c

c
c
c
c
The Raven &The Cask of Amontillado Comparison Paper

In this literary comparison, the two literary styles used in both works The Raven and

The Cask of Amontillado will be compared and contrasted. In The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe

utilizes rhythmic poetry and redundancy to make his poem more dramatic. Where as in The

Cask of Amontillado, there is not a use of repetition but he uses irony and a morbid style of

narration which helps Poe illustrate the mindset of the character Montressor. Between the two

literary works The Raven and The Cask of Amontillado there is a shared theme of death, irony,

symbolism coupled with eerie narration which helps Poe to paint a vivid portrait of the

characters' grim outcomes.

In the short story of The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor claims that Fortunato has

insulted him a thousand times which sets the stage for revenge and murder. This story is told

from the first person perspective, and is narrated by the character Montresor. Montresor uses

the terminology a "Thousand injuries" and "insult" to validate his reasoning for the murder.

Montresor uses Fortunado's insults for excuse to murder.

"THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon

insult, I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose,

however, that I gave utterance to a threat. AT LENGTH I would be avenged; this was a point

definitively settled -- but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea

of risk. I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when

retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make

himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong."(Approaching Literature - The Cask Of

Amontillado pg. 472)

Irony is apparent throught both stories. Strating with the title of The story The Cask Of

Amontillado the word "Cask" which means wine barrel and is derived from the root word

casket ironically describes forutanado's final resting place. As in The Raven the use of the bird

The Raven ironically reprensents an ill-omen and is often viewed as a barer of bad news. The

raven in the poem "The Raven" is the messenger that tells the narrator of the poem that he

would be alone and Lenore would not return to him.

The name Fortunato ironically means the fortunate one. The use of irony in this story is

illustrated by Fortunado being anything but fortunate in this story. As the story progresses,

Montresor decides to kill Fortunato at the carnival where Fortunato is costumed as a court

jester. This speaks to Fortunato's character. This section of the story helps the reader to see

possibly that Fortunato is a prankster. Montresor was possibly offended by one of his pranks

and was compelled to murder him. In this story there is also the use of foreshadowing. For

example, Montresor leading Fortunato into the catacombs is parallel to leading him to the
depths hell and imminent death. This is illustrated by Fortunato when he says, "I shall not die of

a cough" and Montresor replies "true" this foreshadows Fortunato's death not by cough but by

asphyxiation. Fortunato's dialogue with Montresor about the Free Masons is another example of

foreshadowing alluding to the manner in which Fortunato will be murdered.

I looked at him in surprise. He repeated the movement -- a grotesque one.

"You do not comprehend?" he said.

"Not I," I replied.

"Then you are not of the brotherhood."

"How?"

"You are not of the masons."

"Yes, yes," I said "yes! yes."

"You? Impossible! A mason?"

"A mason," I replied.

"A sign," he said.

"It is this," I answered, producing a trowel from beneath the folds of my roquelaire.

"You jest," he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces. "But let us proceed to the Amontillado."

(Approaching Literature - The Cask Of Amontillado pg. 477)

When Fortunato disputes Montresor's being a free mason this infuriates Montresor

which drives Montresor to murder. By Montresor murdering Fortunato by sealing him in a

brick wall enclosure was Montresor demonstrating to Fortunato that he is indeed a free mason

and speaks greatly to his deeply-rooted hatred for Fortunato.

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is a morbid reflection on lost love, hope and death. The

poem looks into the emotions of a man who has lost his lover to death and who tries to distract

himself from his sorrow through books and reading. Books seem to be of little help to his

feeling of solitude as his night is disturbed by the raven. Throughout this poem, Poe's use

symbolism, imagery and tone, as well as a variety of other poetic elements to enforce his theme

of sadness and death.

In the poem "The Raven" the narrator in the poem is assumed to a middle-aged man that is

grieving the lost of his wife Lenore. As he sits in his chamber, he is visited by a raven. The

raven throughout the poem repeats the same phrase to the narrator "Nevermore". The raven is

ironically used in the poem to illustrate that death and darkness is imminent. The use of irony is

prevalent in many of Poe's works. The use of irony is also apparent in The Cask of

Amontillado" where Fortunato disputes Montresor's membership to the free masons but is

eventually a victim of Montresor's masonry.

In the poem, Poe divides the characters and imagery into two conflicting aspects of light

and dark. Almost everything in the poem reflects one world or the other. For example, Lenore,

who is repeatedly described as "radiant" embodies the world of light along with the angels she

has joined. Another image of light would be the lamplight the character uses to light his

chamber, as he seems to retreat from the darkness of the outside.

"Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; And each separate dying ember

wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow -- vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow -- sorrow for the lost Lenore-- For the rare and radiant

maiden whom the angels name Lenore-- Nameless here for evermore."

The Raven, in conjunction with the dreary December night shows signs of darkness.

These images of light and darkness throughout the poem go even further to represent life and

death, the man's hope of an afterlife with Lenore and his fear of everlasting loneliness.

The Raven, told from the third person, uses symbolism to create a strong gloomy tone. For

example, both midnight and December symbolize an end of something and the hope of

something new to happen. Another example is the chamber in which the narrator is placed; this

is used to show the loneliness of the man.

Along with imagery and symbolism, Poe incorporates many poetic elements to express

his feeling. These include assonance, alliteration, and rhyme. Assonance is the repetition of

vowel sounds. For example "For the race and radiant maiden, whom the angels name Lenore."

This repeats the vowel sound of "a". Poe also used a lot of alliteration. For example, "Doubting

dreaming dreams no mortal level, dared to dream before". Notice the repetition of the "d"

sound. One last element used in "The Raven" is rhyme. A good example of this can be found in

the first stanza; dreary, weary, tapping, door, door, more. This is an abcbbb pattern. Each of

these sound devices reinforces the meaning by emphasizing important words.

 In the story of a Cask of Amontillado and the poem The Raven, the theme of death and

imminent danger is prevalent throughout both literary works. Poe's usage of irony and

symbolism in both works helps the reader identify more with the characters and understand

their mindstate.

Works Cited

Cestre, C. (2011, January 11). Edgar Allan Poe Biography. Retrieved from Bio True Story:

http://www.biography.com/articles/Edgar-Allan-Poe-9443160?part=3

Mandell, K. &. (2007). Literature Reading Racting Writing 7th Edition. Boston, Ma:

Wadsworth Cage Learning.

Ridl, P. S. (2008). Approaching Literature 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin's.