The Mystery And Surprise Of Character Essay - 1426 Words

stories, would cease to exist and the tone of each story would not be near as terrifying as it is with the isolation playing a huge theme in Poe’s literature. Martin Luther King Jr. once said â€Å"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.† This quote could possibly be related to Poe’s characters in that their own character is measured on how they handle fear and terror. Harry Baker said of character and reactions to fear, â€Å"The mystery and surprise of character is in truth the great spectacle of this human life of ours...In a given set of circumstances, how will a certain individual (and no other) act?(Baker 143.) Poe brings his mystery into his stories by making his characters unpredictable with how they will handle their fear. The endings in each story are very much weighted by how how each character does respond to fear stimuli. Looking at The Te ll Tale Heart the narrator says, â€Å"In the quiet night, in the dark silence of the bedroom my anger became fear — for the heart was beating so loudly that I was sure someone must hear. The time had come! I rushed into the room, crying, â€Å"Die! Die!† The old man gave a loud cry of fear as I fell upon him and held the bedcovers tightly over his head. Still his heart was beating; but I smiled as I felt that success was near. For many minutes that heart continued to beat; but at last the beating stopped. The old man was dead. I tookShow MoreRelatedNotes On The Novel Fences And Pied Piper Of Tucson 1080 Words   |  5 PagesUnit 1 Guide Unit Learning Trajectory Students examine the ways in which mystery, tension, and surprise are used in informational and literary texts to engage and intrigue readers. First, students read short stories and poetry, including a close reading of Joyce Carol Oates’ short story, â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† and Mara Bovsun’s article, â€Å"Pied Piper of Tucson;† they identify and describe ways authors ‘hook and hold’ readers with specific choices. Next, students read theRead MoreAnalysis Of Fences By August Wilson1179 Words   |  5 PagesStudents are not to cold read the play during this period. It is essential for their understanding that this first read comes from a fluent adult reader or (less ideally) from a recording of the play. Teachers should pre-select moments of tension or surprise when students should stop and jot their thoughts, ideas and questions about the text. The suggested cues for the open jots is at the end of every scene are: a. I know_____________________ b. I think______________________ c. I wonder____________________Read MoreA Great Book Is Not A Work Of Luck877 Words   |  4 Pagesrelatable characters, develops an emotional connection to the reader, and features an unpredictable plotline. Characters are often a figment of the author s imagination. In order for any media to be appealing to the average human, characters must be relatable. There are many types of characters in a novel, such as a main character vs. a supporting character, a protagonist vs. an antagonist, and a dynamic character vs. a static character. In order for a book to be great, these characters must haveRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson925 Words   |  4 Pagesreporter which counterparts the apathy of the townspeople, through the unprejudiced narrative voice, the dark an effect of uncertainty grows while the twisted ending of the story remains a surprise to the reader. Throughout the story, any knowledge of the event is only publicized to the reader through the characters’ actions and words. 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Consider making the goal more specific and focus on one major patient. Create the story of the imaginary friend to be more compelling and mysterious. So, if the goal is to help Donald, make his story more captivating and stay focused on this story. Make it more suspenseful and peel away the mystery. Try to create a twist. Consider moving up what Slice says, â€Å"DeadRead MoreDiffferences in Detective Stories Essays824 Words   |  4 Pagesdamsel in distress even in detective stories. Whereas now in the remake of Sherlock Holmes the character played by Rachel McAdams has a huge role in helping solve cases. Another difference, although this depends on the writer, is at what point the actual murder takes place whether it is at the beginning of the story or the end. 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This is because the atmosphere of mystery and suspense is present in the story, there are common vocabularies of gothic and there are supernatural and inexplicable events. First of all, The Black Cat is associated with the Gothic literature because there is the atmosphere of mystery and suspense. The story contains a threatening mood and a fear throughout. An ancient prophecy as well as omen, portents andRead MoreThe Importance of Houses in English Literature717 Words   |  3 Pagesanalyzing the significance of houses in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, â€Å"The Lake Isle of Innisfree† by W. B. Yeats, and Dracula by Bram Stoker, it confirms that houses have reached beyond their functional roles, and have developed characters such as, history, ideology, and mystery, which can foreshadow future occurances by illustrating the motivation and drive of the owner of the household. In Austen’s Northanger Abbey, the Tilneys’ house, Northanger Abbey, is used as a place to show-off the extent of