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ReplyDeletei am posting a comment, participation!
ReplyDeleteHow does the condition of the house reflect Roderick's lifestyle?
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't cross the boundaries in any of his stories. In my opinion, any time that it appears as though there may be supernatural forces involved, I believe that it is really his mental instability showing through, not only in the story but also in real life.
ReplyDeleteI think that Poe's writing is not so specific, as to leave it up to you to decide. Poe's writing is not the type of writing that says this happened then this happened, but rather leave it vague and let the reader decide what he or she thinks.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that like many of Poe's Characters, Usher actually killed his sister?
ReplyDelete@ Maria I think that it reflects his lifestyle because it looks to be falling apart but is still one cohesive piece
ReplyDeletePoe was a alive in a time long before ours, how do you think people of that time felt about his writing compared to the 21st century American?
ReplyDeleteI Think Poe never crosses literally crosses the boundary line between supernatural and eerie because he leaves it up to the imagination (like Maggie said)of the reader. As well as, to see how each individual person perceives the sounds he describes and the scene he paints how their mind brings it to life. To further prove his point of psyche of people and how mind determines matter, not matter determines mind.
ReplyDeleteThe condition of the house represents Roderick's lifestyle because as we delved into the deeper parts of Roderick's life, the appearance of the house was getting progressively creepier. Also, as soon as Roderick was killed. The house was destroyed.
ReplyDeleteI feel that a lot of the eerie situations have to do with most of his life and how it was lived. In the research we conducted before the discussion, I found out Poe was very suicidal and I think that contributes so much to the almost 'gore' of the story as well as his stories about being buried alive.
ReplyDeleteWe can easily relate this story to "The Tell-Tale Heart". He feels guilt over what he has done and subsequently begins to go crazy.
ReplyDeleteJust like the house Rodrick is deteriorating quickly and so is the house. Especially as soon as Rodrick died the house broke in half showing how his mental state consumed his life. Just like the tarn enveloped the house as it broke.
ReplyDeletei agree, poe's writing reminds me of modern ghost movies which are scarier when you don't know what the danger is, so your mind is free to put what you fear most in place of the unknown
ReplyDelete@ Maria - I think the House of Usher (Lauren just said it in the middle circle), represents the Ushers, it represents the Ushers life, sickness, and death (building standing, beginning to crumble, and then collapsed). Not necessarily feelings though.
ReplyDeleteMaria- I think the condition and mood of the house reflects his mental condition. He is mentally crumbling and falling apart. He is also focused on darkness and shadow: features of the house that are mentioned often. For example, Roderick's chamber is described as having, "an air of stern, deep and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all" very similar to his mental condition.
ReplyDeleteLogan poses and interesting inquiry, what do you think the beginning quote, "His heart is a poisoned loot; as soon as it is touched it resounds" is saying? And how does it relate to "The Fall of The House of Usher" short story?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Rodrick knew his sister was still alive when he buried her? And Why do you think that he decided to bury her in the walls of the house?
ReplyDeleteRachel- In my research it said that most people didn't like Poe's writing when it was fist published. They said it was too scary. I find this interesting because Poe was supposed to be the King of the Romantic movement. Was it a movement that the common people didn't like.
ReplyDeleteChris: Do you think that the atmosphere within the house is affecting how Roderick, lady Madeline and the narrator act?
ReplyDelete@ Garrett I think that is a good connection what he surrounds himself with is his downfall
ReplyDeleteWhat do you guys think about the idea of dreams throughout the text?
ReplyDeleteI think that the house may be a representation of the family's unity and well-being. After all, the house is in disrepair when the narrator arrive ,but is still steady. This compares to the life and structure of this unity, even though the well-being is not as good. Also, at the end, when both inhabitants die (once and for all), the house "senses" the loss of unity and well-being, and cracks.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with "mikaelam" Poe is not vague, but rather he only provides us with the "facts" of the story and allows us to interpret the hidden meaning. It's much like "The Lady or the Tiger" in that the reader is allowed to decide about the nature of humanity, or in this case the nature of insanity. Do our experiences drive us insane, or do we begin to see everything through the veil of insanity?
ReplyDeleteQuestion:
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about this quote: "very simple natural objects which have the power of thus affecting us" (middle of first paragraph)? Do you think it contradicts itself? Is it "getting close" to the line of real vs. super natural?
Nicole, in my opinion, this small bit at the beginning relates to how Poe writes the main character to be. As soon as he feels welcome, he poisons the House of Usher.
ReplyDeleteHannah- I think Rodrick had a feeling that his sister has still alive, but he wanted to get rid of her, thinking by burying her, he would bury his own mental condition. Therefore he acted too soon.
ReplyDeleteHannah: If his sister truly is a doppelganger, he may have intentionally buried her in order to get rid of her. She is a death omen, so he figures that he must eliminate her or else he'll die.
ReplyDeleteHannah- I don't think that Rodrick was entirely aware that his sister was still alive when he buried her. A quote on page 5, second paragraph makes me believe this. The quote stood out to me so much. It is: "The vault in which we placed it [...] was small, damp, and entirely without means of admission for light; lying, at great depth, immediately beneath that portion of the building in which was my own sleeping apartment." If he knew she was still alive, why would he want he buried right underneath him?
ReplyDeleteKimberly- I'm not sure if the people didn't like the movement, we can't even be sure they knew that they were a part of a movement. We can look back on it now and see that it was a movement in literature but it is hard to know weather they saw the change in Literature. Do you think that people today like his writing so much more because our society has more knowledge and is much more open?
ReplyDelete@ saraw -
ReplyDeleteI agree with you (even though you disagreed with me) that vague was probably not the best word. He does use many adjectives, but doesn't provide the entire story line, like you said.There is still things left for the reader to interpret.
Saraw - I agree with you that Poe is not vague, but I also agree with Mikaela because she talks about how Poe does not give all the details and he leaves the story up to the reader. Also, I do think that it would be our experiences that drive us insane, especially in this that is what it seems like to me.
ReplyDeleteNichole- I thought one of the messages Poe wanted to portray in this story was that our surroundings play an affect on who we are.That quote is saying that this man had an affect on the people around him.
ReplyDeleteMaria- I think it may be, but more importantly the house is a symbol of his past and family. You could say that his past and his family were affecting him and therefore the house has affecting him.
ReplyDeleteMikaela: I do not see the contradiction in that quotation, I more of see a correlation between objects that in simplicity leave more room for them to affect us because of its unspecificity, as to how it would affect us. I feel like Poe is exploring the idea of how we react to our surroundings and how our surrounding make us, maybe even more than we make them.
ReplyDelete@ Kimberly -
ReplyDeleteAre the surroundings affecting us, or are we affecting our surroundings?
As the discussion goes on, I see more and more resemblance to The Tell Tale Heart. What connections can you guys make between these two similar texts?
ReplyDeleteHannah- On your first question, I would have to say that Roderick buried his wife alive in the house because Roderick would want to keep the house of Usher stand and for that to happen, it would need all of the parts of the house, which includes the wife.
ReplyDeleteKimberly- What specific part of the quote makes you think this is a main theme of the text?
ReplyDeleteChris: So if the house represents his past, and his past is filled with death, why doesn't he move away? What do you think this means?
ReplyDeleteAbby- I think that he did know she was not dead because he did have acute senses and it said that her cheeks were pink while she was in her coffin.But i think that maria had a good point of why her buried her.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that their was a rivalry, or hate. My interpretation was that Madeline was the split personality of Rodrick. This paralleled the split of the house with the fissure.
ReplyDeleteGarrett- I think that the biggest resemblance is that of being possessed by an idea and driven over the edge by it
ReplyDelete@ Nicole - What seems weird to me about the quote, is that he says "simple objects" "have the power". I see what you are saying, about our surroundings. But do you think Poe is making a reference that the objects are literally affecting us (like the house crumbling)?
ReplyDeleteMaria- This is a good question, and was wondering it myself. Does anyone else have any ideas as to why Roderick does not move away?
ReplyDelete@ Cristiana, I think that dreams connect to the sense of a lack of reality that hangs about the house. It doesn't feel like Usher is living real life. The house seems to lie in a place outside of the flow of time, which increases the mystic air about the house and gives weight to the idea that there actually were spirits there.
ReplyDeleteRachel- I think people do recognize Poe more today because we know about the Romantic movement. For us the creep type of stories that Poe first thought of are common place. Like in movies and literature. We are used to that scary type of story telling. In Poe's time, they were not.
ReplyDeleteQuestion- In the third paragraph of the story, the narrator says that Roderick' family were well know musicians. What do you think is the significance of adding this?
ReplyDeletemikelam- I don't think that it comes close to a super natural state I think that it is more of how each person see's certain objects and what we think of when we see them. I feel as though if any of us saw "The house of Usher" we wouldn't relate it to things or feel so strongly about it because we don't have any emotional attachments behind it.
ReplyDeleteKimberly- I think that it is more that we affect our surroundings. We are the ones that put everything in motion, and it seems like everything that is affected in our surroundings comes back to us. I do not however completely disagree with the idea that our surroundings affect us. I think that the places where we are, or the information we are given play a big part in what we say or do.
ReplyDeleteGarret- Its funny, I was thinking the same thing. Through both of these texts, the "omen" (heart and sister) have been buried beneath the house. This could be a reference to Hell perhaps.
ReplyDeleteQuestion:
ReplyDeleteOn page 3, top paragraph, Poe states: "I have indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its absolute effect-- in terror." He later goes on to put the word FEAR in all caps. Way does he do this in the quote? What is so prominent about it?
NickM- It seems to me like that part of the story is really just something that adds to the understanding of the story. But, I do see how it could have a deeper meaning farther in.
ReplyDeleteHow do you think this text reflects the reaction to the rationalist movement?
ReplyDeleteGarret: How does the main character poison the house exactly(I believe it is the opposite)? I feel the house was already poisoned but it came down when he was around, and consumed the main character along with it.
ReplyDelete@ Rachel B - I agree with you, but why do you think Poe says "objects have the power"?
ReplyDeleteKimberly- I agree I think his Literature is much more accepted now because people of our society are so much more used to things that Poe talks about.
ReplyDeleteMikeala-I think we do have an affect on our surroundings but I also believe that Poe was trying to state that our surrounding have a bigger affect on us.
ReplyDeleteChris: I think that Roderick refuses to move away because (on the first page, third paragraph) he is extremely habitual and cannot stand to live another way. The mystery scares him and so he remains as he is, miserable.
ReplyDeleteJohn P- So you think that it is something to add to make the story seem that much more real? And what is the deeper meaning that you think it could represent?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think the symbolism is of the house collapsing at the end?
ReplyDeleteAbout Troy's question about the name 'Usher'- After doing some research, I found that the name Usher means a doorkeeper. I think this has significance to the story and why it is called the House Of Usher.
ReplyDeleteQuestion
ReplyDeleteHow does this relate to the question from the blue sheet about how your house and what is in it reflects you and your family
Okay, comment me if I am wrong. I believe that the little part at the beginning of the story, is that wherever he goes his "poison" will thrive while the others around him cannot. When his heart is touched, or rather he is given companionship, the people around him are poisoned. This is what we see happening in this story. He finally has someone that knows him and he goes to the House of Usher and further poisons the situation already present by destroying the house of Usher.
ReplyDeleteNickM- Yes I think that is what it is for. I am not sure what the deeper meaning could be, but I also cannot be sure due to Poe's very intricate type of writing.
ReplyDelete@Chris. I believe that Rodrick couldn't move away from the house because the house was part of him. It is my belief that Rodrick his sister and the house where all one person, they where all interconnected. When he buried part of him (Madeline) he actually was expelling part of himself, however that is never truly possible for Madeline is part of him and could never truly be buried, and it is do to that, that Madeline became free and returned to him. And when she fell upon him she was reconnected into one person. The house also part of Rodrick collapsed, so now in death Rodrick could be his true-self.
ReplyDelete@griffinj - I think this is an extreme example that your house truly represents who you are. (ie sick, dead, gloomy vs. happy, etc.)
ReplyDeletemikaelam- I think that Poe says that
ReplyDelete"objects have the power" because when a feeling is associated with an object, whenever you look at that object or a similar object you will feel that way. I guess that Objects are a constant reminder of certain feelings
I thought that it was very interesting that everyone who comes and lives in the house becomes crazy like the longer the narrator stays the more he questions his own sanity. Do you think this mental deterioration is from the house or Rodrick and his sister?
ReplyDeleteAdding on to what Maria just said, the lineage, like the house, split into two and eventually led to the demise of the House of Usher.
ReplyDelete@Garrett I see a lot of similarities with the tell tale heart. In both characters bodies are beneath the floor. There is also the obvious connection of insanity. Poe also seems to be asking the same sorts of questions. Is there actually some ghost (the beating of the heart) or does he just hear it because of his insanity?
ReplyDeleteJohn- I agree with you. However, the only possible double meaning for added that passage is to make it seem that like that family is completely sane, which makes the ending that much creepier.
ReplyDeleteHannah, I believe that the fact that the main character is going crazy is more a relation to Poe himself rather than the story.
ReplyDeleteThis is also why I believe the house is called USHER, or my belief, us and her, where the us is Rodrick and Madeline, to parts of one whole, and the her is the house.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What is the significance of the word "smile?"
ReplyDelete@GarrettD - Why is the situation further poisoned when someone who knows him goes to the House of Usher?
ReplyDeleteTroy- This is an interesting idea. Perhaps that is why the Usher family never branched off or moved away from the house, they were mentally unable.
ReplyDeleteHannah- I think he is going crazy because of Rodrick and his sister, but since he is in the house he can't get out therefore his thoughts and fears keep building.
ReplyDelete@Troy, i think that the house is not so much a part of Rodrick as it is his longest companion. It falls apart as Rodrick does, and so they are bonded in suffering, he may have not wanted to leave because he couldn't bear to leave the only thing that understood him.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah, and yes I completely agree.How do you think these stories connect to the writer.
ReplyDeleteRachel- I agree with the comment that you posted to Mikeala because as it relates to the question on that blue sheet that we did a few days ago, the possessions that you have are at least a small indicator of the person that you are.
ReplyDeleteMikaela:I understand were you can up with the contradiction now, but I feel simple can be more powerful that complex, proverbs are simple but have a huge effect on many people while complex speeches loose their power due to sheer length and excessive amount of information, the main point can get muffled. Objects directly affect us in many ways, when something clatters to the ground in the dark of a room, many minds would flee to the thought of another sneaking about the house, while in actuality the t.v remote was knocked off the couch by their pet. Objects give us the "what ifs" and fears because of how are mind perceives them as something more than what they are.
ReplyDeleteMaria- smile seems to be used as a symbol of insanity.
ReplyDelete@ Troy W - that's quite the idea! I agree, as the house will crumble when one part of the foundation or structure is missing (Madeline or Roderick)
ReplyDeleteI have a quote that backs up Nicole with the house already being poisoned. "There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart." Its almost as if the house itself is sick and this is before the main character arrives.
ReplyDeleteTroy: You said that you believe Usher is supposed to be broken down into "us" and "her." I disagree with this, I think us represents the narrator and Roderick and her represents Madeline.
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ReplyDeleteThis is Katie Franks
ReplyDeleteI feel like the only reason that there is one generation is that they will only have one son that person will marry one person and they will have only one son. It's that simple
I think it is a curse because even in the story, the writer began talking and acting like Usher. So I think it is a curse of the house. And also every one else in the house had a sickness soooo....
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