What is the Fall of the House of Usher about?

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Answer 1

An unnamed narrator approaches the house of Usher on a “dull, dark, and soundless day.” This house—the estate of his boyhood friend, Roderick Usher—is gloomy and mysterious. The narrator observes that the house seems to have absorbed an evil and diseased atmosphere from the decaying trees and murky ponds around it. He notes that although the house is decaying in places—individual stones are disintegrating, for example—the structure itself is fairly solid. There is only a small crack from the roof to the ground in the front of the building. He has come to the house because his friend Roderick sent him a letter earnestly requesting his company. Roderick wrote that he was feeling physically and emotionally ill, so the narrator is rushing to his assistance. The narrator mentions that the Usher family, though an ancient clan, has never flourished. Only one member of the Usher family has survived from generation to generation, thereby forming a direct line of descent without any outside branches. The Usher family has become so identified with its estate that the peasantry confuses the inhabitants with their home.

The narrator finds the inside of the house just as spooky as the outside. He makes his way through the long passages to the room where Roderick is waiting. He notes that Roderick is paler and less energetic than he once was. Roderick tells the narrator that he suffers from nerves and fear and that his senses are heightened. The narrator also notes that Roderick seems afraid of his own house. Roderick’s sister, Madeline, has taken ill with a mysterious sickness—perhaps catalepsy, the loss of control of one’s limbs—that the doctors cannot reverse. The narrator spends several days trying to cheer up Roderick. He listens to Roderick play the guitar and make up words for his songs, and he reads him stories, but he cannot lift Roderick’s spirit. Soon, Roderick posits his theory that the house itself is unhealthy, just as the narrator supposes at the beginning of the story.

Madeline soon dies, and Roderick decides to bury her temporarily in the tombs below the house. He wants to keep her in the house because he fears that the doctors might dig up her body for scientific examination, since her disease was so strange to them. The narrator helps Roderick put the body in the tomb, and he notes that Madeline has rosy cheeks, as some do after death. The narrator also realizes suddenly that Roderick and Madeline were twins. Over the next few days, Roderick becomes even more uneasy. One night, the narrator cannot sleep either. Roderick knocks on his door, apparently hysterical. He leads the narrator to the window, from which they see a bright-looking gas surrounding the house. The narrator tells Roderick that the gas is a natural phenomenon, not altogether uncommon.

The narrator decides to read to Roderick in order to pass the night away. He reads “Mad Trist” by Sir Launcelot Canning, a medieval romance. As he reads, he hears noises that correspond to the descriptions in the story. At first, he ignores these sounds as the vagaries of his imagination. Soon, however, they become more distinct and he can no longer ignore them. He also notices that Roderick has slumped over in his chair and is muttering to himself. The narrator approaches Roderick and listens to what he is saying. Roderick reveals that he has been hearing these sounds for days, and believes that they have buried Madeline alive and that she is trying to escape. He yells that she is standing behind the door. The wind blows open the door and confirms Roderick’s fears: Madeline stands in white robes bloodied from her struggle. She attacks Roderick as the life drains from her, and he dies of fear. The narrator flees the house. As he escapes, the entire house cracks along the break in the frame and crumbles to the ground

Related Questions

Please hellpp!!!
What is the least common mode of transportation in the United States?
air
pipeline
water
road

Answers

Water is the least common mode of transportation in the US.

We can arrive at this answer because:

Road transport is the most common within the US. That's because the country has invested in railroads and roads that cross the country. In addition, the high number of cars and public transport vehicles encouraged this type of transport.Air is also a very popular means of transport, as the country has also invested in airline airlines, which promote faster travel, as the country is very large.Pipeline transport is also popular in the country, as 70% of the oil and petroleum transported in the country is via pipeline.Water is the least used means of transport in the country, as there are faster and more efficient transport technologies than vehicles that are used on water.

However, water transport is used for the export of products and tourist and themed trips.

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When the authors say "But that doesn't mean you're
completely off the hook" in the section "Selective
Service & the Draft," they employ which literary device?

Answers

Answer:

"Off the hook” is an idiom, a literary device that means no longer having an obligation or responsibility to someone.

Explanation:

Unlike a metaphor, an idiom´s meaning is more difficult to understand, as it can not be directly derived from the words. In this example, the understanding of the idiom requires some knowledge about how, in fishing, getting a fish off the hook means releasing it after having cathed it.

why is understanding analogy important in our lives

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Answer:

Analogy is important because this way, students can use these strategies to understand the relationship between words. It also provides a way to be creative and challenge them to use this technique. Hope this helps!

Which best shows that peter has made a personal connection that helps him understand Jack Wills character?

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Answer:

Explanation:

It not D

Which of these sentences is correctly written?

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Answer:

Explanation:

It would b because both policies and and procedures is correctly spelled

Read the excerpt from Notes of a Native Son. A few hours after my father's funeral, while he lay in state in the undertaker's chapel, a race riot broke out in Harlem. On the morning of the 3rd of August, we drove my father to the graveyard through a wilderness of smashed plate glass.

Baldwin places his father's funeral in the historical context of the Harlem race riots to show that racial prejudice in early 20th-century America

A) was taking place during his lifetime.

B) was also a cause for mourning

C) was interrupting an important family event.

D)was also coming to an end.

Answers

Answer:

B) was also a cause for mourning

Explanation:

edge eng quiz 2021

Baldwin places his father's funeral in the historical context of the Harlem race riots to show that racial prejudice in early 20th-century America was also a cause for mourning. Therefore, option B is correct.

What is the theme in Native Son?

One of the most important themes in Native Son is fear. First, Bigger is constantly in a state of fear, which he does not confront and which drives him to be angry and violent. Second, the white community's fear of black people drives their attempts to control black people, often through fear.

Notes is the book that cemented Baldwin's reputation as a social critic, and it remains one of his most admired works.

Baldwin situates his father's funeral within the historical context of the Harlem race riots to demonstrate that racial prejudice was also a cause for mourning in early twentieth-century America.

Thus, option B is correct.

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What does the phrase "Charles was an institution in our family" imply about Charles?

A) The personalities of Laurie's family members are just as difficult as Charles'.

B) Charles's influence has caused the family to act in ways that are disruptive or destructive.

C) Charles has become a very big part of the family's day-to-day life.

D) Charles has begun spending a great deal of time with Laurie's family.

Answers

Answer:

Explanation:

Charles is frequent topic to talk about and bring up when a family member's acting bad

Answer:

C) Charles has become a very big part of the family's day-to-day life.

Explanation:

Charles is something they say in the family alot but Charles doesn't influence people in the family to be bad but they say that someone was being a Charles when they were being a nucence or bad

Taking back
negative and
hurtful comments
is like trying to
put toothpaste
back into a tube.

What kind of figurative language is this

Answers

A simile good luck broooooooooooooo

Simile. It’s comparing two unlike things using like and as

list ten volcablary you know

Answers

Blue green orange purple green seven ten

what is the type of each sentence ?

Answers

Answer:

compound

simple

complex

If a work of literature includes allusions, what should you expect to see?