If you are choosing to participate via comments on our class blog today, be sure you adhere to the same discussion expectations you would if you were in the inner circle: challenging your classmates' thinking, basing your assertions on textual evidence, etc.
There is not a finite number of times you need to contribute, but please be sure you thoughtfully participate throughout the course of the discussion.
so who wants to start?
ReplyDeleteI feel that the narrator's name is excluded possibly due to the fact it's not the focus, and it adds to the drama of Gothic writing. The narrator also is the guest, and the guest is more of a mediator and guide in the story.
ReplyDeleteAaron;
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. but the guest had to lead the story because the host was nutts.
I agree with aaron, the narrator's name and description being omitted add to the importance of the story as opposed to the character going through the story.
ReplyDeleteAaron-I like the ideas that you present. I think that the narrator without a name mainly is there to add to the idea of suspicion. How there are some mysteries, leaving the reader to determine the answer within the text. Sort of the same affect as the endings to some stories where they leave the ending open. Same concept. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeletePoe left the narrator's name out because the name is insignificant because he isn't the focus of the story and the guest isn't as important as the host because the host shows his personality more.
ReplyDeleteNew thought for everyone. What was your take on the ending?
ReplyDeleteGood point Silvana, so focusing on the narrator it seems to me that from the very beginning that he knew something terrible would come. The words he uses are so dark and terrible, he even starts it with "dull, dark, and soundless day" and those similar words continue for most of the page. So why do you think he came to the host's house knowing something would go wrong?
ReplyDeleteLike Connor I also highlighted all the dark words in yellow but I also highlighted all the bright words in pink. Often times whenever a bright word would be incorporated it would be paired or surrounded by darker words.
ReplyDeleteHow did you guys relate the setting to the characters? I had a difficult time with this a little, however I think there were some opposites that were included. For example the narrator and the "House of Usher" seemed to be opposites because the narrator seemed to be pretty readable, and mentioned many details, while the house seemed to be just mysterious and spooky. What do you guys think?
ReplyDeleteThe ending seemed to be the terrible thing the narrator dreaded all along. However I doubt the guest knew it would go to such an extreme.
ReplyDeleteZoe
ReplyDeleteI think it's just a characteristic of the host. They are relatively naive to the horror and bad of things. They seem as if they want to help others more than help themselves.
Willson:
ReplyDeletewell in the beginner it was a personal letter that made him come and unable to refuse with out being rude.
Brandon-
ReplyDeleteI definitely saw the same pattern as you with the word choice. I think that it may be to represent how the host was bi polar. Also it kind of shows how things are not as they seem in the sense that you may see one thing and automatically a trait that contradicts it.
Aaron is getting to something. I agree with what everyone is contributing. But the narrator not being included can also add to confusion for the readers. The author may be trying to add diction and a Gothic tone but it made me immediately be forced to infer and make assumptions that could be neither incorrect or correct. [Sorry for the late comment,very slow typer]
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kylie because the narrator seems very open and honest whereas the house seemed very dark and spooky and unwelcoming.
ReplyDeleteZoe-I would like to respond to your question if that is okay :). I think that maybe the narrator had his emotions overcome the idea of the setting and the darkness of it. The relationship between him and Usher seemed as though it was old, and they hadn't spoken in a while through the beginning when he says,"we had been even intimate associates". Therefore I think that the reason he continued in was that he thought that his "friend" was in need, and in certain aspects I would consider the narrator to be somewhat caring, and this would overcome his urge to leave the situation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Connor that the host and the house fit each other. They are both gloomy, mysterious, and reaching their end.
ReplyDeleteKylie- I think the house was determined, like in "Edward Scissorhands", or "The Others" that it was grand and beautiful at one point, but now, after time, the facade is deteriorating and letting the potential go to waste. It has always been eerie, but beautiful at one point.
ReplyDeleteI have a new thought for you guys. Did anyone else see a comparison between the house and the host in the end? I thought the comparison was that the house was sort of a dopple ganger of the Usher. Considering the Usher died, maybe that was the reason for the house collapsing. Maybe the house and the host were one in the same. What are your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteokay, I no I am annoying but that was really bugging me. Poe is complex and his stories are even more complex then some can understand. so really think of the way he writes. Tip I know, have his stories read to you, it helps.
ReplyDeleteKylie-I thought the correlation between the characters was interesting. I think the house itself was what inflicted the darkness upon the characters. The guest seemed to be full of life but then when he enters the house him along with the host are filled with gloominess and depression. Do you agree with this?
ReplyDeleteThis is where the house and the setting intertwine in Gothic Literature. They can't work without each other. They are one in the sense of the literature.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brit that the host and the house were one. I feel that the house was living for the host and once the host died the house no longer had a "life source" or "power source."
ReplyDelete*I meant host, not house.
ReplyDeleteBrit-Wow, I think that is a good thinking question. Honestly, in most situations I would consider the places that people make to live in reflect their personality. I think that maybe yes they might have been the same. It seemed to be deteriorating at the same time he was. Also this could just simply be a relation between them because of the idea that if he is sick he can't keep up with taking care of his house and therefore it would become run-down.
ReplyDeleteThose are valid points Kylie. And I feel that I agree with you. Aliisa,I thought that in the beginning I thought that perhaps he made the situation of the house and it's environment worse than it actually was. One someone dreads or rejects an idea they make things worse. However the end of the story concluded that he had not been exaggerating. So i agree with you comparison to the movies. It was something that once was grand and beautiful and now is nothing more than unwelcoming and depressing. (Sorry this is late!)
ReplyDeleteThe house is the host because the house played a big role in the story because it shows how the setting is gothic and the interaction between the house and the guest is a crucial part of the story.
ReplyDeleteTaylor T.-Are you refering to the narrator changing with the setting where he goes. I don't think I quite agree with the idea that the narrator changed to gloomy as he went into the house, I think that his attitude came from the people he was around. Had Usher have been more cheerful I think that maybe there would have been room for the narrator to still have a positive attitude with the weird surroundings.
ReplyDeleteConcerning the inner circle discussion, I don't believe they had a strong relationship based upon the other examples we have seen between the host and the guest and their relationship. There never seems to be a strong bond, more so a duty involved.
ReplyDeleteGood point Laura but I don't think I agree. The Usher plays a huge role in the story and his mood effects his surroundings, making him the host. The guest interacts more with the host, creating an overall effectiveness of the Gothic tone.
ReplyDeleteAaron. I agree with you, they seemed really distant and not as "intimate" as they used to be. judging by the lack of knowledge they had of each other.
ReplyDeleteKylie-I think that both the narrator and Usher are effected by the house. I feel like it holds bad memories for Usher and is the cause of his unhappiness. I agree with what you're saying I just think that the house itself is what triggered Ushers emotions that then effected the narrator.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Usher purposely entombed his sister alive?
ReplyDeleteBrandon, it's hard to say if he meant to. We knew little about him and his character.
ReplyDeleteBrandon, I think so. Why else would he have enclosed her in such a dreary area where it was nearly impossible for her to exit?
ReplyDeleteAaron- I agree, I think the only reason the narrator stayed as long as he did was he felt he was obligated to help him due to their past relationship. Like you were saying, a duty.
ReplyDelete