Edgar Poe's Use Of Sound
TOPIC: EDGAR ALLAN POE’S USE OF SOUND IN HIS SHORT STORIES
It is no wonder that what really scares people when watching horror movies is not the actual act being perpetrated in the movies but the sound effects that go into the scary scenes. Sounds are used by movie directors to instill certain intended emotions or thought process on viewers of a movie. The same can be said for authors who can use the description of or the reference to sound to influence a reader’s reaction or conclusion about a character or an event in the novel. Edgar Allan Poe is no exception of authors who use this tool or skill to direct a reader’s thoughts. Poe makes use of “sound” or a reference to it in his stories in a few instances to suggest certain information to the reader or allow readers experience certain emotions while describing certain scenes.
Edgar Allan Poe’s first story titled “The Cask of Amontillado” is about a man called Montresso who is on a mission to kill his friend, Furtonado. He lures Furtonado into his wine vault where he eventually chains him up in a niche in the vault and then builds a wall up to block off the entrance of the niche. On page 723, in the story of “The Cask of Amontillado”, the reader is introduced to Furtonado, who the main character Montresso wants to murder. Edgar Allan Poe describes this character- Fortunado - as “He had on a tight-fitting parti-stripped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.” By describing the outfit that Furtonado is wearing, Edgar Poe has painted a picture of a jester who is intoxicated since it was the carnival season and everyone was out and about having fun. The image of a cap with bells on it describes one who is most likely not to be taken serious and is considerably stupid enough to fall into a trap set for him that would lead to his death. It would be hard to take someone serious when the have bells making ringing noises and producing sounds attached to a cap on their head. Even though Poe
It is no wonder that what really scares people when watching horror movies is not the actual act being perpetrated in the movies but the sound effects that go into the scary scenes. Sounds are used by movie directors to instill certain intended emotions or thought process on viewers of a movie. The same can be said for authors who can use the description of or the reference to sound to influence a reader’s reaction or conclusion about a character or an event in the novel. Edgar Allan Poe is no exception of authors who use this tool or skill to direct a reader’s thoughts. Poe makes use of “sound” or a reference to it in his stories in a few instances to suggest certain information to the reader or allow readers experience certain emotions while describing certain scenes.
Edgar Allan Poe’s first story titled “The Cask of Amontillado” is about a man called Montresso who is on a mission to kill his friend, Furtonado. He lures Furtonado into his wine vault where he eventually chains him up in a niche in the vault and then builds a wall up to block off the entrance of the niche. On page 723, in the story of “The Cask of Amontillado”, the reader is introduced to Furtonado, who the main character Montresso wants to murder. Edgar Allan Poe describes this character- Fortunado - as “He had on a tight-fitting parti-stripped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.” By describing the outfit that Furtonado is wearing, Edgar Poe has painted a picture of a jester who is intoxicated since it was the carnival season and everyone was out and about having fun. The image of a cap with bells on it describes one who is most likely not to be taken serious and is considerably stupid enough to fall into a trap set for him that would lead to his death. It would be hard to take someone serious when the have bells making ringing noises and producing sounds attached to a cap on their head. Even though Poe