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Edgar Allan Poe academic literary analysis
Literary analysis of the man who wrote poe
Edgar Allan Poe academic literary analysis
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Judgement, humans place it upon others every day whether they realize it or not. Rather it is positive, or negative, it is hard to avoid, but the toll it takes on others can be much worse than the judgement itself. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story ‘Hop-Frog,” Poe describes just what can happen if one’s judgment about another is wrong. The story tells of a disabled professional joker named “Hop-Frog” who is treated less by the king and his ministers because of the way he looks, and his rank among them. In the end, Hop-Frog not only gets the last laugh, but gets revenge on those who judged him poorly and underestimated him. Edgar Allan Poe precisely establishes the theme to not judge a book by its cover through his use of detailed imagery, tone, …show more content…
and irony. The narrator begins by using detailed imagery to describe the king and his ministers, as well as Hop-Frog.
The king and his seven ministers are all described the same. They are each known for being large, fat, oily men, as well as adamant and unique jokesters that are more prone to practical jokes (341). During the time period that this story is based on, the meaning behind describing these men as fat and oily is to show that they are of high importance and of a wealthy status. The men are able to afford and indulge in the pleasures, such as large amounts of food, or even feasts, which keep them the size they are. From here, Poe turns towards describing the characteristics of Hop-Frog. It is important to note that Hop-Frog is not the original name of this man, but when he becomes the king’s professional jester, the seven ministers place it upon him because of his disabilities (341). Hop-Frog is a dwarf with distortion of his legs that cause him to not be able to walk straight, but the thing that stands out about him the most is the power and strength in his arms (341 & 342). Although, this is not what the men notice, all they notice is that Hop-Frog is not as well off as they are so the only use for him is to give them a good laugh or ideas for a new prank. The men place judgement upon him solely due to his looks and what was on the outside; they did not take the time to learn about his personality or anything of actual importance. The imagery used to describe the …show more content…
characters is the first thing to infer the theme of judging only by a cover, but in the case of Hop-Frog, his outward appearance. Another way that the narrator portrays the theme is through the swift change in tone throughout the story. At first, everything about the tone is calm and serene. The king has decided to have a masquerade and as usual, it is up to Hop-Frog to suggest novel characters and the roles of which to play for these events (342). This seems like a very normal thing to occur in the life of the king, his ministers, and Hop-Frog, but one simple thing causes the tone to shift. The king and the other men had already been drinking and know good and well that Hop-Frog does not like to drink, but they try to force him to anyways thinking it will “brighten his wits” (343). Because of his refusal, and the fact that his good friend Tripetta tries to spare him, but is humiliated in the end, the stamina of Hop-Frog changes, as well as the scene as a whole (343). This is where the tone turns dark and menacing. The reader no longer sees a feeble Hop-Frog, but one that is manipulating and out for revenge. He suggests that the king and his ministers play a game called “ourang-outangs” where they will play the role of beasts that had not been seen in a socialized world, but the catch is that to become these beasts, the men had to covered in tar and flax (345). Being as naïve as they are, the king and his ministers see nothing wrong with this, but in reality, Hop-Frog was finally obtaining his revenge for how they treat him because of his appearance. He outsmarts the tricksters who thought that he would never be capable to do something of the sorts just because of the way he looked. Once again, the use of tone in this story relates to the theme of not judging only by the cover. Besides vivid imagery and a shifting tone, the narrator uses the sheer luck of irony to further prove his theme.
The first bit of irony in this story comes from the fact that the king and his ministers fuel Hop-Frog’s hidden rage and anger by forcing him to drink wine for their benefit. They never notice how they are treating him, and how it has more of an effect than they expect. Because of their rank, they see it as nothing more than their right to be in charge of someone deemed less worthy than they. Another bit of irony comes from the fact that everyone who helps with the masquerade, as well as the king and ministers willingness to play the game proposed by Hop-Frog, ultimately leads these men to their deaths. There was no way that someone with the stamina and build of Hop-Frog could pull off the stunt he does, or so it is thought. In the end, Hop-Frog uses the oblivion of his “masters” to his benefit, and ends his torment once and for all. Hop-Frog takes advantage of the fact the king and his ministers only judge him by his outward appearance, proving them that he is so much more than what can only be
seen. Through the use of imagery, tone, and irony, Edgar Allan Poe vividly paints a theme of not judging a book by its cover. His use of imagery shows the readers that the king and his ministers felt entitled to be a judge of Hop-Frog simply because of his physical disabilities. The swift change of tone goes to say that Hop-Frog had a side to him that the men had no clue about because they do not take the time to care. Irony plays the biggest role in this theme, because while the king and his ministers never assume that with his disabilities, Hop-Frog could outsmart them in the end, and have the last laugh. It is important for the reader to realize that the king and his ministers never go far enough to notice anything about Hop-Frog besides his disabilities and the fact he tells and creates a good joke. People in today’s world judge someone by their outward appearance, rather than actually getting to know them too often. As for the person they are judging, they never know what hidden toll it may make.
The narrator of the story seems to give off a biased opinion of the character and does so by using the literary devices of point of view and irony to contribute to the development of Clarence’s complex nature.
In the story by his name, Hop-Frog is not only physically dwarfed by the King but is dwarfed in terms of bodily capabilities, wealth, social standing, and even in numbers as he and Trippetta are but two against the King and his 7 ministers. However, Hop-Frog emerges victorious, as his mental capabilities are seemingly far greater than the Kings. The King is described as having “an especial admiration for breadth in a jest, and would often put up with length, for the sake of it” (Poe, 502). It becomes apparent that the King is not a smart man and his jester is indeed quite the opposite. The fact that Hop-Frog knows of the King’s weaknesses and tailors a perfect plan for vengeance to fit the occasion of the masque ball is a testament to his creativity and most useful utilization of information. In the Purloined Letter, the useful utilization of information, which is by keeping such information hostage, again allows for great power in government. In these two stories we are given the message that information is most valuable and leads to power. In reality, Poe also made good use of information in order to gain a wider subscriptio...
There are several examples of points made in How To Read Literature Like A Professor in “The Cask of Amontillado.” However, both the failed communion and the words drenched in irony are incredibly important. To conclude, “The Cask of Amontillado,” by Edgar Allen Poe, draws many connections to Thomas C. Foster’s How To Read Literature Like A
Though the king initially represents a joyous man, his physical characteristics and dark humor state otherwise. In fact the narrator makes note of, that for the king “He would have preferred Rabelais’ ‘Gargantua’ to the ‘Zadig’ of Voltaire: and, upon the whole, particle jokes suited his taste far better than verbal ones” (Poe 1).Thus, in accordance to the unknown narrator, the king would fancy laughing at people as opposed to laughing with people. The narrator goes out to even state that the king also has a preference of what type of joke he likes. Instead of enjoying riddles and spoken humor, the king enjoys physically abusive humor. This quote is significant because it gives the reader an idea of how one characters outside role completely differs from their inner darker personality. A King is meant to govern his people, in this case however, the King wishes to oppress for his own pleasure. The Kings main sources of enjoyment were Hop-Frog and Trippetta. Both Hop-Frog and Triplett are described as being helpless and innocent. Hop-Frogs short height only adds to the child-like description given
Paul as well as those of Erasmus that bring to focus various dimensions that are aligned around Shakespeare’s perception of comic faith in the play. The characters of Bottom, Theseus and lovers give out an insight to epistle paradoxes on religious faith coupled with a slight touch of romantic faith which is set out in thee wholesome imaginative experience. Celebration of limitations sits as the precursor for comic happiness in the play; there is an epistemological appeal that focuses on the mannerisms of characters. Most obvious of all allusions of comic faith in the play is Pauline and sets out the central attention that is meant to be captures. Upon waking up from his dream, Bottom has a delightful monologue that sets out a clear difference between ridicule and the sublime of the play, “I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was. Man is but an ass of he go about to expound this dream. Methought I was – there is no man can tell what. Methought …I had – But man is but a patched fool if he will offer to say what methought I had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report what my dream was (Shakespeare and Foakes 203).” Herein we see Bottom considering himself as an ass and he fails to expound further on the meaning of his dream whole his hands
'Young Goodman Brown,' by Hawthorne, and 'The Tell Tale Heart,' by Poe, offer readers the chance to embark on figurative and literal journeys, through our minds and our hearts. Hawthorne is interested in developing a sense of guilt in his story, an allegory warning against losing one's faith. The point of view and the shift in point of view are symbolic of the darkening, increasingly isolated heart of the main character, Goodman Brown, an everyman figure in an everyman tale. Poe, however, is concerned with capturing a sense of dread in his work, taking a look at the motivations behind the perverseness of human nature. Identifying and understanding the point of view is essential, since it affects a reader's relationship to the protagonist, but also offers perspective in situations where characters are blinded and deceived by their own faults. The main character of Poe?s story embarks on an emotional roller coaster, experiencing everything from terror to triumph. Both authors offer an interpretation of humans as sinful, through the use of foreshadowing, repetition, symbolism and, most importantly, point of view. Hawthorne teaches the reader an explicit moral lesson through the third person omniscient point of view, whereas Poe sidesteps morality in favor of thoroughly developing his characters in the first person point of view.
Edgar Allan Poe is one of America’s most celebrated classical authors, known for his unique dealings within the horror genre. Poe was a master at utilizing literary devices such as point of view and setting to enhance the mood and plot of his stories leading to his widespread appeal that remains intact to this day. His mastery of aforementioned devices is evident in two of his shorter works “The Black Cat” and “The Cask of Amontillado”.
Human nature is a conglomerate perception which is the dominant liable expressed in the short story of “A Tell-Tale Heart”. Directly related, Edgar Allan Poe displays the ramifications of guilt and how it can consume oneself, as well as disclosing the nature of human defense mechanisms, all the while continuing on with displaying the labyrinth of passion and fears of humans which make a blind appearance throughout the story. A guilty conscience of one’s self is a pertinent facet of human nature that Edgar Allan Poe continually stresses throughout the story. The emotion that causes a person to choose right from wrong, good over bad is guilt, which consequently is one of the most ethically moral and methodically powerful emotion known to human nature. Throughout the story, Edgar Allan Poe displays the narrator to be rather complacent and pompous, however, the narrator establishes what one could define as apprehension and remorse after committing murder of an innocent man. It is to believe that the narrator will never confess but as his heightened senses blur the lines between real and ...
Redfield, J. S. "The Genius of Poe." Foreword. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe. Ed. A.C. Armstrong & Son. New York: A.C. Armstrong & Son., 1884. xv-xxvi. EPUB file.
Poe, Edgar Allan. "A Cask of Amontillado." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Orlando: Harcourt, 1997. 209-14.
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is a frightening and entertaining short story about the severe consequences that result from persistent mockery and an unforgiving heart. Poe’s excellent use of Gothicism within the story sets the perfect tone for a dark and sinister plot of murder to unfold. “The Cask of Amontillado” simply overflows with various themes and other literary elements that result from Poe’s Gothic style of writing. Of these various themes, one that tends to dominant the story as a whole is the theme of revenge, which Poe supports with his sophisticated use of direct and indirect factors, irony, and symbolism.
The character of Bottom in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is frequently foolish, but he is not a fool. His exuberance and energy are allied to practicality and resourcefulness, with an alarming lack of self-consciousness. He, at any rate, is not at all tongue-tied before the duke, as Theseus has known others to be. We do laugh at Bottom in many situations, but should note that these are situations in which any man might seem ridiculous: amateur theatricals are almost a byword for unintended comedy, whether in planning (1.2) rehearsal (3.1) or performance (5.1); any artisan afflicted with an ass's head and appetites, and beloved of the fairy queen would have difficulty retaining his dignity.
As a literal deathbed revelation, William Wilson begins the short story by informing the readers about the end of his own personal struggle by introducing and immediately acknowledging his guilt and inevitable death, directly foreshadowing the protagonist’s eventual downward spiral into vice. The exhortative and confession-like nature of the opening piece stems from the liberal use of the first person pronoun “I”, combined with legal and crime related jargon such as, “ crime”, “guilt”, and “victim” found on page 1. Poe infuses this meticulous word choice into the concretization of abstract ideas where the protagonist’s “virtue dropped bodily as a mantle” (Poe 1), leading him to cloak his “nakedness in triple guilt” (Poe 1). In these two examples, not only are virtue and guilt transformed into physical clothing that can be worn by the narrator, but the reader is also introduced to the protagonist’s propensity to externalize the internal, hinting at the inevitable conclusion and revelation that the second William Wilson is not truly a physical being, but the manifestation of something
Though each of the above works varies in the degree of satire employed, the pattern among them accentuates how satire can best be understood not only as a lens of criticism, but also in captivating the audience into considering their own role in the criticism. Often times, as has been shown, the authors’ utilize the end-states of protagonists to emphasize critique made throughout the literary work. Yet, the degree of ambiguity serves to engage the audience, which leads to a greater effectiveness of the satire. Therefore, returning to Swift’s quote on satire, the most effective satires not only allow for beholders to discover everybody else’s face, but through degrees of ambiguity, they also are able to discover their own.
“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” is a saying is commonly used to emphasize how ignorance can result in decisions that lead to unfavorable situations. Likewise, in Where Angels Fear to Tread, Edward Morgan Forster uses irony, point of view, and satire to effectively emphasize how stereotypes, prejudices, misunderstanding of cultural differences, and hypocrisy could lead to unfavorable circumstances. Where Angels Fear to Tread begins as a light and comedic novel but later develops to become more dense and tragic.