English Literature

The Fall of the House of Usher was written by Edgar Allan Poe. This poem is a classic example of what a Gothic suspense story is all about. The beginning of the poem signalled the gloomy atmosphere as dictated by the wordings of the story when the author used the words  insufferable gloom  felt by house of Usher and his family. The only reason why the narrator wanted to go to the estate was because he was summoned by his sick friend who is in need of care and support (second stanza). The whole poem was narrated by a person who was about to approach an eerie-looking estate. The heavy theme of the poem was introduced by the author when he said that at first sight, he was overwhelmed by an insufferable gloom ( line 6). This feeling was highlighted when the narrator described the fungi growing on the walls of the house that was reflected in the waters of the lake. He was thinking about the letter he received while trying to shrug off the uneasiness that was looming over the horizon. Upon entering the house, he was welcomed by his friend Roderick and his twin sister Madeline Usher. The narrator described Roderick as a man on the brink. The plot thickens when Roderick tells the narrator that his sister is no more and after they had entombed them, the narrator was surprised to find out that she was still alive  (Poe,1907).

This tale deals with insanity vs. sanity. Edgar Allan Poe livens his story by using a Gothic tale that would arouse the curiosity and imagination of others. There are some people who suggests that the madness in the characters of the story mirrors the agonies that Edgar Allan was feeling in real life. Despite of what many people might say about this poem, nobody can deny the fact that this was the well-analyzed poem ever written by Edgar Allan Poe and the so-called madness that surrounds this story is what makes it stand out from the rest.

The Tell Tale Heart
The Tell Tale Heart is another one of Edgar Allan Poes masterpieces that continues to amaze many readers. In this story, the unidentified narrator opens by making a statement saying that he is very dreadfully nervous but he is not mad. He foes on further by saying that he will tell a story about how he defends his sanity while confessing to a murder of an old man. He said that the man has never done anything wrong and what motivated him to do such a thing was neither passion nor money it was fear. He feared the deep pale blue eyes of the man. After making the confession, the narrator argues again that he is not mad while claiming that he has watched the victim from his bedroom every night and that he could not bring himself to kill the man without seeing his  evil eye  (Poe, n.d.).

The Tell Tale Heart is one of the shortest stories that Edgar Allan Poe has ever written. The main theme of the story is paranoia and mental insanity. This theme can be likened to the theme in The Fall of the House of Usher where Roderick Usher was in the brink of insanity. The wordings as well as the style of narrator captures the essence of what he was trying to convey. The story highlights the mental struggles and contradictions that contributed to a murder profile of a psychotic suspect. The ending of the story was the best evidence to illustrate that the narrator crossed the line from sanity to insanity when upon confessing to the crime, he called the policemen villains thereby indicating that he was not able to identify their identity as well as his own.

The Birthmark
Nathaniel Hawthornes The Birthmark opens by introducing a character named Aylmer. He was a scientist from the 18th century who was completely devoted to his work that he let his personal and social life suffer. However, he let his guard down for a moment in order to marry Georgiana. Georgiana has a small red birthmark on her cheek that takes a shape of a tiny hand. Most of the men who pursued her found that mark to be attractive and she always liked it until one day, Aylmer brings it up after their marriage. He does not like her birthmark and he thinks that Georgiana would be perfect if it was removed. Georgiana falls apart because Aylmer thinks that the birthmark is ugly, she now thinks that Aylmer thinks that she is ugly. Aylmer made an elixir with the help of his assistant Aminadab to remove the birthmark and he made Georgiana drink it. Georgina wakes up and tells her husband that she is dying and Aminadab suddenly laughs. The narrator then said in the end that Georgiana could not live as a perfect being because humans are imperfect and that Aylmer was a fool to throw away the one good thing in his life (Hawthorne,1864).

The Birthmark conveys the idea that humans have the capability to undo and make perfect that which is seemingly imperfect but unfortunately, it comes with a price. This story can find its relevance in todays society where many men and women are trying their best to get rid of their imperfections through science and technology. The moral of the story then is still relevant today and it is to be content with whatever God gave because like Georgianas birthmark was an integral part of her soul and in search for perfection, removing it became her demise.

Rappaccinis Daughter
Rappaccinis Daughter talks about the story of a botanist who raised his daughter as a rare flower by making her breath with deadly fumes. The protagonist in the story was named Giovanni and he falls in love with Beatrice. As they spend more time together. Giovanni became more and more immune to her deadly fumes but slowly, he begins to poison himself and later on, he too, can kill insects with a single breath. His friend Baglioni convinces him Beatrice has been poisoned and he gives Giovanni an antidote to drink and suggested that he administers the antidote to Beatrice as well in order to change her to her mortal nature but she died in the process. The author said that  as the poison had been life, so the powerful antidote was death (Stanza 142).

This story talks about how a young man falls in love with a woman whom he saw in the garden. The woman resembles a flower in many ways but thanks to science in nature, his love met an untimely demise. This is a tragic love story which talks about the importance of humanity and its dire need to twist nature in a quest for perfection. The moral of the story that Hawthorne was trying to impart can be likened to his story entitled The Birthmark  it is very wrong for people to think that they can improve upon the natural creations of God.