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Example research essay topic: Edgar Allen Poe Man Versus Man - 839 words

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Poe's Use of First Person in The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allen Poe's tale of murder and revenge, The Cask of Amontillado, offers a unique perspective into the mind of a deranged murderer. The effectiveness of the story is largely due to its first person point of view, which allows the reader a deeper involvement into the thoughts and motivations of the protagonist, Montresor. The first person narration results in an unbalanced viewpoint on the central conflict of the story, man versus man, because the reader knows very little about the thoughts of the antagonist, Fortunato. The setting of The Cask of Amontillado, in the dark catacombs of Montresor's wine cellar, contributes to the storys theme that some people will go to great lengths to fanatically defend their honor.

Because Montresor narrates the story in the first person, the reader is able to perceive his thoughts and understand his motivations and justifications for his ruthless murder in a manner which a third person point of view would not allow. Montresor's personal narration of the events of the story does not justify his crime in the audiences eyes, but it does offer a unique opportunity for the audience to view a murder from the perspective of a madman killer. It is Poe's usage of this unique angle that causes the story to be so captivating and gruesomely fascinating. As the story opens, Montresor explains why it is necessary that he not only punish but punish with impunity to avenge for Fortunato insult to him. This justification for his crime is a piece of information that the audience is able to learn only because they are permitted inside the mind of the protagonist. In the final scene, when Montresor is carrying out his murder plans, the first person perspective allows the reader to feel what Montresor is feeling, and to see that Montresor has no remorse or uncertainty for his actions, but rather a smug satisfaction that justice has been served.

The first person perspective allows the audience only to learn basic information about the antagonist, Fortunato, and results in a very skewed perspective on the conflict of man versus man. The conflict centers around the pride and honor of two men, and the lengths that one of the men will go to in order to defend his honor to the other. Fortunato is portrayed as a conceited and arrogant man whose weaknesses are enhanced by the fact that he has had too much to drink. The conflict between the two men is somewhat one-sided because it is probable that Fortunato was ignorant of the fact that a serious conflict existed between himself and Montresor until the very end of his life. What one man likely viewed as a friendly rivalry, the other took as a justification for murder.

This story has an absence of the man versus self conflict which is generally found in a first person story because the narrator, Montresor, is completely certain of himself and never has an inner conflict doubting his actions. The dark and eerie tone of the murder story and its unusual setting contribute to the storys theme of defense of ones honor and avenging wrongdoing. The haughtiness and conceited attitudes of the two men create an extension of this theme in which Poe wants to show how far some men will go when they receive a blow to the ego. The storys setting in the wine catacombs beneath Montresor's house symbolizes the materialism that fuels the rivalry between the two men. The vaults are dark, damp, and musty, and this setting enhances the dramatic effect that the story has on the reader.

The unusual and eerie location of the story has the effect of distorting the readers sense of reality, which helps the reader relate better with the narrator and protagonist of the story. The storys tone gives it a somber, dark, and gloomy mood as the audience enters the lonely and eerie catacombs of Montresor's house as well as the deranged mind of Montresor himself. Montresor's final words In pace requiescat! meaning Rest in peace! directed at the bones removed from their crypt in order to make room for his friend end the tale on an ironic note because this statement reveals Montresor's satisfaction in his belief that justice has been served through his actions when he has actually removed a body from its resting place in order to replace it with a live one. Edgar Allen Poe's gruesomely fascinating tale of vengeance and murder, The Cask of Amontillado, achieves its effect only through its usage of the first person point of view.

This unusual perspective enables the reader to view the characters and conflicts through the eyes of the narrator, as he first discusses and justifies, and eventually, carries out his plans for the ruthless murder of his friend. The eerie tone and disorienting and materialistically-related setting of the story contribute to its theme of defending ones honor and name and avenging all wrongdoings, even something so small as an insult.


Free research essays on topics related to: man versus man, cask of amontillado, first person point, person point of view, edgar allen poe

Research essay sample on Edgar Allen Poe Man Versus Man

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