Theme Analysis of The Cask of Amontillado Essay Example For Students

Theme Analysis of The Cask of Amontillado Essay In The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe, the dark side of human nature is exemplified through the character of Montresor and his victim, Fortunato. Montresor is a manipulative and vengeful person. These characteristics lead to the death of Fortunato, a man who has wronged him. Through the acts, words, and the thoughts of Montressor, one is able to see him carry out his plan for revenge. The story takes place in Italy at a carnival where Montresor and Fortunato meet each other by chance, or so it is seems. The mood at the carnival is lively and exciting. It is then that the two men head towards the catacombs of Montresor s home in search of the wine Amontillado. The catacombs are a place of death where skeletons lie scattered against the damp walls, which are covered in nitre. Montresor dons a mask of black silk and a heavy knee length cloak (149). Montresor s clothes seem to indicate his wanting to conceal himself so he can carry out his devious plan. On the other side of the spectrum, Fortunato wears a tight fitting parti-striped dress, and his head surmounted by the conical cap and bells (149). His clothing seems to indicate his trusting but foolish nature. The clothing of both men seems to set the mood for the type of characters they are. However, Montresor s true character is indicated through his words. From the beginning of the story his vengeful nature sets the tone for the acts that will follow. One of the first things that Montresor narrates to the reader about Fortunato is that he must not only punish but punish with impunity (149). Montresor is also manipulative, as he tells Fortunato that he will have someone else taste the Amontillado, knowing that by doing this Fortunato will feel compelled to taste the wine himself. We will write a custom essay on Theme Analysis of The Cask of Amontillado specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If anyone has a critical turn it is he. He will tell me (150). In addition to being manipulative and vengeful he also displays condescending traits. Montresor addresses Fortunato in the catacombs saying, your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy as once I was. You are a man to be missed (150). Montresor s actions also lend to his vengeful and manipulative nature. He lures Fortunato into the catacombs of his home to carry out his plans. First he caters to Fortunato s ego by saying that Luchesi was almost as worthy a judge of wine as he (150). Then Montresor tricks Fortunato into believing that there is an expensive pipe of wine in the depths of his catacombs. When they finally reach their destination, Montresor shackles him to the wall, constructs a tomb around him using bricks, and leaves him there to die. It is indicated that in the past that Fortunato has hurt Montresor many times, The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge (149). However, there were never any insults or unkind acts actually mentioned in the story. It is exactly the opposite. Fortunato was friendly and helpful towards Montresor. From the very beginning of the story, one can obviously see that Montresor thinks that Fortunato has wronged him. He had a weak point-this Fortunato-although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared (149). This line shows that Montresor s plan was well thought out. There is not any indication of what Fortunato thinks about Montresor. It can only be assumed that he trusts him because he follows him into the catacombs. It is up until the last moment, before the last brick is laid, that Fortunato believes this is all a joke. Ha! Ha! Ha! he! He! He! a very good joke, indeed-an excellent jest (153). Montresor is successful in his plan for vengeance. He succeeds in having Fortunato follow him into the catacombs and with great ease, had him up against the wall and shackled. Then tier by tier, Montresor constructed Fortunato s tomb of bricks around him. .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 , .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 .postImageUrl , .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 , .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784:hover , .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784:visited , .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784:active { border:0!important; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784:active , .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784 .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc51d70590f8f22d921b931fa56aef784:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Examine the dramatic techniques Miller uses in " A View From The Bridge" EssayWhen Montresor called out to him, he heard nothing and thus his plan was a success. In pace requiescat! (153). The final lines definitely show the success of Montresor s plan. Throughout the entire story one could see how Montresor completely manipulated Fortunato and lead him to his demise. His vengeful nature made him unable to rethink the evil deed he had just committed. His only concern was to avenge the insults that he perceived. He succeeded in taking someone s life without ever revealing his true dark side.

Newcomers Settling the West in the Nineteenth Century essays

Newcomers Settling the West in the Nineteenth Century essays In the eyes of the early American colonists and the founders of the Constitution, the United States was to represent the ideals of acceptance and tolerance to those of all walks of life. When the immigration rush began in the mid-1800s, America proved to be everything but that. The millions of settlers would soon realize the meaning of hardship and rejection as newcomers, as they attempted to assimilate into American culture. For countless settlers, the struggle to arrive in America was rivaled only by the struggle to gain acceptance among the existing American population. First of all, between 1880 and 1920 almost twenty-four million settlers came to the United States. Between better salaries, religious freedom, and a chance to get ahead in life, were more than enough reasons for leaving their homelands for America. Because of poverty, no future and various discrimination in their homelands, the incentive to leave was increasing. During the mid-1800s and early 1900s, the labor and f arm hands in Eastern Europe were only earning very little money. Those lower wage earners in their homeland were stuck in lowest paid jobs and had no chances to upgrade themselves. Many left their homelands in search of a better life and soon, word got out on how great things were in America. The job recruiters form America hung posters and told stories about free land, a lot of opportunities to work for good money, and above all, the freedom to do as they wish. Many were aspired to come to the land of honey where all the streets were paved with gold." Fueled by the news of the California Gold Rush, they arrived in America looking to strike it rich with hopes of being able to send money back to their poor rural homes, or of returning to their country in a few years with newly acquired wealth. One of the largest groups ever to immigrate to the United States was the Chinese. In 1842 the British Empire defeated China in the first O...

Analysing Biopower And Agency Linked To Euthanasia Philosophy Essay

Analysing Biopower And Agency Linked To Euthanasia Philosophy Essay Human life can be perceived as a way of being that ensures autonomy upon the physical body. However, state authority, surveillance and law are moderating this individual freedom and moral decision-making. Nowadays, euthanasia remains a highly controversial and sensitive medical and ethical issue. My research and final thesis for the master will focus on the narratives of people, residing in houses for the elderly in Antwerp, Belgium. Emphasis is placed on whether upcoming media interest in euthanasia influences elderly thoughts and decision making regarding assisted suicide. Wishes about end-of-life decisions, opinions of relatives and law interpretations of medical practitioners are being investigated in this study. And finally the way government’s authority influences people’s agency in end-of-life decision making. With this paper, I intend to widen my knowledge of two main anthropological topics linked to the subject of euthanasia, namely biopower and agency. Biopol itics concern the political implications of social and biological facts and phenomena, with political choice and action directly afflicting all aspects of human life. Agency, on the other hand, can be seen as an alternative attempt to maintain autonomy in one’s own life and death, under the influence of the state’s disciplining interference. Both forms of power are studied in this paper, and their interrelationship is critically viewed. Keywords: Biopolitics, Agency, Power, Health, Ethics 2. The history of biopower In Foucault’s The Birth of Biopolitics (Lectures at the College de France, 1978-1979), an analysis of liberalism and neoliberalism as forms of biopolitics is presented. According to Foucault, biopower can be perceived as a technology of power, intending to manage individuals as a group. This political technology differentiates because of its ability to control populations as a whole, and is thus essential to the development of modern capitalism (Fouca ult, 2008). This shift from the managing and micro-controlling of individuals to disciplining a population emerged in the eighteenth-century. Even though this seems as an opportunity to gain more natural rights and liberty for individuals, this liberal government no longer limits state power because of the incompatible tension between freedom and security (Foucault, 2008, McSweeney, 2010). As Foucault argued, liberalism concerns the biopolitical. For liberalism promotes an imagined self-governing of life through a certain capture and disciplining of natural forces of aggression and desire within the framework of a cultural game, governed by civil conventions and instituted laws (Foucault, 2004). In this conception, ‘life is as much of a cultural construct as is law, although the naturalness of life, thought of as innately self-regulating, is always insinuated. Both in economics and in politics, liberalism rejoice in an order that is supposed to emerge naturally from the clash of passions themselves (Milbank, 2008: 2).’ Rabinow and Rose seek to enlighten the developments in Foucault’s concept of biopower, which ‘serves to bring into view a field comprised of more or less rationalized attempts to intervene upon the vital characteristics of human existence (Rabinow, 2006: 196-197).’ Foucault distinguishes two poles of biopower: the first one focuses on an anatomo-politics of the human body, seeking to maximize its forces and integrate it into efficient systems. The second pole entails biopolitics of the population, focusing on the species body, the body imbued with the mechanisms of life: birth, morbidity, mortality and longevity (Rose, 2007: 53). Thus, according to Rabinow and Rose, ‘we can use the term ‘biopolitics’ to embrace all the specific strategies and contestations over problematizations of collective human vitality, morbidity and mortality; over the forms of knowledge, regimes of authority and practice s of intervention that are desirable, legitimate and efficacious (Rabinow, 2006: 197).’

Final Exam Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Final Exam - Coursework Example Since the northern states had more private wealth of their own, the southern government had to borrow money from them and help restore their economy (Knowles & Healey, 2006). By the time the civil war was coming to an end, the value of the Confederate dollar had really dropped in comparison to the Union money. Life became so expensive in the south and people started starving due the inflation of the price of even basic needs including food commodities. Slavery was also legalized with most slaves being African Americans who worked nonstop in their employers’ cotton. With the slaves no longer available, it meant that no more cotton was being produced hence no income from it (Harris, 2008). In the political realm, southern leaders came back to the Washington capital and the federal government controlled each of the southern sates one by one. Abraham Lincoln initialized strategic plans for reconstructing the southern states. In the year 1865, he introduced a bureau that gave the once slaves a right to get educated, be employed with better jobs and get good healthcare. An amendment was also introduced that totally did away with the once legalized slavery. On my own individual account, I would have liked to live from the years 1866 onwards due to the good leadership implemented by Lincoln because there were job opportunities, good healthcare facilities and also the southern and northern states were united (Gillman, 2002). In the 20th century, the U.S historical course changed whereby a great industrial revolution took place, to the extent of becoming the best in the world in terms of industrial management and output. Availability of land, labour, natural resources, capital and good transport networks lead to production and transport of many goods and services that increased the annual income of the citizens after the previous inflation. The present-day America has got large and

Sustainability as a source of competitive advantage in the hospitality Dissertation

Sustainability as a source of competitive advantage in the hospitality industry - Dissertation Example This is not to say that hotel patronage is solely determined by tourist take-up rates, because there is a significant amount of business that is generated by customers whose trips are related to business. Good examples of these are regional conventions or other such gatherings where a good number of participants come from distant locations, and need to stay over at hotels. Other than these, however, tourists typically stay for longer periods of time and more benefited from the hotel’s services and amenities. Because of the contracting revenues as a result of the economic crisis, hotels feel the need to develop new, non-traditional sources of competitive advantage. Simultaneous with this need is the challenge posed to business and industry to reduce emission levels as well as their environmental footprints. 1.2 Statement of the problem The tourism and hospitality industry is one of those industries particularly suited to usher in economic progress for most developing countries. It is also poised to be the industry that jumpstarts the ailing economies for those developed countries severely impacted by the global recession. Since sustainability is a major issue in the selection of hotels by visiting tourists, and inasmuch as travellers’ first act in booking a hotel is to learn about it from its website, the projection of sustainability through the website gains paramount importance for the business. The problem this research seeks to address may thus be stated as: How does sustainability applied by hotel companies impact on customer satisfaction? 1.3 Purpose of the study The purpose of undertaking the research is to discover and analyse the predominant environmental sustainability policies and practices disclosed by hotel companies as experienced by their customers. Since visitors to hotels are diverse and ha ve different needs and expectations, the current â€Å"greening† of hotel accommodations and amenities would tend to impact them in different ways, some favourably and some unfavourably. Those customers who understand and support the global need for sustainability will tend to approve of and support the present efforts in the hotel industry to install more environment-friendly amenities. However, those for whom sustainability is not an important consideration may be indifferent to the changes, and maybe even resentful of the added costs entailed, or the feeling of displacement due to the adoption of more efficient, cost-saving features. This study is informed by academic literature on customer acceptance and preferences for sustainable hotel services, and elements of customer satisfaction in the hotel industry. The study by Millar and Baloglu (2008) on hotel guests’ preferences for green hotel attributes, and that of Dominici and Guzzo (2010) on customer satisfaction i n the hotel industry in general, provided the theoretical framework for the study. 1.4 Objectives of the study In order to provide the best possible conclusion to the research problem, the following objectives have been identified which the study hopes to attain: 1.4.1 To identify the elements of sustainability relevant to hotel companies; 1.4.2 To analyse the sustainability attributes of hotel companies’ services as perceived and experienced by hotel guests; 1.4.3 To analyse elements of sustainability that impact upon customer satisfaction in the hotel industry; and 1.4.4 To determine market directions in the demand for

Analysis of The Stronger by August Strindberg Essay -- Performance Art

The Stronger by August Strindberg is a play that is filled with irony. One of the first things noticed in this play is that the characters have no names, nor are they labeled by any type of status. Rather than having names like most plays, the two characters are differentiated by the letters "X" and "Y." Another ironic thing about this play, is how it is written; the dialogue of the play is not evenly spoken. Instead of the two characters conversing between one another, the play is written almost like a monologue where only Mrs. X speaks. Because Mrs. X is the only speaker, one would think that she is "the stronger," but ironically, she is not. One reason Mrs. X is not thought to be the stronger is that she goes back to her husband after she concludes that an affair had existed ironically thinking that the affair will not disable her marriage. The play implies that Mrs. X believes that the affair has and will somehow continue to make her marriage stronger. She says, "that only gave me a stronger hold on my husband," but actually her knowledge of the affair will eventually weaken the relationship. Knowing that her trust has been abused will normally cause her to question her husband's devotion: Were there other affairs? Is he cheating now? If so, is she someone I know? If not, will he cheat again? These are possible questions that will remain unanswered because Mrs. X has no intention of confronting her husband. This is a fact because in the last line of the play Mrs. X says, "Now I am going home - to love him." This quote also makes it seem like she is going home to live her normal life as if the affair never occurred, but making herself believe that it has disappeared will not solve anything. She believes th... ...would one put oneself in the situation to be vulnerable to such false mentality? It is because emotionally Mrs. X is weak, so to protect herself from any pain, she thinks of a way to logically persuade her mind and her emotions that she is the stronger, but she is not. Mrs. X can not be the stronger because Miss Y clearly shows more strength by saying nothing. Miss Y shows this strength by simply sitting there enduring Mrs. X's accusations and abuse. She sat there and faced it all when she could have easily matched Mrs. X's actions. Miss Y could have refused to listen to Mrs. X's accusations, or she could have made a scene by responding to Mrs. X's abuse. Instead of showing signs weakness, Miss Y chose to say nothing because there really was nothing that could be said to make the situation any better. By choosing to do so, Miss Y proves that she is the stronger.

Dangerous Technology

English 1010 5 October 2012 Dangerous Technology Many people have one. Some have more than one. Odds are pretty good that yours is within reaching distance right now. â€Å"What is it? †, you may ask. The answer is simple: the almighty cell phone. Although cell phones allow easy and quick communication, they are starting to create problems in today’s society: they distract drivers, they interrupt social interaction, and society is unaware of any long term medical issues they could create. One of the most dangerous issues with cell phones is people using them while driving. A distracted driver is a dangerous driver.If someone is reading or sending a text, or even talking on the phone, they are not paying full attention to the road, making it hazardous for themselves and those around them. It has become enough of an issue that many states have passed laws that make using a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle illegal. It is a severe issue with inexperienced drivers, who need as few distractions as possible. Many schools are even stepping up and asking students to pledge not to use their cell phones while driving. Although they are an amazing piece of technology, they are beginning to create social barriers in today’s society.They allow us to always be connected to one another, which is creating a social dependency on being connected. Cell phones are replacing face to face communication. There’s no need to make time in our schedules for people we consider important because they are just a text message away. Many people can’t go without their phones for fear of missing out. It’s like an unspoken anxiety problem. Because of this dependency, cell phones are becoming distractions in social settings. So much that even movie theatres ask their guest to please silence or turn off their cell phones for the presentation.There are some who can’t even be without them to watch a ninety minute movie, for which they paid a pretty penny to see. Just as there are some who can’t make it through dinner with friends without making a call, checking their messages, or even utilizing them for social media sites. At the first hint of boredom in a social setting, people turn to their phones to find a source of entertainment. We’re becoming a society addicted to technology. Cell phones are a fairly new technology really. We do not know if there are long-term, adverse effects of carrying around something that receives and emits satellite signals.They are electronic devices, meaning they emit electricity. Electronic devices are known to produce electromagnetic radiation, something often linked to cancer and tumors. Granted, currently there is no proof directly linking cell phones to cancer. This is just one of issues with cell phones we should be weary of. It’s a potential wolf in sheep’s skin, if you will. Cell phones are seemingly harmless, but who is to say that in another twenty yea rs or so there won’t be widespread cases of cancers all linked to consistent, direct contact of electromagnetic radiation.In conclusion, cell phones are an amazing piece of technology that need to be used more cautiously. Countless vehicle accidents occur every year due to a driver who was distracted by his or her cell phone. Society should learn to make more time for interpersonal relationships, instead of depending on a piece of technology to communicate. Lastly, we should be weary of the effects that could come from carrying around electromagnetic radiation for extended periods of time.