English III - "THE BLACK CAT": INFERENCES FROM THE TEXT

In "The Black Cat," Edgar Allan Poe uses the _____ point of view.

First person.

Read the passage below and answer the question. "I did not, for some weeks, strike, or otherwise violently ill-use it; but gradually—very gradually—I came to look upon it with unutterable loathing, and to flee silently from its odious presence, as from the breath of a pestilence." What can you infer about the narrator's feelings towards the cat from the images in this description?

His hatred for the cat.

Where is the narrator located as he is writing about the events described in "The Black Cat"?

His prison cell.

Read the passage below and answer the question. "The corpse, already greatly decayed and clotted with gore, stood erect before the eyes of the spectators. Upon its head, with red extended mouth and solitary eye of fire, sat the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman." What is the mood of this passage from "The Black Cat"?

Horrifying.

The discovery of the entombed cat at the end of the story is an example of _____.

Situational irony.

Read the passage below and answer the question. "For the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad am I not—and very surely do I not dream." Why is the passage an example of verbal irony?

The narrator does not expect to believed

"The Black Cat" is an example of _____.

American Gothic literature.

In your opinion, did Poe's use of a first-person narrator make "The Black Cat" more interesting to read? Support your answer with three examples from the story. Your answer should be at least 200 words.

In my opinion, Poe's use of a first person narrator made "The Black Cat," significantly more interesting to read. I feel that if the story was in any point of view but first person point of view, it would have been nearly impossible for the reader to get the same grasp on the story and the madness of the main character. Due to the story being in the first person point of view, we almost have a window into the mind of the madman throughout the entirety of the story. It made it possible for the reader to become enveloped in the story, feeling what the writer felt almost as though they were living the story for themselves. The way the story is written makes it possible for the reader to visualize what the writer saw, and understand what the author experienced and felt, which would have been much more difficult to convey if the story was presented in any other point of view. It is my opinion that the story "The Black Cat," being written in first person point of view not only made the story more interesting to read, but was crucial to making the reader understand the story in the way it was meant to be understood. WORD COUNT: 210

Read the passage below and answer the question. "The monster, in terror, had fled the premises for ever! I should behold it no more! My happiness was supreme! The guilt of my dark deed disturbed me but little." What theme is illustrated in the passage from "The Black Cat"?

Moral responsibility.

Write an essay explaining how two themes interact with one another in "The Black Cat". Your answer should be at least 250 words.

The short story "The Black Cat," focuses on several themes, which not only adds an interesting depth and complexity to the story, but also creates a completely different atmosphere than if one of the themes was not present. Throughout the story, the themes of "The Black Cat," are seen interacting with each other at several times and in several ways. In the beginning of the story, there was a theme of a seemingly happy family life, which slowly morphed into a theme of violence and madness as the story progressed. As the theme of violence and hatred progresses, that slowly descends into a theme of freedom and happiness, that changed into a theme of confinement and madness. The main reason for most of these changes of theme were because of the alcoholism that the writer of the story developed in the beginning of the story. In the beginning of the story, the narrator was a happy man who lived with his wife and pets, who he cherished greatly. This made the more happy and hopeful things evident, although these themes did not last long. Because of his growing alcoholic tendencies, the narrator soon becomes a violent and hateful person, which results in him killing all of his pets and his wife. Although at first the writer of the story is quite happy and feels little to no guilt for what he has done, his elated feeling of freedom soon fades as he begins seeing apparitions of his dead cat. The many changing themes in this story interact in very complex ways that are very important to the development of the story and make the story much more interesting and emotional. WORD COUNT: