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A Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

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A Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe
Reader Response Essay

Living in a funeral home definitely makes me unique in a lot of ways. Ironically I live with death, and it affects me each and every day. Between sessions with mournful families and corpses populating my basement, it is a constant occurrence that I have grown up with my entire life. That being said, I have perceived countless stories and anecdotes from families about their loved ones, each one being unique and fascinating in its own way. In A Cask Of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe depicts an ominous tale of death and revenge that I have never heard before. Upon reading and analyzing the text I’ve identified a few things to discuss:
In a brief summary, A Cask Of Amontillado is a short narrative set in an unknown region of Europe (presumably Italy) dating back a few centuries. The narrator, Montresor, is a diabolical, revenge-obsessed character who has been conspiring the death of a sickly citizen, Fortunato, who has wronged him. In the beginning, our characters are enduring the festive season of carnival; a masquerade/mardi gras-esque holiday. To unravel his vengeful plot, Montresor persuades a very intoxicated Fortunato to accompany him to his wine cellar, for he seeks insight on the authenticity of his Amontillado (a fine wine). The pompous, wine-connoisseur …show more content…
To an extent I can almost sympathize with Montresor and his feelings toward Fortunato. Sometimes people may rub you the wrong way or treat you negligently and you can’t help but grow animosity towards them (never to that extent of course). However, towards the end you definitely begin to sympathize with Fortunato and his situation even though he insisted on tasting this “Amontillado”. Certainly Montresor’s actions aren’t at all justified and I see them as a tremendous overreaction. Nonetheless, Montresor’s mindset is just a critical piece to Poe’s
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