The Cask Of Amontiallado Essays - Fiction, The Cask Of Amontillado

The Cask Of Amontiallado The Cask of Amontillado Anything not taken in moderation can be damaging. In one of Edgar Allen Poe's best-known tales of horror, The Cask of Amontillado, he suggests that pride can be a very dangerous thing, when one is overwhelmed with it. Through the use of foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism, Poe presents a horrific drama of two men. One who will stop at nothing to get the revenge that he deems himself and his family worthy of, and another who's pride will ultimately be the fall of his own death. Fortunato falls prey to Montressor's plans because he is so proud of his connoisseurship of wine, and it is for the sake of his own pride that Montressor takes revenge on Fortunato. Poe utilizes the theme of pride and many other literary techniques such as foreshadowing, revenge, and irony, in order to create a horrific and suspenseful masterpiece. In The Cask of Amontillado, Poe utilizes foreshadowing in a most grim and dark way. First, when Fortunato says, I shall not die of a cough 1, Montressor replies, True-true2. Instead, Montressor knows that Fortunato will perish from his vengeful scheme of walling him up, and having him die of starvation and dehydration. Fortunato is a proud man and he does not think that his death with be due to something as petty as a cold. Rather, he believes that his life will end as a result of some courageous act and he will die a noble death. However, Montressor can only laugh at this thought because he knows Fortunato's death will be far from noble and his pride will be broken when he is caught in his trap. Another instance of foreshadowing comes with the trowel scene. At one point in their journey, Fortunato makes a movement that is a secret sign of the Masons, an exclusive, fraternity-like organization. Montressor does not recognize this hand signal, but claims that he is a mason. When Fortun ato asks for proof, Montressor shows him his trowel. Montressor implies here he is a stonemason and, that he will be building things out of stones and mortar such as Fortunato's grave. Irony is also used throughout this tale. The use of revenge in this story shows irony. Montressor avenges himself by fooling Fortunato into literally walking into his own grave. Fortunato pursues the cask which ends up being his own casket. Montressor even asks Fortunato repeatedly whether he would like to turn back. Fortunato refuses to leave the catacombs until he proves that he is a true connoisseur of wine and that he knows more about wine then Luchesi. He will not allow his pride to be hurt even if it means getting sicker or catching pneumonia. With Montressor's trap, he takes Fortunato completely by surprise and makes his death ironic. Fortunato is the one eager to get to the end of the catacombs. Irony is also found in Montressor's statement to his friend that they should return because Fortunato's health is precious 3. This is ironic because Montressor does not really want to protect Fortunato's health, but indeed to kill him. The short story, The Cask of Amontillado, also contains a good deal of symbolism. The black silk mask and roquelaire 4, or cape, which Montressor puts on before entering the catacombs, represents the devil or death. They represent and tell the reader what Montressor has planned. His getting even is evil and will mean death to Fortunato. The coat of arms of Montressor's family is another example of symbolism and foreshadowing in the whole story. Montressor's description of it is A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel 5. In this image, the foot is symbolic of Montressor and the serpent of Fortunato. Montressor is very proud but he feels that he was wronged and that Fortunato had insulted both him and his family, or so we are to believe. He says, I must not only punish, but punish with impunity 6. Although Fortunato has hurt Montressor, the coat of arms suggests that Montressor will ultimately crush him. It is hi s duty and obligation to right the wrongs done

The Right Way to Identify and Assess Risks. Hydroelectric Development vs. Irrigation Scheme

The Right Way to Identify and Assess Risks. Hydroelectric Development vs. Irrigation Scheme There can be no project without taking risks. Each idea presupposes dealing with certain difficulties, and implementing these ideas is doubtlessly a challenge.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on The Right Way to Identify and Assess Risks. Hydroelectric Development vs. Irrigation Scheme specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite the fact that both Hydroelectric Development and Irrigation Scheme offer a fair assessment of the possible risks and provide a detailed account of the challenges that one can face in the course of putting these projects to practice, one of the two projects is definitely superior, which calls for conducting comparison between the two case studies. To start with, each of the projects identifies the risks which can be faced rather accurately. It is essential that each of them offers a table in which every possible risky occasion is considered. However, it seems that the Irrigation Scheme offers a better identification of risks, since it not only provides a detailed account of every risk involved, but also splits the risks into categories according to their types and, thus, provides a better estimation of the threats which the project can possibly face. The same can be said about the way the case studies quantify the risks. One must give credit to both case studies, since they offer a detailed description of the risks assessment and provide the risks percentage. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that the Hydroelectric Development project offers the percentage of all possible costs in the summary of the hydro cost estimate, which makes it more comprehensible than the Irrigation Scheme. However, speaking of which case study is easier to understand, one has to admit that in the given case, numbers and rates are enough only to give the general idea of the situation which the authors of the projects face. For a better understanding of the situation specifics, hoverer, a more e xplicit description of the factors, the risks and the circumstances is required, which the Irrigation Scheme project provides in a much better way.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, it is worth mentioning that a good assessment presupposes considering the costs which the project can possibly spend. While Hydroelectric Development suggests only the table of the probable risks, Irrigation Scheme offers the information concerning the financial resources which the project will probably need. Such data as â€Å"Expected cost $20 million, standard deviation $3 million† is essential to fully realize the scale of risks. Finally, speaking of the risk assessment, one must mention that the Hydroelectric Development takes the winning position again, because it takes into account not only the inside factors, but also the outside ones, such as weather cond itions. In contrast to Hydroelectric Development, Irrigation Scheme provides only the information concerning the risks which come from within the project. Therefore, it can be considered that the Hydroelectric Development project is by far more compelling and offers much better analysis of the risk factors. In addition, the assessment offered by the above-mentioned project covers not only the major issues, but also the details, which altogether makes it much more plausible than the alternative. Once all the probable risks are properly evaluated, a project can be considered a success, which, as one can assume, is the case with the Hydroelectric Development. Although it is not clear yet which of the projects will prove more efficient, and the opinion in the given paper is based solely on the facts offered by the case studies, it can still be assumed that the Hydroelectric Development project is bound to take the first prize in the contest for a better risk evaluation.