The Black Cat- Suspense, Irony, Symbolism

With a dash of allusion, a sprinkle of imagery, and a pint of dark diction, once they all mix, you get the dark and scary mood created in Edgar Allan Poe’s writing. Edgar Allan Poe is a poetic writer and is well known for his dark and scary stories and story elements. Edgar Allan Poe uses figurative language, strong diction, and spooky words to build the mood in his works.

Fortunato’s jester attire becomes his funeral attire. He is masquerading as a fool, and he is taken for one.

A type of dramatic irony in the story can be seen in Fortunato’s attire at the carnival. Fortunato was dressed as a jester, though it was actually Montresor who was laughed at and ridiculed. Professor Charles N. Nevi, of the department of English in Medford, Oregon, writes about the irony in Fortunato’s dress when he says, “Fotunato’s dress is ironic, for a jester is not just a man to be laughed at; he is a man who makes others laugh by being aware of the frailties of mankind and then ridiculing them, but Fortunato is aware of very little and who ridicules nothing. It is Montresor who came closer to the role of jester,” (Nevi par.8). Here Professor Nevi suggests that Montresor is the one who is actually ridiculed and should be a better fit in the jester dress. These examples demonstrate Fortunato’s ironic misfortunes that lead to his eventual death.

	In Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Black Cat," symbolism is used to show the narrator’s capacity for violence, madness, and guilt. "The Black Cat," written by Edgar Allan Poe serves as a reminder for all of us. The Capacity for violence and horror lies within each of

about conveying these feelings to his readers and why it is so effective. Poe uses an

Many authors often use symbolism to express a deeper meaning. They use the symbols to connect an unrelated thought or feeling into their literary work they are writing. Edgar Allan Poe frequently uses this literary device in his works. Symbols are many times seen in his poems and in his short stories. Many symbols are evident in Poe’s works “The Raven,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Black Cat.” Because Poe’s works are typically dark, his use of symbols is in a dark way. Although there are many types of symbols manifested in these stories, Poe’s works generally include a symbol that eludes death or the end of something and many include references of sight and vision.

The bells represent the path to death, each one is leading you to the inevitable. The tone is deeper than it first appears to be and is revealed using repetition. Imagery and repetition are important because they both reveal Poe’s unique style of

Poe uses a theme of the supernatural to contrast against the narrator’s claim to logically explain the events that have led up to his imprisonment. The apparition of the first cat upon the burned wall, the appearance of the gallows like pattern upon the chest of the second cat, and the discovery of the second cat behind the cellar wall set up a convincing case that the supernatural plays an important part in this grotesque short story. The narrator contrasts logic with words like wonder, apparition, and amazement to make the reader aware of the unexplained nature of the tale and create vibrant detail. Quinn points out that “Poe knew that to be effective the supernatural must appeal to the most powerful impulse in human nature, self-preservation, not only of physical life but also of spiritual life. The alternative is madness” (Quinn, 302). Since the narrator cannot claim his past temperament and preserve the life that he once shared with his wife and pets, it is this madness that leads the narrator down his road to destruction. Poe also hints at destiny and fate in “The Black Cat”, which adds another slant toward the

Edgar Allan Poe has a distinctive and dark way of writing (Poe & Kennedy, pp.22). His mysterious style of writing appeals to passion and sentimentality. Poe’s most prominent works of fiction are gothic. His stories tend to have similar recurring theme of either death, lost love or both. Poe’s psychologically thrilling stories examining the depths of the humanoid psyche earned him much fame throughout his lifetime and after his death. And this distinctive style of writing made him possess his own style of wiring (Arbor, pp.71). There is a psychological concentration which is an important characteristic of Poe’s literatures, particularly the tales of horror that encompass his best and well-known works, such as The Black Cat and The Raven which

    Edgar Allan Poe once said, “With me, poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion.” When stressed, writing was his coping mechanism, and through observation, many grasp how much death encompassed Poe. Although not appreciated during his era, he revolutionized mystery with mesmerizing story plots that yield suspense, but also makes readers question his stability. Most importantly, unlike those famous during his lifetime who are now forgotten, Poe’s legacy will live on forever. Moreover, throughout life, Poe experienced catastrophe, and because of this, writing became his creative outlet.

Sadness, guilt, and fear are some of the most negative emotions that humanity can experience, however they are also the strongest. Edgar Allan Poe, a nineteenth century author and poet, is known primarily for his use of these emotions, as well as the results that may come from these emotions, such as substance abuse, depression, and death. However, the ability to write such elegant, sophisticated works that delve into the very dark recesses of the human mind reflects greatly upon the author himself. Repetitive themes found both in Poe’s stories and in his life deliver insight on the inspiration for this author’s stories. Poe uses themes of death, illness, and depression in order to reflect his own experiences within his writing.

Edgar Allen Poe was one of the most influential and important writers of the nineteenth century. He was the first writer to try to make a living only writing. One of Poe’s most popular short stories, “The Black Cat”, is considered horror fiction or gothic fiction which Poe is known for in his books and short stories because it was a popular genre during his days. In Poe’s short story, “The Black Cat”, Poe uses a horror fiction genre, a mentally deranged and evil narrator/character, and symbolism of death to make a thrilling story with tons of suspense, drama, and gruesome detail.

As a master of short stories of horror, Edgar Allan Poe is knowledgeable, learned and imaginative. He could skillfully manipulate the words in his literary works to create everything people can think of. The masterful use of the symbols, objects intensify the readers’ nerve as the typical elements of horror in Poe’s short stories, and therefore it is also a feature which makes Poe 's stories different from other writers.

Strong feelings, such as regret, anger, and guilt, can drive people to do things that are totally out of character. The narrator in "The Black Cat" written by Edgar Allan Poe had those strong feelings following him around. Although it is not explicitly stated, the author uses symbolism to represent these ideas. Symbolism plays a big part in "The Black Cat" showing the narrator's guilt at his crimes through the second black cat's appearance, actions, and impact on the narrator.

Edgar Allen Poe uses many writing devices to help him create tone, mood, and other important things to help the reader understand his point more clearly. He is also the master of symbolism. You can find symbolism in most of his stories, and everything ends up just fitting together like a puzzle. Another rhetorical device he uses often is repetition. This helps him show how significant a word or phrase might be by repeating it. The last device he uses very often is imagery. He uses intense figurative language to describe a setting or scene to really create the overall mood of a story. Edgar Allen Poe was an elaborate writer that had many writing styles and many ways to create mood.