The Last Night Alain sat at the very edge of the chimney-like opening in the side of the mountain. He placed the arch of his left foot at the bottom of the teardrop loop of his long escape rope. He looked up at the almost motionless shadows of those who had come to help him, or just to say good bye. In the darkness there were only eyes, sad eyes, painful and resolute. Alain had tired and envious eyes, but never regretful of his necessary escape. He knew all the faces that held those eyes and loved them. He remembered each for their sparkle of recognition for the good things he tried to do, or the way some would shut one eye as if to question his behavior of the moment. "Go", he heard. "God is at your side, Alain." He slipped slowly into the opening, some gravel moving with him but rushing ahead, hitting against the sides rough walls, the sound fading as it moved further and further down the passage. His face and eyes were wet and his body trembled at the whispering words of instruction above him, as his friends slowly extended the rope, painfully increasing his distance and towards a feeling of helplessness. Morning Troops in large numbers were moving through the open fields that surround Montsegur and towards the roadway that lead up to the fortress. A large sun drenched wooden stockade at the foot of the mountain, newly constructed and nesting in bright yellow mustard weed patches gently swaying, was the sight of most of the activity. The sweet smell of the grasses and the rhythmic noises of distant hammering and the clanking of wagon wheels on the rude roadways gave a festive feeling to the happenings of this morning. A Circus of players in gaudy costumes, outfitted with ridiculous hats,... ... middle of paper ... ...limbed unassisted onto the pyre inside the stockade. For a moment they searched for each other's loved ones. The four corners of the structure was torched simultaneously. Field birds noisily flew off at the sight of this horror. The men who had lit the pyre moved quickly away, as the flames shot up and the intense heat rolled towards them. The gray smoke, which at first bellowed upward, reversed itself, turning black and creeping down toward the lower fields. Only the newly placed guards of the Conquerors at the top of Montsegur remained fixed and dutiful. Below this fortress, the Clergy and the Nobles scurried away. The troopers and the curious peasantry left in haste, the troopers to a safer distance, and the peasantry to the safety of their homes or the sanctuary of their church. All, who had no further reason to be there, left. Alain too had left.
alone, ignored his shadow and left it to grow. In the end his shadow was to big
The fire started at approx. 1415 hours and burns slowly for the first few minuets carrying heat and smoke up the unprotected stairwell and into a hole leading t...
I entered. An old man sat in it, near a fire, over which he was
is searching for him and that he is going to have to encounter him at
He ends the book by stating, “The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me.” What does that sentence mean?
I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned." Montresor must have been planning this for months, he has put everything into place to ensure he gets his revenge with no consequences. He waited until carnival so the whole city would be loud, knowing that it is carnival he knew Fortunato would be fairly intoxicated making him easily persuadable. Also because he knew it would be carnival he knew everyone would be dressed up and incognito so no one could ever identify him to keep himself innocent. But before all of that he went down through the catacombs and laid out a special area for what would be
They desert Everyman at that point. He calls upon people who are closer to him, Kindred and Cousin, his kinsmen. They also promise to “live and die together,” but, when asked to accompany Everyman, they remind of the things he never did for them and desert him. Everyman then calls upon Goods, his material possessions. Goods explains to him that they cannot go on the journey with him, so he is once again deserted.
“Her face was fair and pretty, with eyes like two bits of night-sky, each with a star dissolved in the blue.” This elaborate simile creates a mental image of the natural beauty of the young princess, Irene, by comparing her eyes to the night sky. The simile also parallels the depth of Irene’s soul to the dark, endless night sky.
the sight horrifies him. After a fitful night of sleep, interrupted by the specter of the monster
building was consumed in flame. But amazingly, not one person was killed. Here is the first verse
Carefully, cautiously the Montresor plotted precisely how he would exact revenge upon Fortunato. Much time and great energy was devoted to this plan, selecting a time that would be best: during carnival when the town would be celebratory, his servants apt to run off and join the celebration, when the two could silently disappear without notice or question. No detail is forgotten; he allows for no deterrents. He follows through with such a confidence that never does he stumble or hesitate in carrying out his plan. The Montresor indicates that he had never given. To continue with this ploy, he even goes so far as to express false concern for Fortunato as they pass through the catacombs. Blaming the nitre and damp, the Montresor suggests that they turn back as not to compromise Fortunato’s ill health, though he has no intent of doing so. Never once until the very end did Fortunato have cause to suspect that there were any foul plans afoot.
The speaker’s language towards the woman’s death in “The Last Night that she lived” portrays a yearning attitude that leads to disappointment; which reiterates human discontent with the imperfections of life. The description of woman’s death creates an image of tranquility that causes the speaker to aspire towards death. Her death compares to a reed floating in water without any struggle. The simile paradoxically juxtaposes nature and death because nature’s connotation living things, while death refers to dead things, but death becomes a part of nature. She consents to death, so she quietly dies while those around her refuse to accept her imminent death. The speaker’s description of death sounds like a peaceful experience, like going to sleep, but for eternity. These lines describe her tranquil death, “We waited while She passed—It was a narrow time—Too jostled were Our Souls to speak. At length the notice came. She mentioned, and forgot—Then lightly as a Reed Bent to the water, struggled scarce- Consented, and was dead-“ .Alliteration in “We waited”, emphasizes their impatience of the arrival of her death because of their curiosity about death. The woman’s suffering will be over soon. This is exhibited through the employment of dashes figuratively that form a narrow sentence to show the narrowing time remaining in her life, which creates suspense for the speaker, and also foreshadows that she dies quickly. The line also includes a pun because “notice” refers to the information of her death, and also announcement, which parallels to the soul’s inability to speak. “She mentioned, and forgot—“, refers to her attempt to announce her farewell to everyone, which connects to the previous line’s announcement. The dashes fig...
Her eyes glistened with tears as her lips trembled. The face of a woman, so powerful and with undeniable strength, had become weak in the sight of what lay before her. The man she loved. The man she cherished. What made her cry? For love had to be the strongest of all emotions to induce even the smallest of tears