The Black Cat and a Rose for Emily
Pamela Anderson 02-09-13
3th period
The black cat & a rose for Emily “The black cat” was written by Edgar Allan Poe, and it was a twisted, sick story about how a man that since his childhood was picked on by his classmates. Instead of having human friends, he owned pets that he took as his only friends. “From my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition. My tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the best of my companions.” At first he had no reasons that could bring him to kill his first cat “Pluto”. According to the story the cat gave him reasons to kill him, and with a second cat he had an excuse to kill his wife. “A rose for Emily” is the story of an African American woman that lives with her father. When he dies, she denies his death, keeping the body at home. Later on she meets a man, they talk for a while…a month or two, maybe three, and kills him. When she is no longer known of, she is found on her bed next to the man’s dead body which appeared to be lifeless from a considerable amount of time. Both of these stories were written in a gothic style, both representing a murder scene and domestic violence. One similarity that both stories share is that the main characters don’t seem to be able to accept death or any psychological trauma in a proper manner. A symbolism that appears in the story is the name and color of the cat. Black is said to be the color of death, and Pluto was the name of a God of the underworld. It is true that the cat’s owner (whom remains un-named) takes the black cat’s eye at first. Then the next morning he regretted what he had done to the cat. “When reason returned with the morning […] I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of remorse […] I again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of the deed.” It was clear that the character regretted what he had done, and his guilt was so profound that alcohol seemed like a good option to relieve
3th period
The black cat & a rose for Emily “The black cat” was written by Edgar Allan Poe, and it was a twisted, sick story about how a man that since his childhood was picked on by his classmates. Instead of having human friends, he owned pets that he took as his only friends. “From my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition. My tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the best of my companions.” At first he had no reasons that could bring him to kill his first cat “Pluto”. According to the story the cat gave him reasons to kill him, and with a second cat he had an excuse to kill his wife. “A rose for Emily” is the story of an African American woman that lives with her father. When he dies, she denies his death, keeping the body at home. Later on she meets a man, they talk for a while…a month or two, maybe three, and kills him. When she is no longer known of, she is found on her bed next to the man’s dead body which appeared to be lifeless from a considerable amount of time. Both of these stories were written in a gothic style, both representing a murder scene and domestic violence. One similarity that both stories share is that the main characters don’t seem to be able to accept death or any psychological trauma in a proper manner. A symbolism that appears in the story is the name and color of the cat. Black is said to be the color of death, and Pluto was the name of a God of the underworld. It is true that the cat’s owner (whom remains un-named) takes the black cat’s eye at first. Then the next morning he regretted what he had done to the cat. “When reason returned with the morning […] I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of remorse […] I again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of the deed.” It was clear that the character regretted what he had done, and his guilt was so profound that alcohol seemed like a good option to relieve