Beijing National Stadium Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Beijing National Stadium - Essay Example The team of contractors of the project included the Swiss Architecture Firm Herzog and De Meuron, artist designer Ai Wei Wei, Chief Architect Stefan Merbach, and CADG leader Chief Architect Li Xinggang. The collaboration of both the European and Asian authorities in the project made it possible for the designation of the style and function of the Beijing National Stadium to stand as the newest and most innovative architectural structure in the world today. Because of the fact that the Olympic Games is a worldwide event that would be eyed by the entire human society around the globe, the officials had to make sure that they are to create something that would be a stunning landmark that could host a massive population of viewers and athletes during the most awaited and most prestigious month-long celebration of physical strength among all the nationalities around the world. They had to make sure that it would not simply be an area for sports but also a space for international camarader ie. Architecture in this state of pressure shall be subjected to the need of creating a structure that could be a wonder to the eye while serving the primary function that it is made for (Ruskin, 1989: 78). It is also certain that the officials of the construction needed to make sure that the design of the building would make the huge structure an icon of modern world architecture. It is undeniable that China has been noted for its well-engineered structures that are highly functional that are also treated as primary tourist spots in the country. One of which is that of the Great Wall of China that was primarily built to protect the country from Mongolian invaders during the 5th Century BC onwards and today, the said structure stands tall as the only man-made structure visible in space (Rondanini, 1999: 67). Another overwhelming building created and situated in

Complete Training Program Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Complete Training Program - Assignment Example In a hotel environment, there are lots of issues taking place. However, after working the whole day in offices hence they require a lively class so that they do not fall victims. During class hours it is important to resort to interactive and experimental programs so that all the students would grab a little. In order for the program to be successfully completed with effective results, the program should run for six months being that the course is being conducted on the part-time basis. However, this will allow the student to fully complete both theory and practical tests to ascertain their competency in the lucrative field in the Hotel industry. Each and every student taking the course will have to submit a series of theory and practical assignments which will cater for 30% of the final examination at the end of the course. However, this does not mean that the students must dedicate all their efforts towards exams, but through their daily work performance to they will be able to earn points. This affirms that the training is not meant to equip the students with skills to pass the examination but also the ability to confidently work in any given situation with minimum superb vision. To ascertain that the course is well covered, I will not only look at the examination results but also the courage and confidence in the daily work, personal etiquette and customer service criterion among others. Being that learning is a process, I will include unplanned continuous assessment tests which do not require bookwork so that the real picture and efforts in mastering the study topics would be affirmed. First and foremost, learning after work is really tiresome especially in the food industry where there is hardly any rest till evening.

Sonnet poem analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sonnet poem analysis - Research Paper Example the relationship and she thinks it could be a painful relationship perhaps pointing to the fact that the poet has been in a relationship earlier also. The poet is unsure about her relationship because relationships have become completely unpredictable and things can go horribly wrong, for youngsters it is all about moving on, some can successfully do that while some others often struggle to move on, this is exactly why the poet looks confused about her relationship in the poem. The poem is beautifully constructed and writing a sonnet is arguably the most difficult task but the poet has managed to accomplish it and the poem conveys a really deep meaning. The poem is all about parenthood and how modern day parents have completely become insensitive to the wants and the needs of the children, children are pouring ink into water and the mother does not seem to care and they keep doing the same for quite some time, this has also resulted in the death of the fish in the tank but the parents still somehow manage to ignore all this. The poet also says that the cook is on leave and the mother is crying because she is peeling the onions but in reality she should also be crying because she is completely ignorant and she pays no attention to her children. â€Å"The poet also says that the mother is lovely and father is late,† (Scenes from the Playroom) perhaps suggesting to the fact that the father returns home very late from work and is left with no energy to talk to his kids and his wife and the mother who stays at home has no time to spend with her children and the children are left alone to do as they like. The complete isolation of children by their parents has been beautifully portrayed in the poem. To conclude it is fair to say that both the poems talk about something really sensible, the first poem talks about relationships and how fragile they are these days and the second poem talks about parents not being able to pay any attention to their children. The poet

Coney Island and Victorian Culture Essay Example for Free

Coney Island and Victorian Culture Essay Coney Island at the turn of the century was a bustling and growing place. People of all classes traveled from New York City as well as other parts of the world to take part in the famous amusements that helped to loosen the tight corsets of Victorian gentility. Inspired by the Columbian Exposition in 1893 George Tilyou began to build a park on Coney Island beginning with the Ferris Wheel similar to that featured at the exposition which was designed by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. By 1895 Tilyou opened Steeplechase Park and began to fill it with acts and side shows thus inspired by his travels a few years prior. While concentrating on the appeal to all walks of life Tilyou acquired A Ride to The Moon from Fredric Thompson and Elmer Dundy who built the ride specifically for the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. A short season later in 1902 Thompson and Dundy left Steeplechase to create Luna Park taking the amusement with them. Playing off the most popular sport on Coney Island, Tilyou obtained a mechanical horse race that took riders on a thirty second ride around a track complete with hills and sharp turns. Other attractions added to the park included the Human Roulette Wheel which threw riders in all directions and Earthquake Stairs which jostled climbers and challenged them to descend a shaking stair case. These attractions as well as the wild side shows caused people to throw off all conventionality and made them rub elbows with other classes while having unrestricted fun. While Steeplechase drew visitors to the peninsula it also increased in the popularity of swimming or bathing as it was referred to in Victorian speak. People on a hot New York day adventured to Steeple Chase and the beach by various means of transportation. Donning the latest in bathing fashions people enjoyed more unrestricted fun regardless of any class system in the water. Although Victorians looked down their noses at the amusements and public bathing, people still flocked to the beaches and splashed in the chilly waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Ruckus rides and the ability to socialize appealed to the younger generations looking to toss off the oppressive garbs of Victorian gentility and just have plain unrestrictive fun. In 1907 tragedy struck Steeplechase as fire ravaged the park leaving a smoking ruin. In the efforts to still turn a dollar Tilyou charged admission to the ruins of the once great park. During the rebuilding, Luna Park benefited from the loss and treated guests to a modern park with rides to thrill everyone. The â€Å"old-fashionedness† of Steeplechase was challenged as Luna Park, the most modern of it’s time dazzled park goers with electric lights and tall white towers bathed in bright bulbs. This enabled the park to operate at night. But still people remained loyal to the original amusement park they knew so well even though built anew from smoldering ruins. George Tilyou sadly passed away in 1914 after seeing his park through another fire in 1911 which claimed Dreamland. Luckily enough the winds shifted and spared his park from a second disaster. By 1914 the amusement park began to fall out of favor. The once well loved and most visited park suffered a loss in the visitors during the hot New York summers. Steeplechase continued to operate and help people socialize and essentially come out of the tight bonds of gentility by offering a carefree time with out restrictions. Then on New Year’s Eve 1964 the last light was turned off for the final time at the ill fated old fashioned park. Luna Park on the other hand was not as popular as the original park but provided new wonders for those curious and daring enough to seek it out. Created after the Beaux-Arts movement of the time Thompson an erratic architect began to design the park as a world where someone could be lost in fantasy. By opening day on May 16th 1903 Luna Park opened its doors to the wonderment of many people seeking out entertainment and new amusements to help them shed the conventionality of the structured Victorian world. Here we can clearly see where still Steeplechase was cherished like a child hugs a ragged teddy bear but the new adventure which was named Luna was embraced for its latest technologies that Steeplechase clearly was lacking. With over 1 million lights, long distance telephone service, telegraph and radio services Luna Park became a city with in a city. With Thompson and Dundy’s success in creating illusion rides for the park guests they still relied on others as well. When they left the employment of Tilyou after the 1902 season they brought their famed â€Å"Ride to the Moon† amusement with them. Counting on its fame from Steeplechase park and the illustrious past of being featured at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901 the creators hoped it would bring the crowds in. With more and more people seeking a day at the park and on the beach both parks helped make Coney Island known world wide and soon became a top tourist destination. At a time when high society still held restrictions of how men and women should act in public in high regards, more and more people used these parks as a way to shed the restrictions of society and seek titillating amusements and fill curiosities each other had that Victorian culture had suppressed over the years with rules and barriers against those who dared to go against the prim and proper societies. Technology in these times were changing and what better place to display these but at amusement parks and expositions. Younger Victorians embraced these changes and viewed them as a move toward the future. We can clearly see where walls were broken down between classes while all walks of life frolicked on the beaches of Coney Island, screamed on the same rides, and traveled faster than they ever had in their lives. Luna Park and Steeplechase side by side were wonderful examples of old an new. While people still embraced the old curious onlookers sought out attractions that displayed futuristic gadgets. By the creation of the final park Dreamland in 1904 tourism and the shedding of Victorian genteel ways were in full swing. Dreamland brought more pleasure seekers to the peninsula and more bathers to the sea shore. The park was built by William Reynolds who is best known for his crooked dealings with Tammany Hall. Dreamland became the park to rival the other 2 on the peninsula. It is said that the park would be anything unlike the modern world has seen. The main tower of Dreamland had a beacon that shined out to sea and confused many ships coming into port. The amusement park sparkled as guests promenaded through the many attractions and thrill rides. With Dreamland promising amusement in a more dignified way the creators tried to offer Culture to those who visited the park. Providing a grand ballroom and upscale restaurants from around the world Dreamland attempted to cater to the upper class leaving lower classes to attend the older less dignified parks. The developers still provided rides and attractions that rivaled the other parks and even stole ideas from them as well. Americans were fascinated by disasters. Fighting the Flames was a good example of this as New Yorkers were most familiar with tenements catching fire and many people dying. People could identify with this ride. As tenement style buildings covered in asbestos were set ablaze, firefighters came to the rescue of the tenants who jumped to their safety in huge nets below. With rides like Shoot the Chutes guests at Dreamland were still treated to rides that caused them to throw off all conventionalities. Dreamland with its intentions to preserve all that is roper and dignified still provided outrageous outlets that caused people to smile and scream like they never had before. Sideshows still prevailed like Bostock’s Circus and Captain Bonavita’s Lion Show. They treated guests to clowns, wild animals, and daring stunts which caused people to gasp and look on in awe. Dreamland gave people a look at the world in their own backyard. Rides like Touring the Alps which provided ride rs with a simulated ride through the Alps complete with blasts of cold air to the Japanese Tea Room which gave people a look at cultures foreign to their own. The achievements of creating an atmosphere of wonderment and awe like that of the previous expositions held in Chicago and Buffalo, Reynolds achieved ultimate success in helping people question their hum drum ways and rules that bound them tightly. On May 27 1911 the wonderment that was known as Dreamland came to an end when it burned to the ground. Complaints by the fire departments that fought the flames were low water pressure. It was said that Reynolds built the park so fast that he built over fire hydrants. The mistakes and rush to greed cost him his park only seven short years later. The fire although sparing because of the winds did not leave Thompson’s railway alone. Sadly but fortunately that was one of a few external victims of the fire caused by greed. Fred Thompson found General Manager Samuel Gumpertz staring blankly at the ruins. Reynolds decided not to rebuild the park and Gumpertz opened a freak show in a large tent. This was the beginning of the end of Coney Island, the most famous playground of the early 20th century. Luna Park and Steeplechase continued to operate through many changes of attractions. The 1920’s ushered in rides like The Wonder Wheel and The Cyclone. It is joked immigrants who came to this country saw The Wonder Wheel first before seeing the Statue of Liberty. Still The Wonder Wheel is a wonderful example of freedom through good times and laughter and the shedding of old ways to a new life. By the close of the season of 1946 Luna Park could no longer afford to keep its gates open to the dwindling visitors. That which was new and exciting became old and worn out. Steeplechase continued to operate and pride itself of being risen from the ashes still provided visitors with aging and familiar rides. By the opening of Astro Park in 1962 this began to spell the end of the turn of the century amusements. At the stroke of midnight New Years Eve 1964 the last light was turned out on the oldest amusement park of the time leaving behind a legacy of fun and a little known waltz written for the opening of Dreamland entitled â€Å"Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland†. By looking at the amusement parks of the early 20th century we can clearly see where proper Victorians were given the opportunity to shed the constrictions of a culture that forced them into a protected part of society. Here creators of parks provided a person all types of amusements and bathing which for proper Victorians swimming with people of the opposite sex was just scandalous. Many of the older generations still held fast to their convictions of manners and proper ways. In many ways Coney Island was a petrie dish for societies and cultures. Could they truly leave behind the tight corsets and stiff collars to have fun with all folks of all classes with out concern for class stratification due to wealth, power or even dress? The writer of this believes yes. This was a place where society began to leave behind their constrictions and just have plain fun. Therefore unmaking Victorian culture as it was known.

Computer Graphics Effect On Animation

Computer Graphics Effect On Animation The history of computer animation can be traced back many decades to such films as Peter Foldes 1971 film Metadata, or even a 1968 attempt by Soviets to animate a cat. It was in the 1980s, however, that the techniques became more widely used and the industry truly began to experience big changes in how things were done. The advent of this new technology meant that machines could do more of the work, much like with the use of robots in manufacturing. While this machinery is a godsend for productivity, it brings with it concern for peoples jobs and the survival of the traditional way of doing things. One animator by the name of Bill Kroyer brought these concerns to the forefront in 1988 with his own animated interpretation of the ongoing development of this threat. Bill Kroyers Technological Threat serves as an excellent metaphor for the advent of computer animation and how it affected the animation industry and validity of the fears it brought forth. From its infancy up until recent decades, traditional animation techniques were the only methods of animation available before the advent of more powerful computers. Much of it requires each frame to be hand-drawn or, in the case of stop motion, each character or object has to be sculpted and moved little by little for each frame that is captured. It is tedious work. These traditional techniques take a lot of time and patience to do successfully. Throughout the decades there have been attempts to minimize the work involved with animation, such as the introduction of cel animation which put characters and objects on clear celluloid which would then be animated on top of a background image. This meant that a background would only have to be made once, whereas beforehand it had to be redrawn completely with each passing frame. Another time-saving innovation came in the form of Walt Disneys multiplane camera system, which took cel animation even further by making the creation of depth mu ch easier by separating and moving each individual part of the scenery independently and at varying distances from the camera. Even with these advancements, however, the same traditional techniques were required to actually animate anything. Computers brought forth a drastic change in the playing field, essentially turning the art into a science. Soon one of the first instances of computer animation would come in 1960 when John Whitney developed his analog computer to make title sequences for movies and television, using surplus anti-air guidance hardware from World War II. While computers became widely used in animation during the 1980s, there were still quite a few instances of it in the preceding decades, starting with the aforementioned machine developed by Whitney. The computer technology of the time was rather limited and therefore usually only used for experiments. For instance, Peter Foldes used the first implementation of key frame software to create Metadata in 1971. While it entailed the use of a data tablet, which was surprisingly modern for the era, it was limited to two-dimensional animation and could only show simple line drawings of objects in a couple of colors. This film was merely experimental, however, and was followed 3 years later by Hunger in 1974, which was intentionally done in black and white line dr awings. Computers would quickly become powerful enough to render much more realistic imagery, as was exemplified by Loren Carpenters Vol Libre which he presented at SIGGRAPH in 1980, a computer graphics conference held annually. It used fractals to generate breathtaking mountainous scenery and instantly landed him a job at Lucasfilm. Of the animators that worked during the era that computer animation became more widespread, one particularly interesting perspective is that of Bill Kroyer. Bill got his start in animation in the mid-1970s, just before the computer revolution of the 1980s. He originally was denied a job at Disney, but would later be hired by them in 1977, during a time when Disney Animation, and the animation industry as a whole, was in the midst of a slump. He did not stay with Disney long, as he soon left to work with Steve Lisberger on Animalympics. The major milestone in Bills career, however, came in 1982 when they developed Tron which they teamed up with Disney to work on. As Kroyer himself put it, Tron was the beginning. It was the moment when computer graphics made its first contact with the animation industry-like the sperm and the egg. It was neat, because nobody had ever done it before. There were no experts around (Kroyer). It was the first time computer animation would be used so extensi vely on a feature film, and it became almost a prophecy of what would develop in the coming years. Jobs that used to take hundreds of people to do, such as painting backgrounds, can now be accomplished cheaply and quickly by using computers. While Kroyer enjoyed working with computers to animate, he longed for the illusion of hand-drawn cartoons and decided to start Kroyer Films with his wife in 1986 with the intention of combining traditional and computer animation. He became a pioneer in combining the two techniques. While Kroyer was skilled at animating, he was also knowledgeable about writing computer programs, and developed one with his wife that could use a plotter to draw out the computer animations on paper. Such use of computers for animating made many animators begin to fear it taking over and forcing them out of their careers. In response to these fears, Kroyer made Technological Threat in 1988. In it, a group of hand-drawn cartoon dogs are employees at a company and are threatened by their seemingly inevitable replacement by highly efficient robots, which are computer animated. This paranoia culminates into a struggle for survival that ultimately ends in the last remaining dog employee taking down his now-robotic boss with the help of one of the robots, which he proceeds to double-cross to eliminate the threat altogether, leaving him the only remaining employee, the top dog as it were. The film was essentially about traditional animators ultimately working in harmony with this new techn ology and ultimately being highly successful in their careers, perhaps more so than they would have previously. The dog protagonist, symbolic of traditional animators fearing the loss of their job, defies the odds and in the end triumphs, rising in rank to become the new boss. The robots represent the computers used to do computer animation, appearing innocent and diligently going about their work, but ultimately are no less susceptible to losing their jobs than the dogs are. Kroyers approach to animating goes against traditional animators fears by combining both methods and using them to their fullest potential. According to the theories of Paul Wells, this film would be considered developmental animation, as it maintains many traditional aspects of orthodox animated films but mixes two different styles of animation in a more modern approach. According to him, Developmental Animation operates as a mode of expression combining or selecting elements of both approaches, representing t he aesthetic and philosophical tension between the two apparent extremes (Wells, 35). There was no doubt a tension between the two approaches during the time this film came out. Kroyer goes on to explain that, despite this new and highly capable tool, the artistic vision of the animator is still crucial to a films success. Computers are merely another tool in the animators arsenal. Throughout the 1980s, computers went into widespread use, from businesses to residential homes. These machines revolutionized everybodys lives and had far reaching effects on many peoples jobs, not just those of animators. While computers have increased productivity almost everywhere, they have threatened to eliminate many jobs and force many to either learn to use the new technology or remain unemployed. It is truly a situation where we are made to keep up with changes in the workplace or else risk being left behind in a dust cloud of our own stubbornness. This was an especially trying time for many animators as computers had finally reached the point where they would be practical to use in animation. But unlike many jobs that were completely taken over by computers, animation allows for the coexistence of computers with traditional techniques. Understandably, one would think traditional animation to be doomed through the development of this amazing new technology. This could not be farther from the truth, however, as traditional animation remained strong through the 1980s and continues to grow. In fact, it has seen a sort of revival in recent years. In 2009, Disney released The Princess and the Frog, their first traditionally animated feature since they made Home on the Range in 2004. During the 1990s, the Disney Renaissance brought us multiple wildly successful films using traditional techniques, including such films as The Lion King and Mulan. Even with the massive success of Toy Story in 1995, Disney continued to make traditionally animated films on a yearly basis even after the end of the renaissance in 1999. While the renaissance did die out and Disney seemingly put traditional animation on the backburner after Home on the Range, they have shown us that it really is not dead after all with Princess and the Frog and ha s promised to release a traditionally animated film every 2 years from now on. Similarly, Hayao Miyazaki, a highly acclaimed animator from Japan, has built his career off of creating fantastical feature films primarily using traditional animation, and has won various prestigious awards for his creations. Since creating Princess Mononoke, he has begun to implement computer animation in some sequences of his films. Despite this, he retains traditional 2D cel animation as his primary medium of choice. Through all of this it is also important to note that traditional animation still continues to garner critical acclaim insofar as receiving awards and nominations for awards. The medium, while requiring a greater amount of labor and time, still produces many high quality films worthy of critical praise. For instance, Disneys recently released Princess and the Frog was nominated for a Golden Globe, and Miyazaki has been nominated for or won awards for a lot of his films. Bill Kroyer was also nominated for an Acedemy Award for Technological Threat. This just goes to show that the look of traditional animation is not seen as obsolete and can be beautifully done, as has been shown for countless decades. Another important aspect of these two techniques to consider is the overall cost of production for films that use either technique. There has been a growing misconception that computer animation is far more cost-effective overall than traditional animation. While this is true in some instances, in actuality it is subjective to the films being compared. One good comparison to make that disproves this fallacy is between two feature films released by Disney: Bolt and Mulan. Bolt was Disneys CGI major feature released a couple of years ago in 2008, while Mulan was their traditionally animated feature of 1998, which happened to come out towards the end of the Disney Renaissance. Both films have about an hour and a half of runtime. There is a staggering difference in production budgets, however. While Mulan carried a production budget of 90 million dollars, Bolt had an astonishingly large budget of 150 million, 60 million more than Mulan! This clearly shows that the cost of production is s ubjective to the film being worked on and can change in favor of either computers or traditional techniques. Despite the hype for computer animated features following the massive success of Toy Story in 1995, there have been CGI films that have been less than successful, such as Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within in 2001. This film, despite having ultra-realistic CGI and a budget of 137 million dollars, was a total flop, with revenues not even covering the production costs for the film. A films financial viability can depend on many factors, like the quality of what is being animated, and of course how it is marketed, but that is another issue entirely. In short, CGI-animated films can be cheaper than those made with traditional animation in some cases, but often can cost just as much if not more. The costs of each are comparable to each other, the only major difference is traditional techniques tend to take longer. Much like in any other industry, computers drastically changed the way animation can be done and people feared losing their jobs because of the changes brought forth by them. But, as is exemplified by Kroyers film Technological Threat, there is little need to fear the future. Today, traditional animation and computer animation coexist and are often even used in combination on some films. Traditional animation remains a prominent form of animation to this day, and continues to grow with new animators joining the ranks. Computer graphics is not meant as a replacement for the old fashioned hand-drawn and stop motion styles, but rather another tool in their box of tricks. Just because one owns a drill does not make a screwdriver obsolete. They each have important purposes as well as advantages and disadvantages. After all, a tool is only as good as the person trained to use it.

Free Bird :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Road of Life Today we pause, to look into our past as well as our future. We remember when we were young, starting our trek down the Road of Life. The first place on this long and winding road was the Meadow of Childhood. This is where we met many new people and formed numerous friendships; most of which still exist today. However, we were unable to stay here, and so continued on our journey through the doors of Quabbin Regional, becoming some of the mightiest Panthers in all the land. Stepping through those doors also marked our emergence into the Desert of Adolescence, where many of us became tangled in the thorn bushes along the way. But we made it out, and from there we took our swim across the River of Wisdom. When we reached the opposite bank we paused in the Forest of Enchantment, which is where we stand together today. Looking back we can no longer see the Meadow of Childhood, for it is nothing but a faint memory to us now. The only thing we can see from here is the Valley of Adulthood, and the long-awaited climb to success. And although most of us are sad, somehow we know that the hardest part of our journey has come to an end. For we have sipped from the Water of Morals, Climbed the Rock of love, Swum the Sea of Knowledge, And ascended the Mountain of Truth. And as we continue on our journey, and say our last good-byes, I would like to congratulate you mighty Panthers from Quabbin Regional High. -Jason Holihan Senior Class Poem, Class of 2001   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lynrd Skynyrd once asked, â€Å"if I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me.† There were only a few days left before high school was finally over, and I couldn’t help but wonder who would remember me when I left Quabbin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last page was finally ripped off of the â€Å"Senior Class Countdown,† displaying the huge, colorful â€Å"0.† While most of my classmates sat in the hallway cleaning out their lockers, I was scurrying to room H121; Graduation Committee meeting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There we sat in the most uncomfortable chairs in the world putting the final touches on everything when it came time to decide whose poem would be chosen to represent our class at Baccalaureate. A vote had been taken at the previous meeting, and I waited uneasily for the results. With a unanimous vote, it was mine. My head began to spin and I thought I was going to throw up.

Compare the ways in which Poe creates suspense Essay

Poe creates effective suspense in his stories, and two examples of which Poe creates suspense are â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†. Poe creates suspense in his stories in various different ways, some are similar in each story, but some are different. Poe’s stories are filled with drama terror and fear, due to the suspense he creates. A lot of his stories are gothic and contain some sort of death or suffering. In the Tell-Tale Heart in the narrator persistently insists that he is not mad although throughout the story we learn more and more that he is in fact mad. He tries to prove his sanity by telling us how carefully he had planned the murder and all the precautions he had taken, but this just further proves his insanity. Also the narrator from the Tell-Tale Heart often talks the reader. Three examples of where the narrator directly speaks to the reader are, â€Å"but why will you say that I am mad?†, â€Å"You fancy me mad†, and, â€Å"if still you think me mad†. Another way that Poe creates suspense is by making the narrator obsessed with something, in the Tell-Tale Heart the narrator is obsessed with the old man’s eye, in the Cask of Amontillado the narrator is obsessed with revenge and in the Pit and the Pendulum the narrator is obsessed with survival, this means we cannot entirely trust the reader says, or what actions he may or may not have done, also the narrator in the Pit and the Pendulum is drugged and tired, although this is not his fault we can trust him the least. â€Å"It must have been drugged, for scarcely had I drunk before I became irresistibly drowsy. A deep sleep fell upon me — a sleep like that of death† Time is shown moving slowly when the sentences are longer and they include more commas, It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening†, â€Å"A watch’s minute hand moves more quickly than did mine†, and, â€Å"For a whole hour, I did not move a muscle† however, when the pace of the story increases and time appears to move faster, the sentences are much shorter, normally including two or three words. â€Å"I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room†, and, â€Å"They heard. They suspected. They knew†. Watches are referenced a few times during the Tell-Tale Heart, to give us a sense of how much time has passed, although it can also mean, as each tick of the watch symbolises a closer movement to the death of all humans, although in this case, the old man’s death. A quote to support this would be, â€Å"A watch’s minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. The narrator compares himself to a watch, suggesting it is he himself who is counting down until the old man’s death, as he is the one in control. Poe uses repetition many times in the story, and the technique is used as each use of repetition helps contribute to adding more atmosphere to the story, adding to the suspense and fear that we already feel. When they are used, the story slows down slightly, which makes our anticipation for finding out what happens next grow, and this pulls us further into the story, making us read on. In the Tell-Tale Heart, as the story is a 1st person account of the event, thinking solely about its use in the plot, it helps underline how detailed the narrator is in his details and how much he obsessed over the murder. â€Å"With what caution — With what foresight — With what dissimulation†, â€Å"How stealthily, stealthily†, and, â€Å"Louder! Louder! Louder! Louder!† In the Cask of Amontillado and the Tell-Tale Heart the protagonist likes to toy with the victim, which they are about to kill. For example in the Cask of Amontillado the protagonist, Montressor, gets out a trowel, which later on that would be the murder weapon, It is this,† I answered, producing a trowel from beneath the folds of my roquelaire. he also gives the victim multiple opportunities the escape and leave the cellar, he also told the victim that he would not die of a cough implying that he would die at the hands of Montressor. â€Å"Enough,† he said; â€Å"the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.† And â€Å"True — true,† I replied; â€Å"and, indeed, I had no intention of alarming you unnecessarily — but you should use all proper caution. A draught of this Medoc will defend us from the damps.† Also in the Tell-Tale heart, the narrator is extra kind to the old man, and on the eighth night just before he killed the old man, he knew that the old man knew, that he was in the room, but he didn’t give up and carried on with the murder One of the many ways which Poe creates suspense is that the story is in the first person. This is present in all the stories I have studied, In the Tell-Tale Heart and the Cask of Amontillado the antagonist is the narrator, but in the Pit and the Pendulum the victim was the narrator. This is effective because we can only see what the narrator is seeing and what is going on his head. Sometimes knowing what goes on in the narrator’s head can make us feel sympathy for the victim. For example, we feel sympathy for the old man in the Tell-Tell Heart, as we learn that the old man, had done nothing wrong, and was kind to the narrator. Also this is effective because this makes us more involved with the story. The differences between the stories are that the narrator in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† gets caught by the police, because of his guilty conscience that manifests itself through the beating heart. Montresor, on the other hand, does not get caught, and lives with no one knowing. Montresor is not burdened by accusations of madness like the other narrator is; in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† it seems like the entire purpose for telling the tale is to prove that he isn’t insane. Montresor, on the other hand, just seems to want to tell the tale for the tale’s sake, not to prove that he is sane. In Montresor’s case there is hallucination of the beating heart to force him into confession; very little evidence of a guilty conscience is seen in Montresor. Poe created suspense in various effective ways, some are obvious to spot, and some are not. The Cask of Amontillado and the Tell-Tale Heart are two of his best stories in my opinion, they both create suspense in mostly different, although are very similar or the same. Poe’s stories are still popular today one reason for this could be because of the suspense that is present in his stories. I think one of the main reasons that Poe creates suspense is so that it drags the reader he so the reader would carry on reading.