Edgar Allan Poe’s style of writing has changed the way of modern writing. From syntax to imagery Poe uses astonishing literary techniques to captivate the audience in creepy, dark stories and poems. Edgar Allan Poe had a somewhat depressing childhood, his parents were killed when he was only at the age of three years old. John Allan fostered him but he was never legally adopted. Poe started writing before and continued to write after he enlisted in the army. Some of the traumatic experiences throughout his life may have lead to Poe’s dark and ominous styles of writing. A few of Poe’s works that displayed his dark styles of writing and changed modern writing today include, Annabel Lee, a gothic poem, about a narrator who mourns the creepy …show more content…
The Cask of Amontillado, Poe shows how the narrator plots to kill and his prey is walking to his own death. “I drink,’ he said ‘to the buried that repose around us’ ‘and I, to your long life’” (SB 119). The narrator, Montresor, toasts to Fortunato’s long life, but both Montresor and the audience knows he plans to kill Fortunato. This example of verbal irony makes the mood twisted and strange because we know that he plans to kill Fortunato and is pretended to be his friend and wish him a long life. This adds to the disturbing. On top of that Poe also uses irony to convey the mood in The Tell-Tale Heart. “”Villains!’ I shrieked, ‘dissemble no more! I admit the deed-tear up the planks!-here, here!-it is the beating of his hideous heart’” (Literature Book 207). The narrator is going crazy hearing what he thinks is the beating heart of the dead old man he murdered, but it was actually his own heart beating rapidly out of guilt. This causes the mood of this short story very sinister and perverse. This shows that throughout the story the narrator is becoming more and more insane. This is an example of irony because the narrator’s heart was beating out of guilt even though he thought he was so calm, but he was positive it was the old man 's heart beating. Overall, this irony in both examples makes the mood more and more