Poe's stories of death and decay can be seen in much of his work including "The Black Cat, " and "The Fall of the House of Usher. " In both of these stories, the main characters and settings are similar in the way that they both are telling of diseases eating away at the person; however, one disease is physically eating away at a family, and the other is a disease of insanity. ... Twice near the end of the story, Roderick calls the narrator "Madman! ... In "The Black Cat " the events that take place are unmistakably the ramblings of a madman who cannot seem to control his actions and keep...

• Word Count: 948
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Above all of these devices centers Poe's use of diction throughout the short story. ... This is continued throughout the rest of the short story with the use of many similar adjectives and descriptions. ... Poe doesn't stop there, however; he continues on to discuss the mental state of Usher which reaches the point of insanity with the death of his sister, Madeline Usher. ... The goal of Edgar Allan Poe in all of his short stories is to convey one particular effect to the reader. He does this very effectively through his use of diction, imagery, and foreshadowing throughout the s...

• Word Count: 840
• Approx Pages: 3