Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Cask of Amontillado

1.On which effect does Poe focus his story? How do you know? Support your answer.

13 comments:

rebecca said...

Poe uses a theme of revenge throughout "The Cask of Amontillado." The narrator, Montresor, wants to get back at Fortunato for all the wrong thing that he did to him. Montresor wants the revenge on Fortunato to be at equal or more of an amount,from the bad things Fortunato did to him. Montresor also does not want to get caught in the action. To accomplish this he gets Fortunato drunk and brings him to a underground cemetary. Where Montresor kills Fortunato by suffication. Montresor puts the body within the walls of the cemetary. The body of Fortunato is not found until 50 years later making Montresor's revenge successfull. Montresor was able to kill this man without anyone knowing and know one found the body till later when Montresor was dead, himself.

Ian said...

Throughout the story of The Cask of Amontillado, Poe uses the theme of revenge. Montresor wants to get back at Fortunato for "The thousand injuries of Fortunato that I had borne as I best could". Poe states that revenge is only complete if you don't get caught doing it. Montresor's revenge on Fortunato was very succesful because he was never caught and Fortunato was not found until 50 years later when Montresor had allready died.

Second!

lauren :] said...

Poe goes for a calm delusional affect of revenge in his story. In the beginning of the story, Poe explains the circumstance of Fortunato offending Montresor and Montresor's patience snapping, which then leads him to plotting his revenge. Then throughout the rising action, the tone remains consistently casual. Montresor seems very comfortable and sure about killing Fortunato, never expressing regret, doubt or second thoughts.He also gives off a deceptive affect throughout the rising action by being friendly to Fortunato and getting him even more drunk than he already was. It's not until the climax that Poe's tone completely changes. When Montresor throws the chain around Fortunato, Montresor almost starts describing the story in present tense and says how he really feels. Poe changes the tone from slow and deceptive to accelerated and honest. Knowing that Poe changed the tone of the word "throwing" means he ment to emphasize it, and that means Poe wanted to emphasize revenge. The fact that Montresor also said, "Nemo me impune lacessit"(276) and that Montresor never got caught for killing Fortunato, means that Poe wanted the effect of impunity and revenge.

Amy said...

Like everyone else has said...it's all about REVENGE!

Fortunato is a friend, or aquaintance rather, of Montresor and he's been pushing Montresor's buttons ever since they met. Eventually Fortunato shoves Montresor over the edge and now Montresor finally decides that it's payback time. The entire story is written in a way that the reader knows Montresor is going to have his revenge; he himself basically states it within the first few paragraphs. Montresor's anger and wit is displayed in every sentence written that is related to him. There was no other events going on either; just Montresor and his plot so the reader was not sidetracked by anything else. Poe draws out the ending by descriptive detail of the things that are said and done by the men as they walk down the catacombs to Montresor's death chamber. The last words are even in relation to revenge, the whole story and every word in it relates.to.Montresor's.revenge.

deanna said...

Well, obviously as everyone has stated, which I agree with, is revenge. In the beginning of the story Poe brings in a situation that people may be able to relate to like a friend who just irks you. Then finally this friend just crosses the line and you want to get back at this person for all the times they've done things and you've never done anything about it. He describes the whole story up until the climax apathetically as in a sort of robotic tone. Revenge was so much on Montresor's mind that it took over and left him with so much hate that it took over his being and wanted to make Fortunato suffer. Fortunato did suffer by suffocating to death. However, no one knew about it until many years later because Montresor first of all did not want anyone to know about it and also secondly he did not want to tarnish the good natured person he appears to others. The want of revenge can do the worse to people who do not make amends.

Jim C said...

The focus of the story is revenge. Montresor wants revenge on Fortunato for some insult he had given him. The entire story is about Montresor leading Fortunato to where he will kill him and bury the evidence for all time. Montresor does it this way so that he will bare no consequences for his actions, or act with impunity. He uses deceit and Fortunato drunken state to get him to such and secluded location and then dispatch him without a second thought.

Jim C said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Billy Czaja said...

Poe focuses the story on revenge. Throughout the story Montresor is trying to get back on the actions that Fortunado did. Poe changes the tone of the story throughout from nice to complete revenge and action. The way Montresor gets revenge is very clever because he does so in a way that he will not get in trouble and noone will know what happened to Fortunado. This shows that Montresor is a pretty smart person to come up with the clever idea about the Amontillade hidden in the catacomb. The tone of the story changes when Poe writes "throwing" this leads to the point of no return for Montresor.

Billy Czaja said...

Poe focuses the story on revenge. Throughout the story Montresor is trying to get back on the actions that Fortunado did. Poe changes the tone of the story throughout from nice to complete revenge and action. The way Montresor gets revenge is very clever because he does so in a way that he will not get in trouble and noone will know what happened to Fortunado. This shows that Montresor is a pretty smart person to come up with the clever idea about the Amontillade hidden in the catacomb. The tone of the story changes when Poe writes "throwing" this leads to the point of no return for Montresor.

knutz said...

Poe uses the theme of revenge throughout the story, and casts this theme by using irony and foreshadowing. An example of foreshadowing and irony toward Fortunato's death is on page 276.

"My poor friend found it impossible to reply for many minutes... 'Come,' I said, with decision,'we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed... We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible."

Foreshadowing is evident toward Montresor getting his revenge on Fortunado. He keeps getting at the fact that Fortunado is sick, and that he would be missed if he died, and how he cannot be held responsible if he were to die. And then Fortunado continues by saying, "the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough." And he does not end up dying of a cough, because Montresor kills him.

JETER said...

Throughout the story of teh cask of Amontillado, the author uses the theme of revenge. Montresor wants to get back at fortunado for all of the injuries. Poe says revenge is only complete if you arent caught. I agree fully. You cant get revenge on someone if they know its coming.

Micaela :-) said...

the theme of the story The Cask of Amontillado is revenge. Poe states this throughout the short story and reinforces it by using irony and foreshadowing in his dialogues in the story. Poe wants to get back at his "friend" Fortunato for all the things he has ever said or done to him. Poe also emphasizes the point of getting revenge with impunity, which he achieves by killing Fortunato without anyone ever finding out

evil Jim said...

Uhm, I think the theme that Poe focuses on in the story is revenge, but the 10 people before me could be wrong. Anyway, From the begining of this very short and very satiracle story, the narrator tells the reader that a character named Fortunado has wronged him and that he is seaking vengence. Not only vengence, however, but vengence without punishment. The narrator, Montressor, therefore devises a long and thoughtout plan to bring Fortunado what is coming to him. Ultimatly, Fortunado ends up drunk and suffocating in an underground cemetary where Montresor locks him in essentially. He attains his revenge and doesn't get caught, as far as the reader knows.