Edgar G. Ulmer

realize the man may not be the most reliable narrator. As the story unfolds before us we begin to see the narrator's accounting is fraught with leaps in logic and rampant paranoia, but it is not long until the deeds of the narrator catch up to him. In Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", we see the effect of guilt upon the conscience; even with the narrator's tenuous grasp of reality, the guilt of taking another human's life is too much to bare. (Irony) As we jump into the story we receive…

The central irony of Herman Melville’s career is that his masterpiece, Moby-Dick, which is now considered one of the greatest American novels, was almost wholly ignored during the time of its author. Although he might have thought of himself as a complete failure, he came to be one of the greatest American writers. During the American Renaissance period, Melville came to be a great American novelist, short story writer, and poet. While traveling on the remote and stranded sea, Melville writes…

In the pieces “Because I could not stop for Death” and “Gacela of The Dark Death” Emily Dickinson (Dickinson) and Federico Garcia Lorca (Lorca) express the theme of Death in similar ways. Another concept that both authors explore is time and how Death influences the speaker’s perception of it. The figurative language used in these pieces have significant impact on how the subject matter of Death is presented. The symbolic elements of each piece, such as the life cycle also contribute to the…

I would advise my friend to read the story “Adventure” because of its exemplification of a grotesque, its exploration of the “personal truth versus concrete truth” argument, and its title, which is not only significant here but in other short stories as well. Winesburg, Ohio, a collection of short stories, is mostly centered around the concept of a grotesque. A grotesque is established in the first short story as someone who twists a truth and tries to live by it. However, through this process…

Comparative Gothic Essay Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart”, Paul Berry’s “The Sandman”and Neil Gaiman’s “Don’t Ask Jack” are examples of the gothic genre. Gothic fiction is created to evoke fear and a mysterious suspenseful atmosphere. In “The Tell Tale Heart” the narrator kills the old man because the old man has a big eye that he doesn’t like and which scares him. The sinister mood is created with words ‘the eye of the vulture’. In “The Sandman” there is a boy in his bed trying to…

Pan’s Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, is a visually striking, dark fantasy film compiled of a range of gruesome and intriguing scenes that address themes of choice, gender and coming of age. In the ‘Final Task’ scene, the camera techniques, colour scheme, lighting, and sounds are the primary techniques used to express the ideas of good vs. evil, reality vs. fantasy, the effect of war on children and resistance. The scene begins with a high angle over the shoulder shot of Captain…

In the poem “When You Are Old,” William Butler Yeats is telling his past lover that once she gets to her old age, she will be regretting and dying alone. Yeats uses metaphorical imagery to buildup a scenario of unavoidable fade to age alone. Yeats tells her that she will be “old and grey and full of sleep” (line 1). He presents the quality of being old with two metaphors. The color “grey” is associated with the characteristics of being old and the color itself is closely related to the color…

Coming to a Realization The best poems always bring up the good old times and past lovers. Artists often intertwine the two concepts in order to form beautiful narratives and thought provoking images. This is precisely what John Hollander has done with his poem, “An Old-Fashioned Song.” Throughout the 21-line poem, Hollander takes the reader on a melancholy trip that begins as a sad realization that there are no more walks through the woods, to a nostalgic story about a magical relationship…

Albert Camus is considered the father of existentialism and this is due to his very unique writing style. The way he is able to manipulate and vividly describe the setting is revolutionary for this era. Also, he is able to portray a very impactful setting that affects the outcomes of conflict throughout the novel. For example whenever heat is present during conflict it seems to always have an impact on the stated conflict. To add during tense moments Camus tends to very vividly describe the…

The importance of dreams throughout ‘The Great Enigma’ by Tomas Tranströmer. ‘The Great Enigma’, written by Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer, features a diverse range of poetry and prose accumulated over his lifespan. ‘The Great Enigma’ regularly deals with abstract concepts such as social interaction, consciousness, life and death. In order to communicate these concepts, Tranströmer utilises numerous techniques, recurring motifs and symbols. This essay will examine the importance of dreams…