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Analysis of the fall of the house of usher essay
Analysis of the fall of the house of usher essay
Analysis of the story "The Fall of the House of the Usher
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Authors often use imagery in a piece of work to allow the reader to get a better understanding and feel a stronger connection to the story. Imagery can cause the reader to be able to see, feel, or even smell something in a story. Edgar Allan Poe is famous for his excellent use of imagery in many of his works. Two of his short stories, “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Pit and the Pendulum”, are extremely rich in imagery, creating a vivid picture of the scenes and characters in the readers’ minds. In Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the use of imagery provides the reader with an intense image of Roderick Usher, his home, and the feelings the unknown narrator feels when he is there. Poe explains, through the narrator, the frightening image of what he refers to as the “mansion of gloom” in the beginning of the short story (House of Usher 297). He describes it as having “an atmosphere which had no affinity with the air of heaven, but which had reeked up from the decayed trees…” (House of Usher 298). This causes the reader to almost feel as if they are standing before the house. The reader has been given a realistic description of what Poe intended for the reader to picture, rather than an image created purely from …show more content…
The imagery develops not only the setting and mood of the story, but it enforces the sense of horror that the reader feels when reading it. When the narrator is submerged into what he calls a “subterranean world of darkness”, the reader almost feels as if they have been damned with him (Pit and Pendulum 3). Poe uses excellent imagery to give the reader a vivid picture of a dark, slimy room with an unpleasant smell. When the narrator says, “I struggled for breath. The intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle me”, the reader is forced to feel trapped, therefore feeling like they are experiencing the story themself (Pit and Pendulum
The ability to make the reader immersed in the story and the main character is the best thing to have when writing a piece. It helps the reader decide whether to keep reading or not. This ability is known as imagery. Imagery is writing with metaphors and the five sense, which creates a scene for the reader. Imagery is basically the way the author shows the reader what the main character or narrator is seeing. Janet Burroway, author of “Imaginative Writing”, which is a book about writing and the components of it, states that Image is, “An image is a word or series of words that evokes one or more of the five senses.” (Burroway, 15) Imagery is very important and good authors know how to use it to add more meaning and power to their literature.
Edgar Allan Poe primarily authored stories dealing with Gothic literature; the stories were often quite dreary. Poe possessed a very sorrowful view of the world and he expressed this throughout his literary works. His goal was to leave an impression with every detail that he included in his stories. Although Poe’s stories seem very wretched and lackluster they all convey a certain idea. A trademark of Poe’s is his use of very long complex sentences. For instance, in his work The Fall of the House of Usher, Poe tried to ensure that every detail was as relevant as possible by integrating a wide variety of emotion. In the third paragraph, of page two hundred ninety-seven, Poe wrote, “Feeble gleams of encrimsoned light made their way through the trellised panes, and served to render sufficiently distinct the more prominent objects around…” This sentence illustrates the descriptiveness and complexity that Edgar Allan Poe’s works consisted of. The tormented cognizance of Poe led him to use a very gloomy diction throughout his writing. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of symbols and the way he conveyed his writing expr...
In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Poe’s use of dark, descriptive words allow him to establish an eerie mood. Poe’s unique style of writing along with his foreshadowing vocabulary is significant in creating a suspenseful gothic story. At the beginning of the short story, Poe describes the House of Usher to be “dull”, “oppressive”, and “dreary” (1265). His choice of words strongly emphasizes a mood of darkness and suspense as he builds on the horrific aspects of this daunting tale. At first glimpse, the house itself is surrounded by the feeling of “insufferable gloom”, (1265) “[t]here was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart, an unredeemed dreariness of thought [...]” (1265). The atmosphere that Poe describes in the statement above establishes a spine-chilling mood. Poe uses words such as “insufferable gloom”
Edgar Allan Poe is undoubtedly one of American Literature's legendary and prolific writers, and it is normal to say that his works touched on many aspects of the human psyche and personality. While he was no psychologist, he wrote about things that could evoke the reasons behind every person's character, whether flawed or not. Some would say his works are of the horror genre, succeeding in frightening his audience into trying to finish reading the book in one sitting, but making them think beyond the story and analyze it through imagery. The "Fall of the House of Usher" is one such tale that uses such frightening imagery that one can only sigh in relief that it is just a work of fiction. However, based on the biography of Poe, events that surrounded his life while he was working on his tales were enough to show the emotions he undoubtedly was experiencing during that time.
Although the narrator has just killed the old man to get relief the mood is tense, “the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror,”(Poe 1). The use of auditory image is appealing to the reader because the whole house is silent although he has just killed a man. In “The Raven,” Poe uses imagery by describing the setting of the poem. As the speaker was in his chamber the mood was very serious and dreary, “the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain….filled….with fantastic terrors never felt before,” (Poe 13-14). The imagery shows not only the scene, but also the
Romanticism was a movement in art and literature in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in revolt against the Neoclassicism of the previous centuries. The romanticism movement in literature consists of a few of the following characteristics: intuition over fact, imagination over fact, and the stretch and alteration of the truth. The death of a protagonist may be prolonged and/or exaggerated, but the main point was to signify the struggle of the individual trying to break free, which was shown in “The Fall of the House Usher” (Prentice Hall Literature 322).
Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, sets a tone that is dark, gloomy, and threatening. His inclusion of highly descriptive words and various forms of figurative language enhance the story’s evil nature, giving the house and its inhabitants eerie and “supernatural” qualities. Poe’s effective use of personification, symbolism, foreshadowing, and doubling create a morbid tale leading to, and ultimately causing, the fall of (the house of) Usher.
Literature would not be the same if the author didn’t take symbolism into account while writing the piece. One of the world’s best writer’s, Edgar Allen Poe, is a superb example of this representation that has intrigued mankind for centuries. Poe uses various forms of symbolism to play off the emotions of his readers. Using elements of nature, dread, superstition, and legend, Poe can create a world of trepidation in the minds of the readers; his poems and stories would not be the same without these elements. In his poem, “The Raven”, Poe has added unique elements to scare his readers, fascinate them to read on, and find themselves in an alternate world of mystery and lost hopes.
Edgar Allan Poe is notorious for his use of imagery. As he begins his account of his reunion with Roderick Usher in “The Fall of the House of Ushe...
For illustration, in the case of “The Fall of the House of Usher”, it was not evil that triggered the mansion to breakdown in the end. It was fear and insanity. Nonetheless, “The Fall of the House of Usher” tells a gloomy and hunting story of a friend’s unsuccessful effort to aid another friend. It is often the description of the landscape in any story that creates a vibrant description of the scene and it helps to develop the mood. Edgar Allan Poe was a master at using images to develop his stories. He had a tendency of using landscapes to symbolize some important features of his story. Likewise, he used landscapes to induce fear. In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the story depends on the portrayal of the house itself to create a certain atmosphere and to relate to the Usher’s family. Poe depends on the portrayal of the house itself to create a certain atmosphere. As Roderick gradually fall into a state of decay, both psychological and physical, so does the house’s structure also weakens, and in the end with the demise of the family it collapses into the lagoon in which it was
Imagery in "The Fall of the House of Usher" The description of the landscape in any story is important as it creates a vivid imagery of the scene and helps to develop the mood. Edgar Allan Poe is a master at using imagery to improve the effects of his stories. He tends to use the landscapes to symbolize some important aspect of the story. Also, he makes use of the landscape to produce a supernatural effect and to induce horror. In particular, Poe makes great use of these tools in "The Fall of the House of Usher." This story depends on the portrayal of the house itself to create a certain atmosphere and to relate to the Usher family. In "The Fall of the House of Usher," Edgar Allan Poe uses the landscape to develop an atmosphere of horror and to create corollary to the Usher family. Poe uses the life-like characteristics of the house as a device for giving the house a supernatural presence. The house is described as having somewhat supernatural characteristics. The windows appear to be "vacant" and "eye-like" (1462). The strange nature of the house is further explained as around the mansion, "…there hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity." (1462). This demonstrates that the house and its surroundings have an unusual and bizarre existence. Upon entering the house, the narrator views some objects, such as the tapestries on the walls and the trophies, fill him with a sense of superstition. He describes the trophies as "phantasmagoric" (1462). He further explains that the house and the contents were the cause of his feelings.
In "The Fall of the house of Usher," Edgar Allen Poe creates suspense and fear in the reader. He also tries to convince the reader not to let fear overcome him. Poe tries to evoke suspence in the reader's mind by using several diffenent scenes. These elements include setting, characters, plot, and theme. Poe uses setting primarily in this work to create atmosphere. The crack in the house and the dead trees imply that the house and its surroundings are not sturdy or promising. These elements indicate that a positive outcome is not expected. The thunder, strange light, and mist create a spooky feeling for the reader. The use of character provides action and suspense in the story through the characters' dialogue and actions. Roderick, who is hypochondriac, is very depressed. He has a fearful apperance and his senses are acute. This adds curiosity and anxiety. The narrator was fairly normal until he began to imagine things and become afraid himself. Because of this, the audience gets a sense that evil is lurking. Madeline is in a cataleptic state. She appears to be very weak and pail. Finally, when she dies, she is buried in a vault inside of the mansion. In this story, the plot consists of rising events, conflict, climax, and resolution. The rising events include the parts in the story when the narrator first arrives at the house, meets Roderick, and hears about Roderick's and Madeline's problems. Madeline's death and burial are part of the conflict. At this point, Roderick and the narrator begin to hear sounds throughout the house. The sounds are an omen that an evil action is about to occur. The climax is reached when Madeline comes back from the dead and she and her twin brother both die. Finally, the resolution comes when the narrator escapes from the house and turns around to watch it fall to the ground. The theme that Edgar Allen Poe is trying to convey is do not let fear take over your life because it could eventually destory you.
The Fall Of The House of Usher is a terrifying tale of the demise of the Usher family, whose inevitable doom is mirrored in the diseased and evil aura of the house and grounds. Poe uses elements of the gothic tale to create an atmosphere of terror. The decaying house is a metaphor for Roderick Usher’s mind, as well as his family line. The dreary landscape also reflects his personality. Poe also uses play on words to engage the reader to make predictions, or provide information. Poe has also set the story up to be intentionally ambiguous so that the reader is continually suspended between the real and the fantastic.
One example of dark imagery is when Montresor refers to the walls as “the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls,” in “The Cask of Amontillado”(Poe 2).The nitre, represented by the “web”, is used as a snare for Fortunado. The reference toward Fortunato's murder, goes to show, Edgar Allan Poe uses his wide imagination to separate himself from other authors. Secondly, the poem “Romance”, a writing about his disappointing life, shows an example of dark imagery through the reference to ‘chaos in heaven’. Chaos in heaven is inferred by Poe when he says “So shake the very Heaven on high With tumult as they thunder by...”(Poe 12). All of these quotations confirm that Edgar Allan Poe has mastered the imagery of shadow and
The human imagination is a powerful tool that sometimes is very hard to control, if it can be controlled at all. In The Fall of the House of Usher, Edgar Allan Poe uses imagination as a key tool to make the story come to life.