Essays

The Premature Burial - Edgar Allan Poe

The theme of Poe's story is to not let our fears consume us. For a long time, he was consumed by this fear of being buried alive, and took several precautions against it, as well as limited what he did to ensure he wouldn't be wrongfully buried. However, once he experienced what he thought was him being buried alive, he realized that he couldn't go about not fully living his life just because of something that might happen. Sometimes chances are to be taken in life, otherwise we could question if we're really living. People do that often too; we decide not to do things because of our fears, and sometimes we end up missing out on things that could have been great.

For example, I remember being deathly afraid of The Haunted Mansion in Disney World as a child. I would kick, scream, and cry not to go on. I'm not sure if it was the ghosts that scared me, or the darkness, but I was terrified of that ride and therefore refused to go on it. A couple of years ago, I was back in Florida again and went to Disney, and my brother finally convinced me to go onto The Haunted Mansion, despite the doubts I still had about it. Once I went on however, it was my absolute favorite ride. I never pass up a chance to go on it any time I'm at Disney World, and sometimes I might go three or four times in one trip! I always recommend it to anyone who's going to Disney for the first time, and my brother enjoys reminding me that there was once a time where I wouldn't go on my favorite ride just because a little fear of the unknown got to me.

Guided Analysis Questions:

"Here, Poe describes the sensations of being buried alive. What imagery does Poe use to help you hear, see, smell, and feel?" - He talks of the smell of the earth, the surrounding darkness, the pressure on the chest, and the silence of being six feet under.

"The narrator suffers from catalepsy, a physical condition in which the individual cannot move or speak for hours or, in extreme cases, for months. According to the narrator's explanation, what are some of the ways that one can tell a cataleptic is still living?" - By checking for a heartbeat, or for breath, as well as feeling for warmth still in the body or color in the face.

"What simile does the narrator use describing his return to consciousness? What does the narrator suggest by using this simile and subsequent description?" - Poe described his waking as the "day dawning to the friendless and houseless beggar who roams the streets throughout the long desolate winter night". A morning where the sunlight is warmly greeted, but only brings light unto the weary and depressing truths of the life.

"As the narrator experiences fear, what techniques does Poe use to create suspense for the reader?" - He describes how the thought of death overcame him, and became almost an obsession, and he describes how he felt when he thought of it.

"What is happening to the narrator here? Use evidence from the text to support your answer." - Poe is dreaming of something, which I can only imagine is death, speaking to him and commanding him, and yet he seems not as terrified as he should be, or as I would be at the least.

"The narrator describes one of his dreams. What happens and what is the significance?" - Poe is shown the dead that are sleeping soundly in their graves, and yet bodies have moved from their original resting places, which can lead one to the conclusion that perhaps they had been buried alive.

"How would you describe the narrator's mental state? Are his actions rational?" - I suppose I would think that these precautions he took to taking were somewhat going overboard, but then again, I live in a time where being buried alive seems like such an unlikely thing, in his time it was something that was all too likely, so perhaps it was rational for him to be reacting in such a way.

"What techniques does Poe use in the second paragraph to build suspense? What is the effect on you, the reader?" - Poe leads us slowly through his awakening, letting the anticipation grow inside of us and our minds fill with possibilities of what's happened to him. I grew more worried with every line I read for the author, and knew that, had I been in his place, I would have lost control of my emotions quickly.

"Based on the descriptions here, what has happened to the narrator?" - The descriptions lead the readers to believe that Poe's worst fear has come to pass, and that he has been buried before actually dying.

"How does changing sentence structure from long to short and choppy help build suspense? What emotions do you feel as you read?" - Making the sentences shorter somehow seems to make one feel more anxious. Rather than a long and lazy sentence, short sentences seem so fast paced that it catches you in the moment. While reading it I could feel my heartbeat speeding up to match my fear for our narrator's life.

"What has happened? If you were the narrator, what would you feel hearing these voices?" - Someone heard Poe's cry for help and responded to it, but not in a way one would expect others to react to a scream coming out of a buried coffin. Had I been Poe, I probably would have been infinitely relieved to have been heard, but also confused about their reaction.

"The narrator explains how the circumstances of his last night aboard the boat paralleled the circumstances of his worst fears. What are the similarities he experienced?" - He felt trapped in this dark, lonely, little place. The sloop was as isolated and restricting as a coffin would have been, with no sounds or anything to make one feel connected to the outside world.

"The narrator undergoes a major change. What did the narrator do in light of his experience on the sailboat? Do you think his reaction is a typical one of someone facing their fears?" - His reaction seemed appropriate for someone who had just faced their fears. He decided not to let his fear control his life, and to go out and live it. If that's not the best way to respond to facing a fear, I don't know what is.

"Think about the meaning of the last sentence. What is Poe saying in these final lines of his story?" - Poe is saying that if we are not careful, then our fears will take over and we mustn't let that happen. 

- 24 May, 2016