Edgar Allan Poe was one of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century. Perhaps he is best know for is ominous short stories. Two

of these stories were "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Raven." In these short stories Poe uses imagery in many different forms

to enhance the mood and setting of the story. In my essay I will approach three aspects of Poe's use of imagery. These three are

when Poe uses it to develop the setting, to develop the mood, and to develop suspense. Through out all of Poe's stories he uses

imagery to develop the setting. If the setting is established well, you can understand the story better. Some examples of when Poe

used imagery to develop the setting in "The Raven" as well as "The Cask of Amontillado." Some imagery from "The Cask…" were "It

was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of carnival season…" he uses that excerpt to establish the time. Later on,

the narrator says "…bowed him through several suites of rooms to the archway that led into vaults. I passed down a long and

winding staircase, requesting him to be cautious as he followed. We came at length to the foot of the descent, and stood together

upon the damp ground of the catacombs of the Montressors." That excerpt develops the setting in the eerie catacombs of the

Montressors, the way Poe writes the reader can visualize the actual place. There are many uses of imagery throughout "The Cask of

Amontillado," but there was also many in "The Raven." Some of the uses of imagery to create setting in "The Raven" were, "Once

upon a midnight dreary…" which establishes the time which this is taking place, "Deep into the darkness peering…" Develops the light

factor of the story, which makes it extra scary. "…then, methought, the air grew denser." Gives an eerie sense of the air. Poe, using

imagery, establishes a clear setting, which makes the story scarier. Poe also used imagery to enhance the mood of the story. With

imagery it gets you experience the atmosphere if the story. In "The Cask of Amontillado," some examples of imagery to enhance

mood are, this particular one is also used to boost the setting but I think that it applies to both. "It was about dusk, one evening

during the supreme madness of the carnival season…" "…for he had been drinking," that is an example of foreshadowing which

creates an eerie sort of mood. "The succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat…" Establishes a very

scary mood. Imagery was a key factor in "The Raven." Without it would have been a senseless poem with no fright in it. The

imagery made you image everything going on even with limited description by Poe. One Example is "…there came a tapping, as of

someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door." One of Poe's greatest uses of imagery was to develop suspense. If you

image what is going on it makes you care more about what is going to happen. Through out both stories Poe uses imagery to make

you interested in the story. Imagery to build suspense makes the story better. In conclusion, Poe used imagery to enhance his

stories. They were great stories but with imagery they were even better. Imagery gets you into the story and it makes you care

about the outcome of the climax. Besides rhyming, imagery was definitely one of Poe's more powerful writing tools.

Bibliography

Miller, Acton. Collection of Poes Works:

Sadlier-Oxford: Ny, Ny, 1986.

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