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The Fall of the House of Usher Sentence Analysis

I was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there are combinations of very simple natural objects which have the power of thus affecting us, still the analysis of this power lies among considerations beyond our depth. (Page 1) I think that this sentence is a very important sentence in the arc of the story, because it helps set the stage for the kinds of things that are going to be happening for the rest of the book. All throughout the story, there are many examples of what the narrator mentions, where things happen for some strange, unexplained reason. For example, the state the house is in, he pictures on the wall, and the ambient noises all make the house seem much scarier than it is, but it never gets explained why. This even comes into play with the other characters, as he has initial thoughts about them, with no reason why he should think one thing or another. Additionally, the quote mentions that he was "forced to fall back up

"There Will Come Soft Rains" as a short film

When I imagine "TWCSR," I don't think of it as a movie, but rather a short, something that doesn't necessarily require people, and something that can convey a story quickly and easily. The film would take place in the house, and it wouldn't show the outside, as all of the curtains would be closed, and the drapes drawn. The house would appear as it does in the story, and the inside would be neat and orderly, as if the owners were just out vacationing. Before any of the actual events unfold, the camera would pan through the house, showing various rooms, all empty, dark, and all completely silent. There would be no music, no ambient noise, just the silence of the house, and the random scurrying of the robotic mice. Due to it all being silent, the alarm breaking the silence would be loud and piercing, made with very robotic beeps. Soon after, the house would start to brighten up as the events started to unfold. The food would be shown not being eaten, and the robot

Ashes to Ashes

What a story's title is shows a lot about how the author wants you to perceive the book. Depending on what the title is, the reader will have a very different feel and thought process while reading the story. With that as the main idea, it brings to attention the short story "This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona." In my mind, it doesn't seem to have the most fitting name. It doesn't really discuss anything about the book, and the only real connection is that it takes place in Phoenix, Arizona. I think that a more fitting title would be "Ashes to Ashes." The reason behind this is very simple, and it plays in to some of the different things that are actually represented in the story itself. I think that the title "Ashes to Ashes" is good, because it is related to some of the story's main concepts. The first concept is obviously the father's ashes, because it's the whole plot of the story. They're the only reason why th

Mr. Summers in "The Lottery"

The black box was silently sitting on the post office shelf, patiently waiting for its time to shine. It didn't move, it didn't change, it didn't do anything. And yet, it took Mr. Summers a long time to muster up the courage to reach towards it, and take it off the shelf. Carefully removing it, he shifted it to one side, so he could open the door, and make his way to the town square. The small pieces of paper shook around, making a soft shuffling sound. The lottery gave him shivers every year, even though he'd done it for the longest time. People had already begun to set up in the town square, and, taking a deep breath, Mr. Summers walked through them, and into the front of the crowd. "Little late today, folks." he said, carefully setting the box down on the stool that Mr. Graves had set for him. He tried to hide the sweat on his face, and turned away to wipe his brow. Not so much out of being tired, but more so because of the idea behind the box. Not want

Apocalyptic Fiction Q&A

Question: What makes the short story There Will Come Soft Rains  so compelling? How are you able to tell an apocalyptic fiction story if there are no humans left to tell the story? Answer: One of the things that makes Soft Rains  so interesting is the fact that it isn't told from the perspective of a human being, but rather the outside world. The story is told from the perspective of the rest of the world, which only has the last house to focus on. The story could've just as easily been told from the perspective of an onlooker, but the fact that it was written in third person makes the setting feel a lot more distant, a lot more barren. In addition, with it being in third person, the story can continue to go on, even after the house get destroyed, which helps to show the broader picture of the post-apocalyptic scenario One of the other things that makes Soft Rains  so interesting to read is the type of language it has.