Irony and Foreshadowing in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Story of

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most celebrated writers in American literature. He is well known for his style of writing which is dark and morbid in nature. Poe makes use of irony as well as foreshadowing in many of his stories including the short story â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†. For the most part, Poe's descriptions in his writings are haunting and realistic. Some often speculated that Poe derived his unique style of writing from his personal life struggles. His stories are written with deep emotions that make his audience feel a connection and they can create an image of themselves experiencing what is happening in his writing. Poe dedicated most his stories into specific categories which stayed within a genre and those who admire his work are never mistaken for someone else’s. Another American writer, whose writing manifests her life experiences, is Kate Chopin. Chopin is late 19th century writer who used her writing to voice her dissatisfaction of curre nt principles of the time. In her time, women had fewer rights and they were not considered equal to men. Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is about how someone can be stuck in a miserable and unsatisfying reality because of other’s thoughtlessness, oppression, and domination. Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† share similar elements of irony, foreshadowing, and symbolism. In addition to using similar elements of writing, Chopin and Poe are greatly influenced by their struggles with their own personal life and society. Both author’s stories reach out to their audience not only about what they have witnessed and experienced, but also revealing to them to how the society were in the past. In Poe’s "The Cask of Amontil... ...ce abuse which took a toll on him and eventually ending his life. Similarly, Kate Chopin uses her writings to voice her dissatisfaction of current principles of the time. In Chopin’s time, women were not considered equal to men. In her short story, â€Å"The Story of the Hour†, Chopin writes about the impact of marriage on women. In her view, women are dominated by men and are restricted to play subservient roles in which society expects of them. Kate Chopin’s writings were scandalous in her time when women writers were not prominent. Kate Chopin was considered one of the first feminists. Her stories often dealt with women making their own decisions and standing up for themselves. In her stories, Chopin explored specific problems that woman faced. Because she portrayed women as keen and able to exist without the complete support of men, many men dismissed her writing.