ENG356 Week 2 Discussion (dq1+dq2)

ENG 356 Week 2 Topic 2 DQ 1

Analyze Poe’s use of suspense in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Ligeia.” What narrative devices does Poe use, in both stories, to heighten the suspense? What do these stories suggest about the human spirit and condition?

ENG 356 Week 2 Topic 2 DQ 2

An allegory is a narrative that has an extended dual meaning. One meaning resides in the literal action and plot of the story and another meaning, just as significant, resides in the ideas, values, or messages these actions are intended to convey. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” is interesting both on its surface level of action and plot on its deeper, more symbolic level. Notice how the central characters of “Goodman” (a generic Puritan term meaning “gentleman”) and “Faith” represent abstract qualities. How does this story, with its emphasis on the dark undercurrent of evil in this seemingly tranquil New England town, function as a moral allegory?