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Analysis of allen poe's writing
Narrative theory the raven poe
Analysis of allen poe's writing
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Edgar Allan Poe?s ?The Masque of the Red Death? provides many allusions as to who, if anyone, narrates the tale. The narrator witnesses all the events within the sealed abbey and lives to tell the tale. However, it is certain that everyone in the abbey dies at the end, after exposure to the Red Death. This seems to clearly indicate that it is not possible for any guest to be the narrator, unless someone can supernaturally foresee the future. This also rules out the possibility of the narrator being Prince Prospero, despite the emphasis in the story placed on wealth and beauty, indicating a more pragmatic perspective from whoever is narrating. There is also the possibility that the tale is written by a dying guest who makes an astonishingly accurate assumption of the end result of events.
This leaves one to ponder whether there is, in fact, no intended narrator, or rather, an abstract narrator, such as the Red Death itself. Can one consider that Poe was merely careless and that the inclusion of three first-person pronouns1 is meaningless, indicating there is no narrator? This would, however, be quite an aberration of Poe?s tendency to pay such close attention to the usage of language in his works. Relating to recurring concepts in Poe?s writing, his dreadful fear of death could be the reason why the narrator may be the Red Death itself. The strongest evidence is that the narrator is aware of all the events within the story, while at the same time reporting it, and is able to tell what happens at the very end-the point at which everyone within the abbey is dead. Also apparent is the language used to describe the guests? reaction to the masked figure, which is somewhat indicative of a personal opinion.
The narrator never blatantly appears in a scene, but is always there and knows of all happenings. Even then, the narrator is only ever revealed as the one who tells of events2. He highlights and describes events as if he were an outside party, when, in actuality, he is within. Could the narrator be omniscient, perhaps the super ego of Poe himself?
Suspense is the feeling of uncertainty or excitement, in waiting for an outcome or decision. Edgar Allan Poe uses suspense in his story “Masque of the Red Death” by using objects and great descriptive detail. Poe’s story is about a prince that tries to escape from the inevitable. He tries to lock himself away from the ‘red death’ and has a masquerade ball that doesn’t end happily. Prince and all of his guests die inside or around the seventh apartment room. The seventh room is preceded by six colored rooms which are meant to symbolize either the stages of life, or the seven sins. Inside the last room there are black velvet tapestries that hang all over the ceiling and down the walls. The window panes are a deep blood red color which gives the room an unwelcoming atmosphere. On the western wall, there is a gigantic clock of a deep black wood. Inside it has a pendulum that swings back and forth with a dull monotonous clang. When the minute hand marks a new hour, there is a clear, loud, deep sound, which can be heard from far away. Although it can give off an eerie feeling, the great eb...
One of the most famous authors in American history is Edgar Allen Poe, thanks to his intricate and unsettling short stories and poems. One of the strongest aspects of Poe’s writing style is the allure and complexity of the narrator of the story. These narrators, ranging from innocent bystanders to psychotic murderers, add depth to such a short story and really allow Poe to explore the themes of death and murder which he seems to have an unhealthy obsession towards. Furthermore, he uses these narrators to give a different perspective in each of his many works and to really unsettle the reader by what is occurring throughout the story. The narrators, whether an innocent witness of death as in "The Fall of the House of Usher" or a twisted murderer as in "The Cask of Amontillado" are used by Poe to discuss the themes of death and murder within these stories and, depending on their point of view, give a different take on such a despicable act such as murder.
Authors use various styles to tell their stories in order to appeal to the masses exceptionally well and pass the message across. These messages can be communicated through short stories, novels, poems, songs and other forms of literature. Through The Masque of the Red Death and The Raven, it is incredibly easy to get an understanding of Edgar Allen Poe as an author. Both works describe events that are melodramatic, evil and strange. It is also pertinent to appreciate the fact that strange plots and eerie atmospheres are considerably evident in the author’s writings. This paper compares and contrasts The Masque of the Red Death and The Raven and proves that the fear of uncertainty and death informs Edgar Allen Poe’s writings in the two works
Poe was a very experienced author of unique tales. He was born on January 19, 1809 and died on October 7, 1849. He had a dark life growing up because his mother, foster mother, and his wife died from tuberculous. His father abandoned him and his foster father disliked him. This background may have greatly influenced his work. He wrote 70 poems and 66 short stories during his lifetime. Poe has written many Gothic horror stories. “The Tell Tale Heart,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” show these similarities.
In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Edgar Allan Poe uses imagery, sensory detail and symbolism not only to build suspense, but also to convey the idea that an individual can not hide or run away from death which becomes closer as time passes on. Throughout the story Poe uses imagery details to create suspense in the story. For example when the author is describing the disease that has taken many lives he describes the unfortunate event as, “ Blood was its Avator and its seal- the redness and the horror of blood. One can understand that in the story the tragic death of someone might occur as tragically as the disease is described. Accordingly, as the story progresses the deep shade of the color red is evident in many areas to represent symbolism.
Poe’s child and she died so Poe made the poem about her. The character in “To Helen” is Jane Stith. Jane was like Poe’s second mother. Poe wrote “To Helen” in memory of her. The setting of “The City in the Sea” takes place in an old, deserted city about to sink in the sea.
In the "Masque of the Red Death," the first sentence, "The Red Death had long devastated the country," sets the tone for the whole story. Poe describes the horrors of the disease, stressing the redness of the blood and the scarlet stains. The disease kills so quickly that one can die within thirty minutes of being infected with the disease. To create a frightening effect of the revulsion of this disease, Poe uses words such as "devastated," "fatal," "horror of blood," and "sharp pains and profuse bleeding." In summary, the story relates the prince, trying to be safe and away from the horrible death, invites a thousand friends to be in seclusion in his abbey away from the disease. During a celebration , a masked ball at the abbey - with incredible described rooms and moods - a surprise masked intruder causes death to all.
Poe develops his theme that no one can escape death through the narration or in general the narrator. We do not know nor do we learn who tells the story even at the end when all the people are stated to have died. There are many ways to look at this to see if we can get some hint to who is the narrator. Is the narrator a person that was there in the abbey which is hard to see because we read at the end that all of the people die but as David Dudley states in his article, “He reveals himself overtly only three time. . .” which shows that he had to be in the abbey . It also can be told by “…one of Prospero’s dying guests…last sentence could be read as the equivalent of Hamlet’s…” which could also have been possible (Dudley). Either way, when death comes at the end no one can escape it unless it is death itself.
In the short story “ The Masque of the Red Death,” Edgar Allen Poe uses symbolism to express ideas to develop his theme and characters. “ The Masque of the Red Death” tells a story of prince Prospero who locks his friends and himself in a castle to escape the Red Death, a deadly disease. Much to Prospero’s dismay, in the end, the deadly disease causes them to perish. Poe uses the dark room to reveal Prospero’s unusual character and reveal that death is always there and cannot be avoided.
"The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the 'Red Death,'" (209). As Edgar Allen Poe set the scene for his story, he also created an ominous mood and a sense of suspense supported by the setting. He details the fun and amusement inside the prince's abbey, in contrast to the horror and doom outside, and the reader's curiosity is piqued, because such bliss cannot be maintained for long. Throughout the story Poe explicates and changes elaborate environments to build the suspenseful energy and create a strong structure. In "The Masque of the Red Death," setting is employed to organize motives and action, and to focus the reader on the climax. Poe targets the culminating point of his story using rich descriptions of the abbey, the masquerade, and the clock.
A short story entitled “The Masque of the Red Death” is a wonderfully written story of many types of language. The author Edgar Allan Poe narrated this story from the perspective of himself. One reason the story was written by focusing on feelings was to get the reader to maybe relate to the characters even if only slightly.
Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, "The Telltale Heart" and "The Masque of the Red Death" are two very different stories. One is about a simple man, perhaps a servant, who narrates the tale of how he kills his wealthy benefactor, and the other is about a prince who turns his back on his country while a plague known as The Red Death ravages his lands. Yet, there are some similarities in both. Time, for instance, and the stroke of midnight, seem to always herald the approach of impending death. Both are killers, one by his own hand, the other by neglecting his country. One seeks peace, the other seeks pleasure, but both are motivated by the selfish need to rid themselves of that which haunts them, even at the expense of another's life. However, the point of this critique will show that their meticulous plans to beat that which torments them are undone by a single flaw in their character - overconfidence.
The narrator of the story plays an integral part in the reader’s level of understanding. The main character shows his madness, as well as the unfolding of the plot of the story. Poe’s use of the first person to help connect the reader to the narrator of the story.
Dark Romanticism has many different significances. It has impacted reading a lot. Poe had a huge impact on dark romanticism. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “Masque of the Red Death” and his poem “The Raven” he uses symbols to show people are in perpetual fear. Poe first shows his beliefs about humanity in “Masque of the Red Death” when he uses the masked figure to show death.
Throughout Edgar Allan Poe’s life, death was a frequent visitor to those he loved around him. When Poe was only 3 years old, his loving mother died of Tuberculosis. Because Poe’s father left when he was an infant, he was now an orphan and went to live with the Allan’s. His stepmother was very affectionate towards Edgar and was a very prominent figure in his life. However, years later she also died from Tuberculosis, leaving Poe lonely and forlorn. Also, later on, when Poe was 26, he married his cousin 13-year-old Virginia, whom he adored. But, his happiness did not last long, and Virginia also died of Tuberculosis, otherwise known as the Red Death, a few years later. After Virginia’s death, Poe turned to alcohol and became isolated and reckless. Due to Edgar Allan Poe’s loss of those he cared for throughout his life, Poe’s obsession with death is evident in his works of “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Black Cat”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, in which in all three death is used to produce guilt.