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The Black Cat Figurative Language Essay

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Edgar Allan Poe, to many, is the father of modern day horror. His famous “The Masque of the Red Death” tells a story of death itself invading the safety of one's home. “The Cask of Amontillado” shares the tale of a man's grudge against a former friend who had insulted him, and the punishment that ensues. In another tale, “The Black Cat”, a story of a kind man turned brutal due to alcoholism is told. In many of his stories, including the three previously stated, the use of various literary tools is present. Such appearance of these literary terms has enhanced his writings, allowing his horrific stories to become what he is remembered for. Out of all of the terms in his works, however, figurative language best represents Poe’s themes of murder, cruelty, …show more content…

When speaking of the Red Death, it is said, “He had come like a thief in the night.” Describing the Red Death's arrival as “like a thief in the night” allows readers to infer how quickly he came, stole something of importance - the life of men, in this case - , and left. Near the beginning, the passage illustrates the signs of the Red Death's Presence. “The scarlet stains...were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men.” The scarlet stains, blood, could not literally shut away men to keep them from health, but their appearance disturbed and frightened others, leading to the victim being left to a cruel, lonely death. Later on, a significant part of the story is explained when the story tells, “It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence.” This chilling short story truly portrays Poe’s main themes incredibly

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