Poe\'s Sound -- Makes Sound Stories Covered

¶ … Poe's sound -- makes sound stories covered class: "Cask Amontillado" "The Tell-Tale Heart." Some things: sound relates stories ( plots, characters) effect reader efficiency a tool ( Poe's working) story lack include element.

Edgar Allen Poe's use of sound in "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Tell-Tale Heart"

Edgar Allen Poe used sound as a principal and yet subtle technique meant to intensify the feelings that his texts put across. The American author concentrated on developing a more intimate connection with his readers by making use of a series of elements that some might consider uncharacteristic when regarding a short story. "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" are both designed to use sound with the purpose of intriguing and frightening readers, as sounds intensify each feeling and build up suspense up to the point where readers feel horrified as they try to anticipate what comes next.

From the very first moments when readers come across "The Cask of Amontillado," they are provided with the chance to 'hear' from the story's narrator: Montresor. In spite of the fact that this character oozes distrust with every word that he says, his story is so shocking that it is actually captivating. One is not necessarily interested in wanting to find out what happened to the narrator as he or she continues to read the story, as they simply want to find out more about the story's ending.

Poe's usage of Montresor as the narrator is certainly frightening for most readers, as this character seems to have no sense of morality and he turns some of the most horrible images into images that actually seem attractive. This is probably why it is scary to go across his vivid descriptions. The way that he relates to piles of bones and the horrible smell of rotting corpses further amplifies the feeling of intriguing disgust that he puts across. One can actually say that Montresor is an appealing character precisely because of the paradoxes that he expresses through his narrative.

One of the most disturbing moments is when Montresor builds the wall imprisoning Fortunato for life. The victim appears to shake with all his power in order to escape and Poe's use of the sound of bells and chains jingling as he shakes contributes to the feeling of horror emphasized as the storyline progresses. The jingling further increases the story's intensity as Montresor throws a torch through the only hole left in the wall in order to amplify Fortunato's suffering. Not only does Montresor appear to feel little to no regret as a result of sentencing a person to death, as the sound of bells jingling actually makes him feel pleased with himself and with the position that his adversary is in.

Many readers are likely to be saddened as a result of acknowledging the circumstances in which the event takes place and Montresor's dark personality. The sound of bells jingling stand as a reminder of the happy world outside of Fortunato's tomb and its presence in such a bleak situation only succeeds in making the story gloomier.

The narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is, similar to the one in "The Cask of Amontillado," untrustworthy and actually seems to be uncertain with regard to his thought process and with regard to his attitudes in general. He is determined to do something about an old man who, in spite of his apparent serenity, has a pale blue eye similar to a vulture's eye. This respective physical feature is extremely disturbing for the narrator and he believes that it would be essential for him to murder the old man on account of the eye.

Consequent to several nights during which the narrator stalks his victim without having the courage to act, he decides that, after a week, it is time for him to go through with his plan of killing the old man. However, as he proceeds with trying to murder his victim, the old man lets out a desperate cry that sends shivers into the killer's spine. As the situation grows tenser, the narrator hears a pounding that he associates with his victim's heart beating, thus meaning that the old man is terrified. The narrator rapidly realizes that this loud pounding might alert the old man's neighbors and goes through with murdering the old man. Poe's focus on describing the scene by first emphasizing the old man's scream and then his heart pounding plays an important role in making sound an essential concept having readers gain a more complex understanding regarding the condition that the narrator has come across.