History plays an important part in shaping the lives of people and the things they produce. While it may not be readily apparent, history can influence stories and their messages; it plays a pivotal role in how the authors write in their stories because events in real life effect how people think during a certain time period. Authors, like Edgar Allan Poe who was alcoholic and wrote “The Raven,” were influenced by the events that happened during his time (Mays 107-108). William Faulkner was also influenced by the events around him and would later receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950 (Mays 298-299), and Amy Tan, who wrote The Joy Luck Club, also use history in her story. Stories that have a historical context like “A Cask of Amontillado,” …show more content…
Montresor concocts a plan where he tricks Fortunado to his family catacombs to taste some Amontillado, which is a wine, and he knows that Fortunado will not able to resist since Fortunado considers himself to be an expert wine taster. While Montresor is leading Fortunado to the end of the catacombs, he keeps offering Fortunado wine to get him drunk, and both of them reach the end, Fortunado falls asleep. During this time, Montresor starts building a wall to enclose Fortunado. When Fortunado wakes up, he realizes what is happening to him, but it is too late. However, the reader finds out that Montresor committed this crime fifty years ago. One motif that is constant throughout the story was the use of wine or alcohol, and David S. Reynolds writes that this could be Edgar Allan Poe’s contribution to the temperance movement. While it is well known that Edgar Allan Poe was an alcoholic, Reynolds writes that on August 31, 1849, Poe joined the Banner of Temperance. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Fortunado is willing to do anything to get his hands the Amontillado that Montresor promises him. Another aspect of history relevant in “A Cask of Amontillado” is the conflict between Freemasons and Roman Catholics. In the middle of the story, Fortunado does a gesture that Montresor does not recognize, and Fortunado explains that he has to be a Freemason to understand. The editor notes that the Freemasons were an organization that was condemned by the Catholic Church (Mays 111). Reynolds
The Cask of Amontillado is an eloquent story narrated from the murderer’s point of view. Montressor seeks revenge against Fortunato for numerous insults the reader can only imagine. In order to determine the severity of the apparent injustices, Fortunato himself must be understood. Montressor describes him as being “rich, respected, admired, [and] beloved,” as well as “a man to be … feared” (Poe 274-276). Fortunato was a flawed individual, however. His greatest imperfection was his love for wine. Fortunato’s “connoisseurship” (274) of wine resulted in his intoxicated state throughout the short story. His physical and mental capacities were impaired by his drunkenness, and as a result, he was unable to resist Montressor’s lure into the catacombs.
DiSanza begins with stating that the language and type of narration the story exudes is that of being drunk from the drinks that Fortunato is drinking, “His drunkenness is our drunkenness.” (195) DiSanza also says that as the audience, in our drunken state, we ignore details such as the motive and Poe’s purpose for telling the story. Some of the theories for motive in “The Cask of Amontillado” include James E. Rocks’ who opposes that Montresor regards Fortunato as both a political and a religious enemy and is therefore motivated by “a faithful Catholic’s hatred and fear of the brotherhood of freemasonry.” (Rocks, 1927). Another is that of Elena V. Barban, who believes that since there is no explanation for Montresor’s hatred for Fortunato, it concludes that Montresor is insane. DiSanza explains that if Montresor is insane, then he neither needs an audience or a motive. He also also compares this type of analysis to other Poe tales and their lack of
For example, Montresor expresses concern about Fortunato and says, "Come, I said, with this decision, we will go back; your health is precious. Montresor does not want Fortunato to die from anything other than his own plan of slow death by asphyxiation. Symbolism in "The Cask of Amontillado" This story by Poe has numerous examples of symbolism. For example, the manner in which Fortunato is dressed is ironic for a man with societal prominence. Fortunato is a man of stature who is “rich, respected, admired” (Baym).
“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is a story of one man’s revenge on another. Montresor feels insulted by Fortunato for unspecified reasons. At the height of carnival season Montresor meets Fortunato and lures him to his death with the offer of a rare sherry. Fortunato reveals before his death that he is a Freemason but Montresor is not. Montresor is a Catholic. The Catholic Church deems Freemasons as heretics. This reveals the “insult” that Montresor has had to bare from Fortunato. It is Montresor’s duty to act as the hand of God and kill this heretic. Fortunato is foolish in his trust of Montresor, believing Montresor is his friend. Fortunato is consumed with his hedonistic lifestyle to the point of it leading him to his own death. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” symbolically conveys the anti-Masonic beliefs of the Catholic Church through Montresor’s murder of Fortunato, the heretic.
For poets, it is essential that they write about what they know and what they feel, as the substance of what they are revealing will enhance their work and ultimately attract audiences. Edgar Allan Poe is one poet whose personal endeavours can be extracted from his poems. His works such as The Raven, Annabel-Lee and Ulalume are just a few of his most celebrated poems that reflect diverse aspects of Poe’s own life. Poe’s reoccurring themes of death in conjunction with love, the subconsciousness of self and ambiguity attracted audiences to become entranced in his work (Spark Notes, 2014). Adjacent to these intriguing themes is how Poe’s personal life was inexplicitly perceived in his poems, in particular The Raven. Poe’s life is reflected through
Among Poe's most intriguing tales is "The Cask of Amontillado," first published in Godey's Lady's Book in November of 1847. A surface reading of that story reveals only a simple description by Montresor (the narrator) of how he kills another man who was called, ironically, Fortunato. Montresor exploits Fortunato's vanity concerning the connoiseurship of wine; specifically, Montresor pretends to want a wine cask of Amontillado verified as genuine. Montresor chooses a time when Fortunato is drunk to dupe him into going down the spiral stairs into the catacombs, which serve as a sort of family burial grounds for the race of Montresors. But rather than a mere cask of wine, Fortunato finds his death; for Montresor bricks him into a niche of the catacombs which has remained undisturbed for the fifty years since the murder was performed. How simple!
There are both similarities and differences between the Raven of Edger Allen Poe’s “The Raven” and the Raven from Native American mythology.
The Cask of Amontillado, one of Edgar Allen Poe’s most celebrated works, paints a very sinister and dark tale of revenge. It is riddled with symbolism of what is in store for Fortunato who has betrayed Montresor in what Montresor perceives to warrant a grievous end. Throughout their the interaction, there are subtleties in which one might think there is a way out, but ultimately greed takes over which leads to Fortunato 's undoing.
Edgar Allen Poe was one of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century. Perhaps he is best know for is ominous short stories. One of my personal favorites was called The Raven. Throughout his works Poe used coherent connections between symbols to encourage the reader to dig deep and find the real meaning of his writing. Poe's work is much like a puzzle, when u first see it its intact, but take apart and find there is much more to the story than you thought. The Raven, written in 1845, is a perfect example of Poe at his craziest. Poe's calculated use of symbolism is at his best in this story as each symbol coincides with the others. In The Raven, Poe explains a morbid fear of loneliness and the end of something through symbols. The symbols not only tell the story of the narrator in the poem, they also tell the true story of Poe's own loneliness in life and the hardships he faced. Connected together through imagery they tell a story of a dark world only Poe Knows exists.
Edgar Allen Poe uses irony and poetic justice all throughout “The Cask of the Amontillado”. The places where irony and poetic justice hold the most significance are the scenes where, Montresor speaks of the wronging done to him by Fortunato, where Montresor and fortunato speak of the coat of arms, and where at the very end when Montresor traps Fortunato in the catacombs and leaves him to die. These scenes clearly show the use of these two tools that Poe used to tell the story of Montresor and
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” follows the story of a young man who is sadden by the death of a woman named Leonore. As the reader advance through the poem, the main character is getting more and more emotionally unstable. He is clearly suffering from some kind of mental illness most likely depression. The narrator is in first person, we are living the poem through the eyes of the main character. (He compulsorily constructs self-destructive meaning around a raven’s repetition of the word 'Nevermore ', until he finally despairs of being reunited with his beloved Lenore in another world. Just because of the nightmarish effect, the poem cannot be called an elegy.) Poe use vivid details to describe how the narrator is gradually losing his mind.
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor sets out on a vengeful mission that will end Fortunato’s life in an untimely fate. Montresor appeals to Fortunato’s love for wine to tempt the unsuspecting fellow to his impending doom. While Montresor tricks the foolish Fortunato frightfully, it is ultimately Fortunato’s pride that leads to his demise in the crypt. Poe uses several literary devices to foreshadow this murderous exploit of Montresor. Through the use of irony, symbolism, and imagery, the story entices readers to delve into the relationships and differences between Montresor and Fortunato.
Edgar Allen Poe shows a strong sense of man vs. nature in his poem “The Raven” by giving several instances of natural conflicts such as: outside supernatural sense, the wind, and the raven.
Death is tragic and one of the most finite things on Earth. It can turn an average human being insane and change his/her life forever. Losing someone close and dear is incredibly painful and an experience one will not forget. Death can cause numerous emotions to bubble up, like sorrow, and grief. In “The Raven” Poe utilizes imagery, diction, and figurative language along with symbolism to illustrate how isolation can cause madness when one comes to terms with the finite consequences of death.
Edgar Allan Poe?s ?The Raven? is a dark reflection on lost love, death, and loss of hope. The poem examines the emotions of a young man who has lost his lover to death and who tries unsuccessfully to distract himself from his sadness through books. Books, however, prove to be of little help, as his night becomes a nightmare and his solitude is shattered by a single visitor, the raven. Through this poem, Poe uses symbolism, imagery and tone, as well as a variety of poetic elements to enforce his theme of sadness and death of the one he loves.