preview

Edgar Allan Poe Is An Incredibly Established American Author.

Good Essays

Edgar Allan Poe is an incredibly established American author. His writing style is easily identifiable due to his unique characterization and conspicuous usage of elevated vocabulary. Some of Poe’s pieces incorporate a character whom has committed a crime and is revealing to the readers how and why he committed it. It is not always explicitly started what motivates the individual to enact his crime; this enables the audience to look deeper into the story. The way Poe can place himself in a criminal 's mind is frightening. Poe’s stories always present themselves as eerie or sinister to the audience; therefore the audience is always engaged throughout the tale. An example of such a story would be Poe’s “The Black Cat.” The narrator of this …show more content…

Immediately following the homicide, the narrator tries to think of a way to hide the body. He even says he slept very soundly right after. It is common and humane for people to feel emotions such as guilt after a murder. In result of the narrator not experiencing any emotions, it can be deduced that the narrator is mentally unstable. To further the reasoning of him being unstable, a significant component to analyze would be how the narrator changes. In the beginning of the story, the narrator tells the readers that he was an intense animal lover and had a “tenderness of heart” (Poe 137). He alters from an animal enthusiast to an abusive, homicidal madman. Aside from a character’s behavior and the changes he has throughout the tale, one must also take into consideration what the he says or does not say. The narrator of “The Black Cat” writes his murderous history in a way to receive justification or sympathy from the audience. When the narrator refers to the black cat, he usually calls it beast to give the image of a dangerous animal rather than an innocent pet. This terminology is used to justify why he abuses and hung the cat. Moreover, the narrator articulates certain events as insignificant to persuade the audience that the instances are not as terrible as they are. An example would be when he slaughters his wife and immediately formulates a way to

Get Access