Olivia Zimmerman

Lucas Stevenson
Jared Marweg
Cole Yant
Tallulah Lefkowitz
Jessica Lechon
OConnor
Honors English 9
11 September 2015
The Cask of Amontillado- Group Work (TWIST)
Tone: The tone of The Cask of Amontillado is creepy, cynical, snarky, elegant, and funny. The
whole story has a very snarky and creepy edge to that makes you want to keep reading. The
way Edgar Allan Poe writes, We passed through a range of low arches, descended, passed on,
and descending again, arrived at a deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our
flambeaux [torches pronounced flam-bow] rather to glow than flame, is so elegant and
pretty when you read it outloud. Also, the cynical, creepy and funny tone, is what makes you
more intrigued and interested.
Word Choice: Most of the language in this story is colloquial, because it is a specific to a
certain time and place in history. It is also mostly concrete, because most of the language
means exactly what it says. One of the few times that it is abstract is when the narrator makes a
joke about his trowel and how he is a mason, which means two things. He is a stonemason and
a freemason as well.
Imagery and Detail: Poe uses many forms of imagery to give the reader a vivid image of the
setting in which the story takes place. The story takes place primarily in a dark, damp catacomb.
Poes unique method of description is shown here: At the most remote end of the crypt there
appeared another less spacious. Its walls had been lined with human remains, piled to the vault

overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris (Poe 10). The catacomb is portrayed
as a dark, damp, eerie cellar, silent with the exception of Fortunato's cries.
Style: The writing style that Poe has in The Cask of Amontillado, is very ironic. You can find
Irony in every line of the story. Montresor is torturing Fortunato with his irony and has been all
along. Come to think of it, hes been torturing us with irony, too. We never know if he means if
he means what he says.
Theme: One theme of this story is that you shouldnt place trust in people who arent
trustworthy. For instance, throughout the book Fortunato trusts Montresor way too much,
considering he seems to be completely evil. Even at the end, before he dies, he laughs and
thinks that Montresor is just joking, that he is not actually going to kill him. Throughout the story,
Fortunato is too trustworthy, and that leads to his demise.

Vocabulary:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Impunity-freedom from consequences

In pace requiescat!- Latin for May he rest in peace!
Amontillado-a pale, dry sherry
Connoisseurship-expert judgment
Virtuoso-masterly skill in a particular field
Retribution-punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong or

criminal act
7. Accosted-greeted, especially in a forward or aggressive
8. Puncheon-a large container meant for holding liquids, usually 80 gallons
9. Afflicted-fering or sickened
10. Niche-a space in a room that is caused by building one wall farther back than the
rest, usually semicircular and arched, like for a statue or some other decorative object