In many circumstances, just like “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Raven,” his writings tapped deep into the complexities of the human mind, exploring mentally ill genre tropes of madness, inevitability, fear, and hopelessness (Shulman, 1970). In the aggregate, Edgar Allan Poe's works exhibit a consistent use of gothic literature elements which are shaped by both his personal experiences of grief and loss, and his deteriorating mental state. Through his portrayal of complex characters and his use of haunting language, Poe's stories offer a unique exploration of the deepest aspects of the human mind and have had a lasting impact on the genre of horror and suspenseful fiction. Although many argue that an individual’s past doesn’t portray their character, his legacies are renownedly marked by a distinctive style of layered plots, internally-complex characters, and the application of language that is both evocative and haunting. Even to this day, Poe’s influence on the genre of macabre, horror, and mystery provokes readers to dive deeper into the reflection of the mind (Shulman,
In the stories “The Tell Tale Heart,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” and “The Masque of Red Death,” the author, Edgar Allen Poe, uses figurative language, irony and symbolism to teach us that fean can distort the mind, and cause paranoia and obsession,
The theme of the fear of the unknown is developed in “The Pit and the Pendulum” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Not knowing what can happen triggers mixed emotions of fear, anxiety, and anxiousness. Humans tend to fear the unknown because life never follows through with the plans that one has in mind. Knowing that unexpected events or tragedies can occur, is what makes humans so terrified of the unknown. The narrator of “The Pit and the Pendulum” fears the possibility of a painful death and torture.
Addison Raby Thursday, February 23, 2023 4th period Poe Essay Title Edgar Allan Poe creates unreliable narrators in his short stories and poems, such as “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Cask of Amontillado”, and “The Raven”. Many confirmations for this claim can be found in one of Poe’s stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart”.
Has fear ever caused you to commit an act you knew was morally wrong? Fear can get a hold of someone and completely change their morals, concerns, or how they feel about certain people. It can cloud your mind and make you think irrationally in certain situations. Fear is a feeling that can harm someone emotionally and physically. In stories such as: “The Tell-Tale Heart”, ”The Pit and the Pendulum”, and “The Masque of Red Death”, Edgar Allan Poe displays the use of symbolism, irony, and imagery to paint a picture in the reader’s mind.
Eileen Loebner Mynatt English II Honors 13 January 2023 Dreadful Anticipation Similar to his horrifying life, Edgar Allan Poe’s works evoke fear and dread in his readers. Poe terrifies readers with gloomy settings and terrifying characters that paint the picture of his unfortunate life. Readers are dragged along dreadfully anticipating what awful fiend or daunting place will represent Poe’s misfortune next. Edgar Allan Poe uses dark and mysterious settings, unknown and mentally unstable narrators, and horrifying characters and demons to create suspense and build anticipation. Poe sets the mood of anticipation through a setting shrouded in darkness and mystery, never quite revealing the narrator’s circumstances.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of “The Minister’s Black Veil” and Edgar Allan Poe, author of “The Pit and the Pendulum” are both writers from back in the dark romantics era. In their works they both share the conflict of good and evil. Hawthorne and Poe had very rough lives with many loses and tragedies. Their writing shows many dark emotions and symbolises how they both truly felt inside. Hawthorne and Poe grew up in the same generation.
In all of the Poe stories that we read the characters mental states seemed to have been altered due to the circumstances that they were in. Whether it be the death of a family member and incest in the House of Usher, the red plague in the Mask the Red Death, or the torture chambers in the Pit and the Pendulum. Of these three stories the most noticeable mental change is in the main character of the Pit and the Pendulum. The use of different psychological and physical torture methods over time makes the main character metal state change to the point were he is waiting for death.
The historical setting contributes to the aura of terror in “The Pit and the Pendulum” because the Spanish Inquisition was a period full of torturing and murdering, it creates a dark image inside the reader’s mind, and it helps the readers to understand the
Many people believe that fear can result into harm or negative emotions. Fear helps to prevent harm, creates more awareness, and has an instinct that can save lives. On the other side, fear can cause paranoia, obsession, hallucination, and can take away the fun in life. Throughout the stories, Poe uses symbolism, irony, and imagery to define how fear can limit the narrator's minds and lead to fear.
He was also supposed to get killed by the pendulum, but he did not. This is the only story out of the three stories where the narrator doesn't have a bad fate. The story does not have a bad ending because the narrator did not fall into the pit and escaped the pendulum. This story takes place during the Spanish Inquisition. The themes Poe picked also show characteristics of
In “The Pit and the Pendulum” by Edgar Allan Poe, there are three elements of horror that are more than worth mentioning; suspense, exploration of the violence of humanity, and anxiety/disorientation. There are many elements of horror in this story, but the suspense is everlasting in this story. The pendulum slowly swinging down “inch by inch- line by line- with a descent only appreciable at intervals that seemed ages” it just brings the reader slowly into that intense fear for such a long period driving them into that same sanity, truly at a much lower level but it shows them just enough to fear from suspense. And it isn’t the kind that lasts a short time, it is so many stages of death over a long period some think even several days. First
The way Poe sets up his story with the tension could create a fearful atmosphere. He did not just focus on portraying a narrator with a certain fear, he would use language that would make the reader feel fear. He packed in images of darkness and horror in order to create these atmospheres that presented fear in many different ways. Poe being known as a master of the horror
To begin with, The Pit and the Pendulum exists on the border between consciousness and unconsciousness. After being approached by the three-judge, the narrator’s mind seems to be in a mixed state of trauma and delirium. The narrator is helpless and weak after being sentenced to death. He is then thrown into a dungeon and is not saving himself from death, but he is “swooning” or going in and out of consciousness. “I had swooned; but still will not say that all of consciousness was lost.
Edgar Allan Poe is a famous poet who specialises in gothic style poetry. In his most famous poem The Raven he depicts a character who is at the edge of deep sleep when he is interrupted by a tapping at his door. Although when he goes to find the source of the sound he discovers there is nothing there, instead he hears another sound. This however turns out to be an ebony raven which becomes the centre point for the narrator 's monologue throughout the poem. The motive of The Raven is often debated amongst scholars, however my thesis on this poem is to argue for the state in which the narrator finds himself.
