The Cask of Amontillado Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cask of Amontillado - Essay Example He is insensitive to people’s feelings, but it does not seem to be coming from a place of malice, but more of a place of always thinking â€Å"what’s the big deal?† Burger is the opposite – he apparently was poor, worked his way up on the ladder, was not given anything, had to work for everything, and takes everything very seriously. So, both men came upon fame and fortune, but in very different ways. As indicated above, there is nothing in the early part of the story that would indicate that horror would be befalling Kennedy by the end of the story. This is in contrast to â€Å"The Cask of the Amontillado,† the story upon which this story was evidently based. In â€Å"The Cask of the Amontillado,† we know from the beginning that the narrator had a problem with Fortunato, who is the man who eventually has the same fate that Kennedy does in this story, for we know from the very first paragraph that the narrator is angry with Fortunato, althoug h we know not for what, and never do find out. However, in the â€Å"The New Catacomb,† there is initially not a hint that there is anything amiss. The two men are enjoying one another’s company, and there begins almost a casual conversation about two things – the fact that Burger has artifacts from a new catacomb that he has discovered, and the fact that Kennedy had had a scandalous affair, the details of which is not yet known. As the two men spar a bit – Kennedy is eager to know about the new catacomb, and Burger does not want to give up the secret – one does not necessarily get the sense that Burger has anything against Kennedy. Initially, the reader is led to believe that Burger is only asking Kennedy about the affair to prove a point – that, as Burger has a secret that he does not want to reveal, so does Kennedy. And, if Kennedy does not want to reveal the details of the affair, then Burger is not going to reveal the details about the new catacomb. Initially, it seems that this is all that there is to it. Of course, Kennedy does reveal the affair, and, in the process, the reader is brought into Kennedy’s mind. He comes across as callous and insensitive, for he had an affair with an engaged woman, all for the sport of it, and nothing else. Then he pretty much sealed his fate when he shrugged off the question about the woman’s other man by stating that it was simply survival of the fittest, and that if the other man would have been a better man, she would not have deserted him. Of course, the reader finds out at the end exactly who that other man was, but, at the moment, this information is not revealed, so the entire back and forth between the men about the affair does not seem to be foreboding. It is only when Burger states that he must take Kennedy to the new catacomb that the reader gets a sense of foreboding. Since most readers have read â€Å"The Cask of the Amontillado† at least once, th ere is, at this moment, a sense of dread for Kennedy. Although the reader does not know exactly why something will happen to Kennedy, there is immediately an â€Å"oh, no† when Burger offers to take Kennedy to the catacombs. Does Burger want revenge for the affair? If so, why is it his business? Or does he simply want a rival out of the way? After all, these men are rivals, even if they are friendly rivals. Whatever the motivation, the reader instantly can sense that this will not end well for Kennedy. As the

Telephone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Telephone - Essay Example Today, many people benefit from the said device, making communication easier especially for families who need to be away from each other. The invention of the telephone made correspondences a lot easier because people from far distances are able to speak with each other. They can connect in a matter of seconds. Moreover, since telephone conversations are paid, they can last for a short period of time which is an advantage to busy people. However, correspondents can misunderstand or misinterpret what are being said because they cannot see the facial expressions of the person on the other end. They rely on the words being uttered as well as the tone and volume of the voice to further understand the spoken languages therefore there can be strains that occur between callers based from the factors mentioned earlier. In addition, assuming that one has the full attention of the person on the other end can also lead to misunderstandings. Moreover, calls can be made at inconvenient moments without the caller realizing it. This makes the process more difficult especially when the person being called is busy or has other more pr essing matters to attend to that a call needs to be immaturely ended