audience, and can be seen in many different ways, but it's pretty clear that a hero is someone with the will to stand up for what they believe in, has courage, and is strong for others. People in general, at some point, have wanted to be the hero, or have the courage to stand up for what they believe in. More often than not, people stand by and don't act in a heroic manner, so when reading a story, poem, or other piece of literature that uses the hero concept; it captures the reader and keeps the reader interested. The hero concept is clearly used in "Bodega Dreams," "Hard Rock Returns to Prison for the Criminal Insane," and "The Train from Hate." The authors of these pieces of literature keep the reader captivated by using the hero concept, and the pathos appeal, evoking a sense of emotion in the reader. "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez has a great example of a hero. This short story is of a class of apparent minority students, who are told by one teacher that they will never amount to anything, and would end up in jail or on the streets. Since the students are being constantly told that they will fail, they don't make an effort. This causes another teacher, the "hero," to become very angry, because he wants to see his students succeed. The narrator reveals this teachers heroic nature when the teacher makes his speech to the class, "I don't care what Blessington's been telling...
Words: 1030 - Pages: 5
...Narrator’s madness? This story is narrated by the main character, who is clearly insane. This is shown by Edgar Allan Poe throughout the story by using the narrator’s acute and distorted senses. The narrator starts by claiming he is not mad because he executes plans in an orderly manner, however, the reason to kill the man is ridiculous, he claims “I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture –a pale blue eye, with a film over it, whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold.” which also demonstrates how the author, turns a simple image into something that deeply troubles the narrator, when in reality there is no reason or threat at all, which demonstrates the irrational fear the narrator has. In addition, he claims he is not mad because his senses are stronger and he now hears all the sounds in “heaven and in earth. I heard many things in hell” Which is impossible and irrelevant to his “sane” plan. Furthermore, Edgar Allan Poe displays an inner conflict of guilt, which any human would have but in the case of the narrator, it manifests as non existent sounds, almost like in a schizophrenic manner. The narrator obviously imagines the sounds of the heart as he has killed the old man, which demonstrates his mental health is in such bad state, that his emotions manifest into sounds that cannot possibly be real “ Yet the sound increased –and what could I do It was a low, dull, quick sound. . . .” This, along with the repetition and short sentences used in the final...
Words: 300 - Pages: 2
...deny the unwanted truth, especially the ill. In the short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, by Edgar Allan Poe, the protagonist, is faced with his biggest problem yet, himself. Within the story, he is faced with guilt, perhaps too much guilt for one to handle. The unknown narrator is seen as an insane individual through his constant paranoia, neurotic thoughts, and unstable actions. The mad man is clearly able to demonstrate his insanity with his constant paranoia towards the old man. Throughout the text, the narrator expresses his ongoing feelings of paranoia towards the evil eye. He believes the eye haunts his every waking hour, till he finally decides to rid himself from the eye once and for all, “I was never...
Words: 922 - Pages: 4
