Gothic Literature A Rose For Emily, The Tell Tale Heart,...

In William Faulkner’s, â€Å"A Rose for Emily, Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart,† and Sylvia Plath’s â€Å"Daddy†, are endowed with many features that contribute to their gothic form and success. Faulkner’s,† A Rose for Emily† is characterized by a powerful imagery, plot and setting which are interwoven to create a gothic feeling. The story unfolds in Jefferson, the living fragments of a land that is plagued with civil war. Among the remains of Jefferson is Emily’s house which appears to be the summary of what has become of the wealthy and noble in Jefferson. The description of the house in itself creates a haunting atmosphere. The â€Å"stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps,† coupled with the â€Å"cemetery†,†¦show more content†¦The first imagery is the old man’s eyes which serve as a motive for murder. â€Å"A pale blue eye with a film over it†. The vulture creates images of prey and death. While the images of dismembering the body creates horror, the sound of the heartbeat apparently signifies a paranoia activity and intensifies one’s fear towards a supernatural ac tivity.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦hark! louder! louder! louder! LOUDER!† Clearly, Poe is successful in achieving his theme of horror through the use of setting, imagery, irony and symbolism. Plath’s â€Å"Daddy† is embodied with rich imagery, symbolism and metaphors which convey the speaker’s fascination with death, decay and gloominess. It is not clear the poem is an autobiography of Plath’s life but it is evident Plath had some difficulties growing up that seem to penetrate some aspects of this poem. The poem opens with and angry tone â€Å"You do not do, you do not do,† creating an emotionally charged atmosphere for the preceding lines. One of the powerful tools Plath uses to carry home her message is imagery â€Å"Black Shoe† for instance creates dark memories of her dad and the difficulties she endures. In a bitter mockery, Plath compares her Dad to God; because though dead, this powerful man finds a way to control her an indication that her father’s overbearing attitude still taunts her. The â€Å"black† color symbolizes fear, oppression and desolation that she experiences in life through her dad. The simile s in the poem are