A Critical Essay on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher (1

The twenty first century author Alexandra Iftodi Zamfir (1986- ) argues that ‘architecture and settings are more important in Gothic fiction than in any other type of literature.’ (Zamfir. 2011: 15). The nature of architectural space performs a significant role within the narrative structure of Gothic fiction as it creates and builds layers of imagery that signify the horrific and gloomy; a construction full of atmosphere and suspense. It was the Gothic writer Horace Walpole (1717-1797) who first illustrated in his Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto (1764) an example symbolic to the nature and power of architectural space explored through the nature from his own â€Å"†¦house in Strawberry Hill which was the most complete neo-Gothic structure of the time. His mansion, as the author admits, stands at the base of†¦architectural design†¦shapes, decors, landscapes, were all under one form or another, elements of Gothic construction.† (Zamfir. 2011 : 18). This critical essay will explore and analyse the nature of Gothic architecture deployed as a vehicle of Gothic construction within the narrative structure of the American author Edgar Allan Poe’s (1809-1849) macabre and fictional prose The Fall of the House of Usher (1839). (Poe. 1987: 1). I shall present and argue how the artistic effects deployed in the narrative structure create an atmosphere of tension and suspense, through the exploration and investigation of Gothic architecture, demonstrating a close reading and analysis from key passages of the text applying psychoanalytical examples from the nineteenth century theorist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). (Chiriac: 1998-2011). The Fall of the House of Usher was written by the American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe, it first feat... ...gn_of_Space_in_Gothic_Architecture. [Accessed 11th May 2012] Giordano, R. (2005-2011) Poestories.com: An Exploration of Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. [On-line] Available from: http://www.poestories.com/. [Accessed 24th September 2011] Gunn, A.G. (1997-2002) Cyclopaedia of Ghost Story Writers. [On-line] Available from: http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~agg/ghosts/#poeea. [Accessed 24th September 2011] Hallqvist, C. (2001) The Poe Decoder. [On-line] Available from: http://www.poedecoder.com/. [Accessed 24th September 2011] Montagna, J.A. (2006) The Industrial Revolution. [On-line] Available from: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/2/81.02.06.x.html. [Accessed 11th May 2012] Pridmore, J. (1998-2011) Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). [On-line] Available from: http://www.literaryhistory.com/19thC/Poe.htm. [Accessed 24th September 2011]

In what ways do poets portray the exprience of war in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and in ‘For the Fallen’ Essay

Laurence Binyon wrote ‘ For the Fallen’ in 1914, at the beginning of the Great War, while Wilfred Owen composed his ‘ Dulce et Decorum Est’ in 1917-18, by the end of the conflict. This difference in time means that there might be inconsistencies in the portrayal of the war, due to the changing perspectives of the fighting, which in turn would provoke irregularities in the purpose, style and nature of the two poems. In ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, Owen tries to prove us that war has no mighty purpose behind it and that it is just a waste of lives. He describes one soldier dying with verbs such as ‘guttering, choking, drowning’ and gives an account of the blood which came ‘gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs’. This strikingly visceral portrayal of loss of life suggests that he sees nothing spiritual or divine in the sacrifices that the soldiers make for their country. He prefers to depict the experience of the war as true and cruel as it is in reality without sparing the reader. In the poem we are informed about two deaths. The first is due to harsh conditions, when some soldiers ‘dropped behind’, while the second is caused by lethal gas that one of the soldier inhales. In both of these cases, the young men’s deaths didn’t contribute in any way to the protection of their country and they weren’t even fighting when they passed away. This suggests that war is just a waste of human life which won’t secure England’s peace. In ‘For the Fallen’, Binyon tells us that the soldiers have ‘fallen in the cause of the free’, thus suggesting that they try to make the world a better place, that they fight for something good. This gives war a mighty purpose and to the deaths meaning. This idea of ‘for the greater good’ is further highlighted in the phrase ‘a glory that shines upon our tears’, which conveys the idea that the sacrifices of the soldiers contribute to the welfare of society and that’s why everybody should be proud of those who are fighting. It is clear that the two poems depict the meaning and purpose of the war very differently. While Owen indicates that war is a meaningless and cruel waste, Binyon tries to cast a better light upon the deaths of the soldiers, giving their sacrifices a higher significance and thus implying that war – with all its faults – is for the greater good. In Owen’s poem the soldiers going to the fight are ‘like old beggars under sacks’, ‘coughing like hags’ ‘blood shot’ and ‘drunk with fatigue’. ‘Many had lost their boots’, implying that they cannot face the harsh conditions of the war and that they are even unable to look after their essential belongings. The description of bootless ‘beggars’ is humiliating, while their tiredness and the hag simile suggests that there are lethargic and hopeless. Their physical appearance isn’t attractive either. All these depict the soldiers as tired, old and humiliated men who are unable to face life and are completely incompetent in war. However, in Binyon’s version the soldiers ‘went with songs to the battle’, suggesting their fearlessness and gaiety. ‘They were young, straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow’. This phrase conveys an admiration for the almost divine soldiers who seem to be the incarnation of some hero from a child’s tale – powerful, handsome and determined men who save the world. This image of glorious warriors seems to be taken out of a happy-end story – rather than the realism – to satisfy the audience. Once again the dissimilarity between the two accounts is obvious. Owen sticks to the merciless truth, while Binyon sees something beyond the harsh experience of the war. Actually, he seems to use the brutality of the fighting and the deaths to emphasise the greatness and divinity of the soldiers. In ‘Dulce et decorum Est’ soldiers die either to the harsh conditions of the war, or due to poisonous gas. The soldier who experienced the later, plunges at the nearest men choking and drowning – an image of a helpless, suffering person. Unlike the soldiers in Owen’s poem, in ‘For the Fallen’, the fighters ‘fell with their faces to the foe’, – not to their companions – in the middle of the battle, fearless and brave. The determination which they seem to possess suggests that they believe that their deaths have a higher purpose. This encourages the reader and the mourning families to have faith that their loved ones’ lives weren’t wasted, but contrarily represented a salvage for humanity. It seems that the greatest difference between the two poems lies in the way they portray death and their significance. In ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ the dying soldier’s face is ‘like a devil’s sick of sin’ with ‘writhing eyes’. The phrase implies that the soldiers committed the greatest sins, most probably killing, which this altered the way they viewed life forever. They seem to be ‘sick’ not only of the war, but of the persons in which the war transformed them, into devils. The ‘writhing eyes’ suggests the violent ending that they had, and it possibly implies that they never found peace. The mention of the devil together with this, insinuates that they will never go to heaven, but rather to hell. The phrase ‘incurable sores on innocent tongues’ further emphasises the idea that the experience of the war severely damaged their character in a negative and irredeemable way. ‘Incurable sores’ implies that the greatest wounds were not physical, but psychological, and this might be the reason why they will never find peace, not even the moment they die. In ‘For the Fallen’ death is ‘august and royal’, thus dignified and splendid, something rather positive and good. This is because the sacrificed soldiers’ songs go to up ‘into immortal spheres’, suggesting the place where the dead soldiers found peace. This idea is repeated throughout the whole poem. The phrase ‘they shall not grow old, as we that are left to grow old’ implies that the deceased soldiers are divine, angelic and eternal beings. Due to their valiant death, their gift is that of eternity, as if their vibrant, determined and brave souls were immortalised, and thus they will be forever young, forever in the best of their condition. The deceased soldier’s march in the ‘heavenly plains’ is ‘as the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness’. ‘Heavenly’ and ‘stars’ suggest that the divine fighters will always light upon the mortal humans, guiding and pr otecting them. ‘Time of our darkness’ refers to the war, and how young men, in the hardest periods of their life, left their homes to save their loved ones, as they will always do from heaven. Binyon sees a continuation of life after death, and that’s why the choice of the word ‘fallen’ in the title, because the sacrificed young men never die. Contrarily, they seem to receive a better, divine existence, incomparable to that of their living fellows. This idea might very well surprise Owen, who suggests that the experience of the war turned the innocent soldiers into devils, who will never find peace in heaven, but will burn in hell – thus the violent death of the soldier and the ‘obscene cancer’ which infects him. The differences between the portrayals of the experience of war in the two poems in striking. Binyon’s account is patriotic one, which glorifies the fallen soldiers and gives meaning and divinity to their deaths. However, considering the time when it was written – at the beginning of the Great War – we can get a better understanding of the poet’s reasons for such an idyllic portrayal of the fighting. At the start of it, the government needed to make the idea of warfare an appealing one in order to have young men risking their lives in the battle . Thus the attractive and heroic depiction of the combating soldiers. At the same time, the poem tries to soothe the mourning families, and this explains the almost holly aura that encircles the deaths on the front. However, as time went on, people got tired of the war and the increasing number of deaths. Soldiers returning from the battle spread the world about appalling conditions and cruel, meaningless deaths. O wen, who wrote the poem by the end of the conflict, seems to be well informed about the direct experience of the war and at the same time he is aware of the patriotic and idyllic accounts that existed at the beginning of the fighting. This explains the angry, visceral and meaningless deaths which he depicts in his poem, almost as if he was angry about people lying and making war seem a worthy, purposeful thing. And indeed, his poem ends with a call to other people not to ‘tell with such high zest/To children ardent for some glory, / the old Lie: Dulce et decorum est/ Pro patria mori (It is sweet, and honourable to die for one’s country). Owen wrote as an answer to other poems such as Binyon’s which glorify the experience of war, and this is why he chose the title ‘Dulce et decorum est’, to arise the memory of the patriotic accounts from the beginning of the war, and then throughout his poem to shatter ‘the old Lie’. He personifies this lie with the capital letter, making it seem as a destructive, evil person. This is the reason why Owen sticks to visceral descriptions – he prefers not to spare the reader, because he believes that the Lie is even crueller than th e merciless reality of the war.

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding - 1139 Words

Throughout Lord of the Flies emotional feelings challenge the boys along with tasks the boys need to complete to get off the island as soon as possible. When the group breaks in two, the reader is shown emotional challenges that individuals undertake prior to this event. Golding uses the breaking of the groups to show the literal breaking point, the straw that breaks the camels back. We see that several characters such as Piggy Ralph, and Simon want to be part of the group. These individuals face emotional difficulties. Through the emotional difficulties, the boys have difficulties with their concentration and grip on getting off the island. Trying to face an emotional challenge is like going through a maze. It is difficult for an†¦show more content†¦The boys stop having respect for Piggy, and immediately they having no respect for each other. â€Å"Ralph pushed Piggy to one side... Ralph made a step forward and Jack smacked Piggy’s head. â€Å" and a few pages lat er â€Å"Eat! Damn you! He glared at Simon. Take it.† Immediate disrespect arises, not just to Piggy. The wheel of jealousy that is constantly turning each of the boys is another cause towards the breaking apart of the groups. The wheel turns from one person to the next, in an endless loop. When Ralph orders the meeting after they lost track of their first ship, he is confused with his feelings. Ralph sees the boys with the pig, and has mixed emotions with his anger and jealousy. He wants to be part of their lot but is angry that they lost their opportunity to be rescued. The boys start screaming: â€Å"‘Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.’ Ralph watched them, envious and resentful. Not till they flagged and the chant died away, did he speak.Im calling an assembly.†Ralph understands that they are turning into savages, and he is even jealous that the boys as a group are embracing the hunting and the killing of the pig . The festivities over the dying pig symbolize a unified action the boys have completed. Ralph is jealous that they have become one unified g roup and himself as the leader was neglected. He is well aware that Jack is beginning to step up and that he needs to bring the order back. His response is toShow MoreRelatedLord Of The Flies By William Golding869 Words   |  4 PagesLord of the Flies Psychology Sometimes people wear fake personas like a cloak over their shoulders, used to hide what is really underneath. This harsh reality is witnessed in William Golding’s classic Lord of the Flies, a novel that is famous for not only its sickening plot, but also for the emotional breakdowns all of its characters experience. These issues are akin to those shown in certain real-world psychological experiments. A summary of Golding’s Lord of the Flies, combined with the evidenceRead MoreThe Lord Of The Flies By William Golding1347 Words   |  6 Pages The theme of The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is the reason society is flawed is because people are flawed. Although Piggy is knowledgeable, he has many flaws including his laziness and physical inabilities. Ralph is an authority seeker. He sets rules and laws, yet does little to enforce them. Ralph wants to be the ruler, without doing the work to enforce his laws. Jack is persistent. He is rude, harsh and violent in or der to get what he wants. He wants to be supreme. Piggy’s flaws areRead MoreLord Of The Flies By William Golding1123 Words   |  5 PagesIn the novel Lord of The Flies by William Golding, the characters Ralph, Piggy, and Jack represent important World War II leaders Franklin Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, and Winston Churchill. Golding, who had served in World War II, was well aware of the savagery created, and used it to base his book on. Ralph represents Franklin Roosevelt , Jack represents Adolf Hitler, and Piggy represents Winston Churchill. Ralph being of the novel’s main protagonist is important in the outcome of the story becauseRead MoreThe Lord Of The Flies By William Golding1065 Words   |  5 PagesThe Lord of the Flies Essay The Lord of the Flies written by William Golding and published on September 17, 1954 is a story told about a group of stranded boys and their fight for survival against the wilderness and themselves. In this story many signs of symbolism are used by Golding to point out certain aspects of society that Golding thought strongly of. This story on first read may just seem to be a survival- esque piece of literature but, on a deeper look one can find Golding’s true motiveRead MoreLord of The Flies by William Golding619 Words   |  2 PagesGovernments are no different; they fight for power just like the rest of us do. They just do it on a much bigger scale. Qualities from Oligarchy, Totalitarianism, Democracy, Dictatorship, and Anarchy governments are used in several parts of Lord of The Flies that represent different characters and different situations. An Oligarchy is a small group of people having control of a country or organization. A Totalitarianism government is a form of government that permits no individual freedom and thatRead MoreThe Lord of the Flies by William Golding1306 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Lord of the Flies, William Golding creates a microcosm that appears to be a utopia after he discharged from the British Royal Navy following World War II. 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Its either about the inalienable underhanded of man, or mental battle, or religion, or personal inclination, or the creators emotions on war; however William Golding was in the Navy throughout World War II, or perhapsRead MoreLord Of The Flies By William Golding1383 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to Lord of the Flies is still a Blueprint for Savagery by Eleanor Learmonth and Jenny Tabakoff, the words â€Å"I’m afraid. Of us† first appeared in Golding’s novel 60 years ago. Lord of the Flies by William Golding follows a group of schoolboys trapped on an island after a plane crash during a world war. At the beginning, they celebrate as the y have total autonomy as there are no adults around. They attempt to establish a civilization but when order collapses, they go on a journey from civilizationRead MoreLord of the Flies, by William Golding1055 Words   |  5 Pages In William Goldings Lord of the Flies a group of English school boys crash land onto an uninhabited island somewhere in the Mid Atlantic ocean. Ralph, the protagonist and also the elected leader, tries to maintain peace and avoid any calamity on the island. However, Jack is neither willing to contribute nor listen because he is jealous of Ralph and has a sickening obsession with killing boars. Ralph has some good traits that help him maintain peace and balance for a period of time. He is charismaticRead MoreLord Of The Flies By William Golding Essay1475 Words   |  6 Pages Outline Introduction Short intro for Lord of the Flies Short intro on Gangs The bullying and group mentality demonstrated in gangs has resemblances to the characters in Lord of the Flies. II. Bullying/Group mentality Gangs Drugs/Loyalty B. Lord of the flies Jack kills the pig/Jack and Ralph fight III. Effects B. Lord of the flies Jack killing the pig aftermath Violence IV. Conclusion Gangs are considered a group of people that have a common link together