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Suspense In Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat

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There is something about horror that always captivated humans. We are engaged with fright because it boosts our adrenaline and curiosity. Over the years, humans have found many ways to satisfy this morbid fascination such as watching scary movies or reading terrifying stories. Edgar Allan Poe was a famous writer for his wide range of horror stories he offered to his readers. In his work, Edgar Allan Poe communicates the meaning and purpose of the stories through complex moods. Poe’s “The Black Cat” creates a disturbing mood by introducing a sense of mystery in the exposition, using violence during the rising action, and keeping the readers under a feeling of abhorrence during the climax. In contrast, “The Masque of the Red Death” creates a suspenseful mood by keeping things enigmatic in the exposition, building up the suspense in the rising action, until the climax when Edgar Allan Poe reveals the mystery of the story. The exposition of the Black Cat is intended to introduce the reader into the story, although the narrator keeps things suspicious and confusing. Right from the beginning of the story, the narrator explains (says), “I neither expect not solicit belief”, which creates mistrust in readers’ minds. “But to-morrow I die, and to-day I would unburthen my …show more content…

The exposition is meant to give the reader an idea of the fatal pestilence that conquered the country. The Red Death is represented by pain, blood, swiftness, and horror, and builds up a dark mood. Yet, Prince Prospero “was happy and dauntless and sagacious” and lives in a magnificent castle, isolated and far away from the Red Death, at least he believes so. His ignorance towards the welfare of his population arouses hatred within the readers. In the same time, the suspense and curiosity grow, and the readers are willing to find out what will happen to Prince

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In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Masque of the Red Death”, the terror spreading throughout the guests of the party helps it seem as if the Red Death was slowly forcing itself into the masquerade. The masked figure within the story is described as “…unutterable horror” (Poe, 452). The vivid descriptions within the story produce anxiety and cause unease for the guests, adding to the underlying fear of the current red death pandemic. A quote that builds a lot of suspense is “…turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer” (Poe, 452). This chase forces the guests to freeze because a confrontation is about to happen.

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Poe builds suspense in "The Masque of the Red Death" by using foreshadowing to hint at the tragic end that awaits the characters. For example, the description of the Red Death as a "pestilence" that is "fatal" and "hideous" foreshadows the eventual death of the guests. In addition, the description of the last room is completely covered in black decorations with red-colored windows foreshadowing the tragic end that awaits the guests. The use of the color red and the imagery of blood thoughts the story also serves as foreshadowing for the tragic end. The ending of the story, in which the figure disguised as the Red Death causes the death of the guests, including the prince, is both shocking and inevitable.

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This story of death works out, because Edgar Allen Poe gives good use to author’s craft. Edgar Allen Poe uses imagery, symbolism, and setting to create an effective story. In the “Masque of the Red Death” Poe uses description to give imagery.

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Poe is often known for his dark, sometimes twisted short stories and poems. “The Masque of the Red Death” is no exception. In this short story, Poe creates and eerie and ominous mood by using a wide variety of literary techniques including imagery, diction, and syntax. Poe’s use of imagery contributes to the dark and mysterious mood of the short story, “The Masque of the Red Death.” In the first paragraph, a sense of darkness is conveyed in the sentence, “There was no light of any kind emanating from lamp or candle within the suite of chambers.”

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The author increases the feeling of anxiety in the story by using foreshadowing. For example, after the narrator obtains the second black cat, he notices that the white patch on the second cat’s chest is forming into something. When the narrator realizes what the shape of the patch on the beast chest is, he states, “It was now the representation of an object that I shudder to have—and for this, above all, I loathed, and dreaded, and would have rid myself of the monster had I dared—it was how, I say, the image of a hideous—of a ghastly thing—of the GALLOWS!” (Poe 4)

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Suspense in “The Black Cat” Why do people choose to go into haunted houses? It is because they want to know what happens inside. Haunted houses maintain this mystery and intrigue in order to create an element of suspense. Edgar Allan Poe uses this same element in “The Black Cat” to keep the reader interested. Poe develops suspense through three events: the hanging of his black cat, Pluto; the finding of the second black cat; and the killing of his wife, Virginia.

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A prince revels in wealth, listens to an orchestra of music, gorges on food, and barks at servants; what else could he possibly need? Outside of his lavish quarters, the red death devastates the country. Everywhere, people were bleeding profusely through their pores, along with this, the people were plagued by fevers and seizures. Puss and blood was always in the line of one's sight. No one was safe except for Prince Prospero, cowering in his castle, refusing to help his dying kingdom.

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Final Draft-- Masque of the Red Death Essay In the short story, ” The Masque of the Red Death” there's a lot of thing going on at once throughout the story. This story takes place during the Black Plague, with Prince Prospero and his family and friends. They try their hardest to hide and run away from the plague while Prince Prospero tries to stay hidden away in his palace.

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The main character in the story Prince Prospero seems to be unaffected by the disease. As he notices the number of deaths increasing he decides to take all the nobles in the land and decides to bunker down in his castle which he designed himself. He decides to spend the whole time partying and ignore the disease that is going on outside. The way that Poe would describe this party is “a gay and magnificent revel” in which “the prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. ” The Prince did not want to think about the situation going on outside and decided to enjoy all the wealth he had with his men, creating an illusion of a fun, enjoyable

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The authors’ use of strong imagery invokes strong emotions that give the audience a personal connection to the characters and events. In the “The Masque of the Red Death”, the theme is mortality. Poe shows how people are vulnerable to death, even after taking every possible precaution. Poe writes, “The mask ... was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse ... gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood - and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror” (6).

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In Poe’s stories, the main characters experience fear, but they all handle it distinctively. Poe uses irony, symbolism, and imagery to show how fear affects the narrator’s mindset, along with their future.     In “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Masque of Red Death”, the main characters try to isolate themselves from evil, but Poe uses irony to show that death is inevitable.

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In contrast, The peasants mean nothing to him because they’re not worth of any value. The ignorance comes from Prospero’s delusional views of the world. As said before, Prospero doesn’t do anything because he looks the world through a different perspective. It ties in with his selfishness because since the Red Death has not affected him and instead ignores the harsh reality and lives in his own fantasy. “The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure.

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1590 Words | 7 Pages

It has so many different characteristics within it and makes it irresistible to read. The way he uses suspense to confuse and scare the reader increases the strength of his writing. Edgar Allan Poe has a very distinct way of writing because of his drive to scare, confuse, and intrigue the reader. First, Poe uses disturbing topics and rich vocabulary to really scare the reader at times.

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731 Words | 3 Pages

Death can never be escaped no matter what. In “The Masque of the Red Death” Edgar Allan Poe shows the theme of death, a suspenseful mood, and an ominous tone. Through Poe’s use of literary devices, the reader can discover tone, theme, and mood. Throughout Poe’s life he experienced death with two of his mother’s and his young wife. Death is shown how inevitable it is with Poe’s writing and experiences combined together.

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“The Masque of the Red Death” is an allegory, symbolizing the journey from life to death, proving that death is inescapable for everyone. This is shown through the symbolism used by Poe, not only in characters,

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