How does Edgar A. Poe build up suspense and tension in The Cask of Amontillado?
How does Edgar A. Poe build up suspense and tension in "The Cask of Amontillado"? "The Cask of Amontillado" begins with the narrator introducing Fortunato, with the only details being that he had caused the narrator "a thousand injuries", and that the narrator had "vowed revenge" for this. This instantly creates suspense and tension as we don't actually know what Fortunato has done, and how the narrator will get his revenge. The narrator is named Montresor, though we don't find this out until later on in the story. Both names seem to have a bit of a meaning; Fortunato sounds like 'fortunate', which is ironic considering that by the end of the story, he has been through several unfortunate events. Montresor sounds like 'monster', which is representative of his thirst for revenge. Montresor says he will punish with impunity, leading to further curiosity from the reader, of exactly what he will do. We are then told that Fortunato is oblivious to anything he may have done, and Montresor has made sure it stays that way by continuing to "smile in his face". This, weirdly, creates tension from the fact there is no tension between the two characters. We know whatever his revenge is; it could be quite extreme if Montresor has gone to the trouble of making sure Fortunato doesn't suspect anything. We are given some background information on Fortunato and a little on Montresor.
How does Shakespeare use dramatic devices in act 3 scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet
How does Shakespeare use dramatic devices in act 3 scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet in order to make it such an interesting, exciting and important scene? Romeo and Juliet the story of a young couple who are so very much in love however their families are feuding over at an ancient grudge. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall deeply in love at an early age but their lives are short lived as they die tragically. Tragedy is defined as "a play or dramatic form of a play, or the dramatic form it represents, in which the leading character suffers intense conflicts and a wretched fate, often because of some weakness." Romeo and Juliet fits into the tragedy genre because at the climax of the play the two main characters die unnecessarily. Up until act 3 scene 1 Romeo and Juliet is passionate and romantic play. In Act 3 scene 1 the complete opposite as both of the main characters suffer from the weakness of their families. This occurs when Tybalt Capulet tries to kill Romeo. This shows the tension between the two feuding families and how passionately loyal the family members are. After Tybalt is killed lady Capulet says "for blood of ours, shed blood of Montague." This hints at the continuing theme of tragedy throughout the play. This is also a use of dramatic irony because at the end of the play Romeo and Juliet die and they are from both families. The Capulets and the Montague's
Can 'Death of a Salesman' be Described as a Tragedy?
Can Death of a Salesman be Described as a Tragedy? Aristotle first defined a tragedy in literature as a story where the main character is a hero - a very brilliant person - except that he has one major flaw which leads to his downfall, namely, death. Shakespeare then expanded on this and produced his world famous tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Hamlet. In all of these plays, the main character is a person of high social standing and exceptionally talented, however each has a very serious flaw as well. For example, Romeo is of Italian nobility and is very efficient with a sword and dagger - but he is a fool for love and falls in love with Juliet as soon as he sees her, despite already being in love with Rosaline beforehand. That is the flaw which eventually leads to his demise. This definition has over time become the benchmark for a tragedy. Arthur Miller was an immigrant to the USA and can be seen as the opposite of Willy. Willy, however, is a proud born and bred American and holds to heart the very fundamentals of the American Dream - a very capitalistic ethos. Miller, on the other hand, had communist beliefs which eventually landed him in trouble with the government. Both Death of a Salesman and another of Miller's plays, All My Sons both have the foundations of the American Dream and also both secretly criticize the capitalistic belief. In Death of a
With close reference to the two poems which you have studied, show how the poets have approached the theme of romantic love.
With close reference to the two poems which you have studied, show how the poets have approached the theme of romantic love. In your response, you should refer to: ) The poets' use of language, style and imagery. 2) Your personal response. For this assignment, I have chosen to analyse two contrasting poems. The first poem is "To His Coy Mistress" which was written in1650 by the English poet Andrew Marvell, and it is surprising how modern the subject matter is. This poem uses language to persuade the poet's mistress into shedding her coyness. The second poem, "Valentine" by the contemporary poet Carol Ann Duffy sets out to show how the poet casts aside the traditional artificial values of love, to place instead her own truthful picture of love. "To His Coy Mistress" is a classic seductive poem, a carpe diem poem, in which the poet expresses his sadness at the thought of time swiftly passing by and the brevity of love. It comes across as a private meditation, giving a persuasive argument to his mistress, relating to the passage of time and the fading of earthly joys. In the first part of the poem, Marvell presents us with images of time and space. He tells his mistress what they could achieve in their relationship if they had sufficient time. "Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness Lady, were no crime." Marvell uses the word "crime", in order to suggest
In this essay I will be exploring Jem and Scout's journey to maturity throughout the novel; To Kill a Mockingbird
How effectively does Harper Lee present the children and growing up in To Kill A Mockingbird? In this essay I will be exploring Jem and Scout's journey to maturity throughout the novel; To Kill a Mockingbird. I will look at the techniques Harper Lee use and how well they work in portraying their growth to maturity. I will also explore influences on the children and the tree main themes in this novel: education, bravery and prejudice. The main them is prejudice which will be looked at in more detail. Jem and Scout represent a typical youth, naivety and innocence. In the first chapter, page 8, Scout says: 'Thereafter the summer passed in routine contentment. Routine contentment was: improving our treehouse that rested between giant twin chinaberry trees in the backyard, fussing, running through our list of dramas based on the works of Oliver Optic, Victor Appleton and Edgar Rice Burroughs' They have no worries through the summer and have fun. The phrase 'routine contentment' is repeated in the passage which gives the effect that this is what they usually do in the summer and were satisfied with the events they do. These are all things people generally do in their childhood and in summer. Some of the things they do seem to be menial such as 'fussing' which also seems quite childish. The atmosphere of summer is created by what they do. In summer it is a time for relaxing; with
The Novel Frankenstein is as relevant and as terrifying today as it was when it was first published in 1818. Discuss.
"The Novel Frankenstein is as relevant and as terrifying today as it was when it was first published in 1818." The gothic novel Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley and published in 1818. At that time, it was terrifying and relevant, and in 2011 it provokes the same kind of feelings. Firstly, because of Shelley's use of Gothic's technique and imagery that still works effectively to today reader's imagination. Secondly, because it is easier now for society to conceive the monster as being possibly real, thanks to progress that has been achieved in medicine and science such as cloning, organ transplant and genetic engineering. Mary Shelly was nineteen when Frankenstein was published and it was both extraordinary and shocking for society that she was both a woman and young. Lord Byron even commented: 'Methinks it is a wonderful work for a girl of nineteen- not nineteen, indeed, at that time'. Her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft - a feminist philosopher and writer who believed women should have the same education as men. Mary Shelly's father was William Godwin, a famous philosopher, novelist and journalist. Her father provided her with a comprehensive education, uncommon for a girl in that time period. Their house received frequent visits of the most famous writers and poets of that time. She had many opportunities to listen to their discussions and opinions, in an
The Slave's dream
'The Slave's dream', written in 1842 by the white man H. W. Longfellow, tells of the final dream of a black slave before his death. It is set on a plantation in America where the slave has stopped in the middle of a day's work, giving up hope of freedom in life, believing only in freedom by death. 'I, too' was written later than 'The Slave's Dream by Langston Hughes. It is about the hope for equality of a black servant after the abolishment of slavery in America. Written during the abolitionism movement, 'The Slave's Dream' helps to raise awareness of the immoral injustices black people had to face. This reflects the mood of the era as people at this time were trying to change the public's opinion of slavery and get it abolished. As the most important people at this time were whites, Longfellow must have used the colour of his skin to get people to listen to his point of view through his poems. H. W. Longfellow uses this poem to show that black people had lives before slavery, but that the white race had taken them away. The type of life that followed the taking of black people's freedom is reflected in the poem's rhyme scheme and stanza patterns. The poem has a very rigid structure. The rhyme scheme is regular and the lengths of lines have a repetitive pattern. The poet has conformed to such a rigid way of writing poetry, as a slave in America would have to conform to their
How does Steinbeck present Crooks in the extract? What is the importance of crooks in the novel as a whole? Of Mice and Men is a powerful and moving portrayal of two men striving
Assignment Title: How does Steinbeck present Crooks in the extract? What is the importance of crooks in the novel as a whole? Of Mice and Men is a powerful and moving portrayal of two men striving to understand their own unique place in the world. Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other - and a dream. A dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch, but their hopes are doomed, as Lennie - struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy - becomes a victim of his own strength. Of Mice and Men does many things which include: tackling universal themes, friendship and a shared vision, and giving a voice to America's lonely and dispossessed; and in this essay about this poignant novel I will explain how 'Crooks' a key character in this book is presented, and also show his importance to the novel as a whole. In 'Of Mice and Men' Crooks is a black man and is disfigured because of his crooked back. Because of these two things, he is treated as a second-class citizen. We can see that he is treated this way by looking at this extract: "Crooks, the negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness-room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn. On one side of the little room there was a square four paned window, and on the
Analysis of "Preludes" by Thomas Sterns Elliot.
Preludes By Thomas Stearns Eliot "Preludes" is a poem by T.S Eliot about what life was like in the beginning of the twentieth century. The poet pictured a typical city which represents all others in the western world. The pictures portray society as it is today lacking morals and ethics and fear of god which is religion. The poet portrays his point in four parts. The poet introduces the technique of montage in which consecutive pictures that are linked are presented consecutively. The first two scenes or rather images depict the cityscape as it is in the evening and the morning and the scenes in the third and fourth parts portray modern women and men. Through this poem the poet conveys his thoughts on the modern western society as it turned out to be in the beginning of the twentieth century. Part I THE poem begins with the line "the winter evening settled down". Here the winter and evening symbolize the dying part of the year and day respectively. It is an unusual way for a poet to begin a poem- it could have begun with a picture of morning but the poet deliberately doesn't do so to set a decaying tone and create an image of something breaking down and decaying. This is how the poet sees the modern world. The city is crowded and smelly and congested. The word "smell" as in the line "with smells of steaks in passageways" doesn't sound very inviting and seems like the
Explore the various factors which contribute to the downfall of the boys society on the island in 'Lord of the Flies', and assess which you think is the most significant.
Explore the various factors which contribute to the downfall of the boys society on the island in 'Lord of the Flies', and assess which you think is the most significant. There are many factors that contribute the break down of society, but I have only chosen to discuss the key factors, not the minor details that do interlock anyway with these points. All of the factors merge together, and influence each other, but I want to find the factor that is directly responsible for three deaths. The characters themselves directly create the downfall of society, due to their widely different personalities. Ralph has enormous sensibility and practicality. He possesses maturity, and tries to keep the society similar to the adult influenced world where they used to live. He organises a system of 'democracy' with the conch, but the lack of 'fun' pastimes (i.e. hunting), with the repletion of practical endeavours (i.e. shelter building and the fire) divide the boys into two tribes, resulting in the breakdown of society and order. The littluns follow him, because they want to get home, and he seems responsible enough to ensure the continuation of order. Piggy's dependence and neediness for the adults is immediately evident, as the boys begin to replay the taunting for his physical weakness in the previous world. His reminder of the adult dominated world causes the other boys to discard all
