Poe Unit Test Study Guide

cunningly

in a way that is skillfully dishonest

resolved

decided

stealthily

in a secret or sly way

vex

annoy

audacity

bold courage; nerve

derision

statements or actions that show you have no respect for someone or something

unity of effect

every element -- from rhythm to a character's personality -- would help to create a single impression in the reader's mind

sagacity

high intelligence and sound judgement

connoisseurship

expertise

virtuoso

expert

pipe

barrel or cask

nitre

mineral deposit left behind on stone walls.

flambeaux

torches

phantasm

Illusion, ghost, a product of fantasy, a mental representation of a real object.

habiliment

clothing

decorum

propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance

fete

A lavish often outdoor entertainment, a large elaborate party.

ebony clock

symbolizes the hours they have left to live in "The Masque of the Red Death"

East to West

the order of the rooms in "The Masque of the Red Death"

Prince Prospero

protagonist in "The Masque of the Red Death"

allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

No one can avoid death

Theme of "The Masque of the Red Death"

ironic

Both Prince Prospero's name and Fortunato's name are the opposite of what one would expect, considering their fates. This is _____________________ .

50 years

The length of time since anyone disturbed the bones in "The Cask of Amontillado."

atmosphere

This is how Poe makes his setting creepy, using things like ticking clocks, bones, catacombs, and complete darkness.

Montresor

Protagonist and narrator of "The Cask of Amontillado"

Fortunato

the victim in "The Cask of Amontillado"

jester

Fortunato is dressed as this throughout "The Cask of Amontillado"

wine

how Montresor lures Fortunato to his catacombs.

Montresor's revenge

chaining Fortunato to a wall and building a brick wall in front of it

his vulture eye

The narrator's only reason for killing the old man in "The Tell-Tale Heart"

watches him sleep

For over a week leading up to the murder, what does the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" do?

police

Who shows up following the murder in "The Tell-Tale Heart"?

the heart

What does the narrator think he hears in "The Tell-Tale Heart" that makes him confess?

insanity

A personality trait that both Montresor and the narrator from "The Tell-Tale Heart" share

tuberculosis (consumption)

The disease that killed Poe's mother, step mother, and wife

horror

the single effect of these three Poe stories

Red Death

The disease that killed everyone, including Prince Prospero

Gothic

the word used to describe this type of writing; these stories often involve horror and supernatural elements

suffocation with a mattress

how the old man died in "The Tell-Tale Heart"

Montresor Family Motto

"Nemo me impune lacessit" (No one hurts me and gets away with it)

The Freemasons

While they are walking, Fortunato insults Montresor by saying he is not of the "brotherhood." This is the secret society to which he is referring.

Luchesi

This is the man to whom Montresor insists he can go for advice about the amontillado, claiming that Fortunato is probably too busy.

a masquerade ball

This is how Prince Prospero entertains his guests.

death

The black room with the scarlet red windows symbolizes this.

birth

The blue room symbolizes this.

mad

The narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" claims he is NOT this, since he was able to think so clearly about how to plan the murder.

under the floorboards

This is where the narrator conceals the dismembered corpse in "The Tell-Tale Heart"

personification

"Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim."

simile

"A low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton"