ipl-logo

Compare And Contrast Recitatif And The Cask Of Amontillado

1231 Words5 Pages

“At its most basic, every story is an attempt to answer the question What happened?”(Mays 75). An author can answer this question using many different techniques in their plot. There are several distinct parts of every story which make up the plot: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. Every literary work uses these elements of plot to add a unique artistic value to its story. Comparing two short stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Recitatif”, will help to demonstrate precisely how plot elements work together to create this artistic effect.
The purpose of any story’s exposition at its core is to provide a solid background. The exposition can be compared to painting a room before adding the furniture; it is …show more content…

Laying out a strong foundation in a fictional work is vital in creating an engaging plot. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allan Poe initiates the story by allowing the reader into the mind of the protagonist/main character, Montresor. It gives us his perspective on the opposing character, Fortunato. The narration is told from Montresor’s future-self to an external character, which creates an ominous opening to the story. The exposition sheds light on Montresor’s psychological state; even though he is the main character, this does not necessarily mean he is a hero. In this case, Montresor is planning to take revenge on Fortunato, clearly showing that he is not in the right state of mind and his character does not align with that of a traditional hero. Toni Morrison’s exposition in “Recitatif,” is much less villainous and ominous than “The Cask of Amontillado”. But it is also similar because they both achieve the same goal as with any other story: background. In the exposition, Morrison establishes the relationship between Twyla and Roberta as …show more content…

It works to achieve a resolution to the conflict in the plot and leaves the reader with satisfaction. The falling action in “the Cask of Amontillado,” is when Montresor builds the wall of stones, trapping Fortunato in the crypt for eternity. It releases the emotional tension of the story and provides some stability as the story comes to a close. In “Recitatif,” The tension subsides as Roberta and Twyla realize that neither of them truly remember what happened to Maggie at the shelter. Morrison brings to light that each character protected their minds by remembering what reinforced their beliefs about race and their guilt regarding the situation as a whole. They both admit that they wanted to join the gar girls and that the Maggie situation was very sensitive to them as they were troubled children. Again, this part of the stories are very different from each other on the surface. While “The Cask of Amontillado” had a more satisfying falling action, “Recitatif” required some self-exploration regarding the issue of the story. Both characters needed to admit to themselves that neither of them knew what happened and that they’re personal bias drove them to conflict. Furthermore, a good literary work has a well-fitting resolution that provides stability. The resolution or conclusion in “The Cask of Amontillado,” is very similar to the exposition where Montresor is addressing an external character

Show More
Related
885 Words | 4 Pages

A short stories plot has a major effect on the theme. Themes of the stories affect not only the writer but also the readers in modern day. Within in the short story, “The Things They Carried,” readers can connect to the author by understanding

Read More
1176 Words | 5 Pages

He wants to seek justice for how Fortunato has wronged him. He maintains this goal as he wants to “not only punish but punish with impunity” (Poe, 1). From Montresor’s point of view, he must enforce revenge on Fortunato, as it is what he believes is right. Ensuring that he wants to “punish with impunity” indicates his relentless pursuit of vengeance and how he must ensure that he faces no consequences for his actions. This way, Montresor reveals his underlying arrogance and belief in his superiority.

Read More
97 Words | 1 Pages

In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Edgar Allan Poe displays the theme of revenge and manipulation. The narrator Montresor pledges revenge on Fortunato for an insult that is never explained. He maintains an appearance of goodwill towards Fortunato and decides to make use of Fortunato's weakness for fine wines against him. During the carnival season, the narrator approaches Fortunato, telling him that he has come across something that could pass for Amontillado a rare and expensive wine. Fortunato being excited about the news insists on accompanying Montresor to the vaults to determine whether it is Amontillado or not.

Read More
682 Words | 3 Pages

This literary device creates a breathtaking cliffhanger because the reader know what is going to happen in the future to Fortunato but do not know how it will play

Read More
715 Words | 3 Pages

Edgar Allan Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” and Katherine Porter’s “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” differ in a variety of ways. When compared, they each have drastically different plots and writing styles, along with their own unique characters. These characters, which are drastically different, have unique personalities which helps progress the plot. Some are complex focal points of the story, while others behave more as a plot device implemented by the author to drive his or her story forward. When evaluating a character, such as Montresor from the “The Cask of Amontillado”, it is easy to see how complex and in depth some characters are.

Read More
657 Words | 3 Pages

Next, Montresor replies, “It is this, I answered, producing from beneath the folds of my roquelaire trowel.” (239). Although Fortunato does not understand that Montresor has lured him into the catacombs of his home with the intentions of murdering him, but the reader knows

Read More
632 Words | 3 Pages

Clifford Adelman states that, “Among high school students who graduated in the bottom 40 percent of their classes, and whose first institutions were four-year colleges, two-thirds had not earned diplomas eight and a half years later.” (121 qt. in Nemko) . How is this data justifying our understanding of what influences the people’s success rate?

Read More
841 Words | 4 Pages

As the story progresses it becomes exceptionally evident the role external conflict plays in creating Montresor’s character. To begin, Montresor mentions “the thousand injuries of Fortunato” and the revenge he is determined to get from the most recent injury, an insult (Poe 543). By Montresor choosing to open the story with remarks about Fortunato’s wrong doings towards him, it’s clear that he holds a grudge. These conflicts between the two men throughout their friendship have had such an impression on Montresor that it’s over taken him – it’s all he can think about; thus, he immediately mentions these conflicts at the beginning of the story. In result, Montresor as a character appears quite hostile and as a narrator appears unreliable.

Read More
1054 Words | 5 Pages

The quote shows the author's details create a shocking mood in the readers because he describes a detailed image the helps the reader envision what is going on. This action takes the audience by surprise because they know Montresor is getting revenge, but they aren’t told what it will be so they are as clueless as Fortunato. Montresor threw a torch in the niche where he tied Fortunato up and he finished closing up the wall, killing a man who considered him a friend. “I thrust a torch to the remaining aperture and let it fall within… I force the last stone into position; I plastered it up.” (pg7)

Read More
1387 Words | 6 Pages

This, one of the fine art offered by literature thus is one of the most acclaimed, entertaining and demanding too in our society. With being one of the boldest of art form, there comes a lot of responsibilities along with. The reason for telling stories to others can have a multidirectional goal. Many purposes can be fulfilled by an effective way of storytelling. We can analyse its reason based on our readings.

Read More
506 Words | 3 Pages

The utilization of symbolism, diction and syntax all foreshadow the ending of the story and help the reader understand the meaning of

Read More
763 Words | 4 Pages

In the beginning of the short story, Montresor defines revenge on his friend Fortunato for believing he has insulted him. Montresor has become angry that his friend is taking advantage of him and overlooking at him like a fool,

Read More
493 Words | 2 Pages

Visuals and word usage help convey the mood in the scenes where it is the strongest. The mood of “The Cask of Amontillado” has a mood that is dark and mysterious with a tone of revenge. One can see this in the quote in which the character Montresor says “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge”(3). The story is based on Montresor’s need for revenge on Fortunato.

Read More
954 Words | 4 Pages

A plot also plays a huge role in the development of the narrative’s characters which causes them to take certain actions affecting the story and the characters themselves (King, 2011). “Story is about originality, not duplication” (McKee, 1997). A problem often presented for creating a new plot is if it is original or

Read More
1062 Words | 5 Pages

The novel uses many literary techniques such as foreshadowing and irony to build a strong connection between every scene and builds closer and closer to the development of the murder. There are many foreshadowing events which develop in the story before the death of Santiago. The murder is avoidable, but nobody stops it from happening. The dream, the weather, and nature all foreshadow Santiago 's death. The instance of foreshadowing at the beginning of the story is Santiago’s dream.

Read More

More about Compare And Contrast Recitatif And The Cask Of Amontillado

Related Topics

Open Document