As one of your options for responding to today's discussion, you are welcome to address questions and insights over Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" via commenting on this post.
If you choose this option, I expect that you will...
1. Respond at least a few times by posting insightful comments or questions.
2. Uphold our previously established blogging expectations with regard to using formal punctuation, grammar, and language.
3. Consider what is transpiring in the discussion; rather than simply typing, pause to listen to the inner circle at times and use that discussion, in addition to your own questions and comments, to guide your responses.
Happy posting to you.
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what is one of the most clear aspects of how the house and the host relates to each other in this story?
ReplyDeleteAs a clarification question; at the end of the short story did the lady of the house kill her brother and then fall dead herself?
ReplyDeleteWhat is an aspect that came as a shock because they were so similar?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Hailey I think the way that Usher describes himself as possesed and mentally ill relates to the hellish description of the house.
ReplyDeleteHailey,
ReplyDeleteI actually think that the "host" seems opposing to the house's physical appearance and yet seem eerily similar
Poe spends a ton of time describing the house. His description of the house helps build an understanding of Usher. He is worn and weathered by the years, but has managed to stand relatively strong. Then, at the end when he finally breaks and everything goes crazy, the house, too, falls to the ground.
ReplyDeleteI would say the outside of the house is pretty, especially the garden. How is the outside truly connected to the outside appearance of the host?
ReplyDeleteWell, I think like they are talking about in the inner circle, that the dark and descriptive words that are being used to describe the house are very similiar to the host. One thing I did notice that was ironic to me was how when the guest walked in, he was "vivaciously greeted" by the host. That's not something I would have expected from a person inside of such a gloomy place.
ReplyDeleteI think the house and the host relate to each other because both have somewhat of a mysterious facade. When we first read about the house, we don't know the history of the house or what has gone on there. When Usher is introduced, he comes off mysterious and secretive, much like the hosts in the other examples we have studied.
ReplyDeleteOne question I had, dealt with the issue of fear. What causes fear? Is it affected by past memories or experiences?
ReplyDeleteHow do the host of this short story and the hosts of the movies clips we watched relate to eachother?
ReplyDeleteWhy was physical appearance so important in this short story, Poe takes alot of time to describe, specifically, the appearance of Usher, why is this?
ReplyDeleteAmanda- Usher is fairly well put together. He is a wealthy man who has been taken good care of over the years and is physically pretty healthy. But like the house, there is also something odd, eery, and weird about him.
ReplyDeleteLike Bridget I believe that Poe tries to intertwine the house and Usher as one whatever happens to one will probably happen to the other
ReplyDeleteHailey- just as Kelsey was saying in the inner circle, the host and the house are both "diseased." They also both seemed to be plagued by something. Roderick's twin sister is plagued by disease, while the house is plagued by dust, overgrowth, fungus etc. They both seem dark and gloomy as well.
ReplyDeleteBoth the host and the house have a sad look to them. The host had gone through a lot of hardship throughout his life and he is the only one left in his long line of ancestry. He has a lot of weight on his shoulders being the only one left and this makes him sick. The house itself looks burdened by the weight of the years being moldy and dull.
ReplyDeleteMarie: I think that both hosts are very dark and both of them have a large sense of mystery.
ReplyDeleteA question I have is how does the quote at the beginging relate to the story? Poe only mentions a lute one other timme in the story.
ReplyDeleteI think fear is manifested by past experiences. For example, I wasn't afraid of spiders until I actually saw one. Also, I think people around us effect what we are and are not afraid of.
ReplyDeleteI think fear is the fact of not knowing what is going to happen in the future. He was very depressed after his last relative died and maybe he was fearful that he would be next. He knows that he is the last of his kind and when he died there would be no more of his family.
ReplyDeleteKailyn: I think that Poe describes the house so much because one, he really enjoyed dark, creepy, and Gothic things, and two, he really wanted the readers to get the message that the host and the house are very similar.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Marie,
ReplyDeleteThis story and the stories we have read and watched are all similar in the way there is that "dark cloud," So to say, hanging over the host and their setting. It isn't the guest that brings the darkness, in every bit of media we have discussed the host is the one with the burden.
Usher seems to have childish, almost girlish, features - I find this significantly contrasting as he is all but innocent
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story, the guest seems to remain ignorant to the realities in the house. He notices that the house is creepy, but he goes in anyways. (loyalty to his friend?) He does not fully awknowledge the wierdness surrounding the lady of the house and his friend's illness.
ReplyDeleteMarie-
ReplyDeleteI think that all of the hosts have secrets. They all have something to hide from the guest and from the outside world.
All of these gothic units have a consistent foreboding and dark tone, the reader/viewer knows something is wrong however they can not quite put their finger on it til further in the story
ReplyDeleteKatie- I think that fear can be caused by all of the things you said, but also, especially, a heavy or burdened conscience. It seemed like as more and more time went on after they buried Roderick's twin, his fear increasingly got worse and worse. Just like as time went on, his gulit grew and grew as well.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Marie's question, I think the hosts are all mysterious. They all have secrets that are kept locked inside their houses. I think they also reflect the personality of their house.
ReplyDeleteKristen: You say the hosts are very mysterious...why do you think they act this way? What do they have to hide?
ReplyDeleteThroughout the whole story, Poe describes the setting in strong, depressing terms. How does Poe's description of a dull and dark setting relate to the character of the host and his personality throughout the story?
ReplyDeleteKelsey also made a good analogy by comparing the house and its appearence as a disease. Poe's description of the setting relates throughout the short story as that of a disease by its description, and the description of those who inhabit in it.
The inner circle is talking a lot about why he stayed with Usher and took such good care of him. I think that it was largely simply because of his emotional obligation. He speaks of how when he read the letter he simply HAD to go in person. I think he almost felt guilty about leaving. At the same time, he was curious. The house had a draw to it. From the moment he arrived, he was both scared and wanted to leave, but yet was also amazed by the house. He was so observative and insiteful about the house and I think he really did WANT to see what was going on.
ReplyDeleteSarah- I felt like the story was a story of how the house effected him and "poisoned" his heart, causing him, in turn, to do uncharacteristic actions, which would be the resounding of the house through him
ReplyDeleteI noticed major similarities between the guest and the condition of the house. Could the host's entrance of the house signify anything about his personality? He could have shuttered and turned away at the sight of the house, and even his old friend.
ReplyDeleteThe host has secrets that he even keeps from his friend who he trusted to come to the house, like intimate details of his illness and the way he changed from when he was a child.
ReplyDeleteJust something that I don't understand-
ReplyDeleteDo the houses always directly relate to the host? Can they ever relate more to the guest?
I would agree with Hannah. I feel that at the beginning of the story, the hosts have secrets that are kept in. These all are aspects that make the reader want to read it! Not always will the reader learn about what the secret will be, but one wants to find out. These stories are creepy but we read them to know what happens.
ReplyDeleteI think the physical aspect in this story is described so much because Poe really wants his readers to imagine what is happening. He tries to make us imagine that we are actually in the scene and so we will have intimate feelings about the story such as being afraid, or anxious of what is going to happen next. Plus he wants to show the relationship with the man and where he lives.
ReplyDeleteThe host and the house together both relate to Edward Scissorhands. Edward was made of metal and had black clothes with gears on them. The house was very dark on the inside with gears and machinary. The only difference was the outside of where Edward lived was very nice. Roderick Usher seemed to have been effected by the house because like the inside circle is talking about the house is decaying and that could effect him.
ReplyDeleteI think the inner circle discussion is interesting, what do you think was the original catalyst for house and host to crumble? was it the house affecting him or him affecting the house?
ReplyDeleteMeg, I think they can relate to the guest also. At first I thought the house was more similar to Poe than to the initial description of Usher.
ReplyDeleteMeg I believe that perhaps they can relate to the guest, however the guest is almost always an intruder; and how can one intrude into something they are similar to
ReplyDeleteI think the houses usually just relate to the host because it is the host's house and it should portray them. Just like how our room's portray ourselves. If one of my aunt's came over then it's not going to relate to her as much as it will relate to me because it's my room and I'm the one who decorated it and stuff.
ReplyDeleteMeg: I think that since the host is based out of the house it would be more like them, especially in order to create a larger contrast to the visiting guest.
ReplyDeleteWhat things did you find interesting about the guest? Did he seem comfortable or uncomfortable with where he was or what he was doing?
ReplyDeleteOne interesting thing I noticed is that the interior of the house is very mysterious. I think this reflects Usher's interior which is also very mysterious as their is obviously something wrong with him but the reader does not know what it is. Bad things also seem to happen within the house reflecting bad things that may be happening within Usher's unstable personal interior.
ReplyDeleteMeg- I think that yes, house and host, in gothic literature, are the things that will relate. That is just a characteristic of the type of literature
ReplyDeleteI'm confused on one thing, does the sister come and kill the twin brother while Poe gets away? If so shouldn't the sister be dead, or was it just her ghost?
ReplyDeleteMarie- I think they are trying to mask their guilt. It almost seems like a façade to scare people away.
ReplyDeleteI believe Mr. Usher chose the poem because it had deeper meaning in it that related to his own life and experiences.
ReplyDeleteHow do you all think that the french quote at the top of page one relates to the story/plot?
ReplyDeleteUsher lets on that the house is a mystery even to him. He is scared by it and does not know all that goes on in it. Similarly, I think that Usher is a mystery to himself. He does not know or understand what is wrong or happening to him.
ReplyDeleteI think that the hosts in everything we have discussed seem very mysterious to grab the reader's/viewer's attention. As part of human nature, everyone wants to know all. With every story come secrets that we want to figure out.
ReplyDeleteHaley- I thought it was very odd that the guest did not seem fazed by the overwhelming disturbing feeling in the house and the host, at one point I actually thought to myself that if I were in that situation, I would be booking it out of there
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the conversation in the middle, why, in the last line of the song, is the house laughing "but smiles no more" - how are they laughing (a sign of mirth) ?
ReplyDeleteKailyn, Poe takes the time to describe the physical appearence of all of the characters to fully describe the mood of the setting. He makes a point to give the in-depth details of the characters, and the House of Usher, and the physical appearences so that those who read it can truly get a feel for the point he s trying to make. He sets the setting in a depressing manner to match the personality of the hosts. He chooses to make it a dark place in order to seem mysterious and vague, which also relates to the personality of both of the hosts. Without all the details that Poe goes into, the story looses its meaning and the feeling of the characters and who they are is lost.
ReplyDeleteKatie: What do you mean when you say the characters have guilt?
ReplyDeleteIn regard to the relationship of the house and the host, I believe that also both share the characteristic of almost a deep emptiness. User was in a deep depression, Poe describes him as "hollow". The way that Poe described the interior of the house reminds me of Usher. He describes that there were many long, narrow, empty tunnels and rooms, this to me give the setting a empty and hollow feeling.
ReplyDeleteSomething interesting I saw about the guest was that at first he was perfectly normal and sane, and then as time went on his friend's personality and house affected him a lot. Almost turning him insane. He was very uncomfortable but towards the end he kept getting more and more comfortable.
ReplyDeletehow do authors want to write about such dark circumstances like poe ive heard that poe was a very dark man as well maybe he relates these stories to his experiences or his life
ReplyDeleteAmanda- I think it was that the sister escaped from the tomb that he buried him alive in, and then died when she got to him, falling onto him, and then that put him over the edge, resulting in the crumbling of the house
ReplyDeletePaige S. , I agree with what you said; so WHY is Usher portrayed almost as innocent
ReplyDeleteI think he says "laugh but smile no more" because laughing is usually a temporary thing from humor and smiling is associated with being in a good mood.
ReplyDeleteThe storm thing at the second to last page relates to a metaphor for the host's point of view. The fact that he cannot see the moon and the stars represents that he cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel and feels overwhelmed by his sister's supposed death.
ReplyDeleteYes the guest does not seem to think it weird about the host and his house. In the examples we've seen that the guests don't always really see what's going on in the house they sometimes just go in the house for their own cause. Even with the letter sent to him the guest still wasn't very hesitant about seeing his friend.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ben. And I think that part of the reason we have looked into author's lives and their backgrounds are to understand where they're coming from and what causes their grief, pain, happiness,inspiration, anger, etc.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe the term "House of Usher" is meant to simply refer to the physical house. I think it has a double meaning so to speak as it is also referring to the family. The family lives in the house and they seem to share a very strong connection as the house is decaying along with the family. Indeed, I think this is one of the most fascinating elements of Gothic Literature the fact that the setting which is usually a house seems to have physical, human characteristics which seem to have an actual effect on the story yet are also very symbolic in nature.
ReplyDeleteThe authors probably like to write about these things because it interests them. These stories are big parts of their imagination and their past experiences have probably contributed to these stories a lot.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Usher bury his sister alive? I don't think it was a mistake, by the way he loses it while Poe is reading the story to him during the storm. What was it that motivated him to do that?
ReplyDeleteThe books/stories that Usher has are brought up a lot, one is even used to comfort Roderick near the end. What is their significance?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Haley...but i also feel that instead of looking at just the background knowledge, we need to concentrate on the aspects of the story itself and let our imaginations discover the background of the people. The stories at hand are able to get us out of our fairy tale mode and lets us look into the darker parts of our minds for a challenge for these gothic tales.
ReplyDeletePaul- I totally agree. It is the fall and end of the entire family line. There are no other decendants, cousins, sons, etc. to continue the family name. With the fall of the house comes the loss of the Usher name. The house, having been passed through the family, represents the family itself.
ReplyDeleteMeggie- I think the quote has to do with Usher's heart being a poised lute. Poised to sound as he hides his guilt, and as soon as something threatens that security, it sounds.
ReplyDeletePaul- I agree, and by saying "the fall" of the house of Usher, it is saying that the family of Usher is no more, because Roderick was the last male in the family, so once he died, the "house" of Usher was gone
ReplyDeletesydney,
ReplyDeleteThat seems like such a simple question, and yet I have no idea of the answer... hmm - Usher doesn't really seem to have a motive for this odd murder attempt
I think the books' significance is that they show the men are going off into different worlds and are getting lost in a different reality. Plus those books are probably feeding their imaginations.
ReplyDeleteWhy does the author choose to use the story in the end of the short story? Was it because of the events within that story and how they could be related to the outside?
ReplyDeleteSydney- I'm not sure. I think that maybe he did think she was dead. But then when they took that last look at her, he began to realize that she might be alive. But he was hesitant to admit it, and felt guilty for thinking she was dead in the first place. So, he ignored it, and hoped she would go away. I'm not sure though, that is how I interpretted it.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone think the night that the narrator couldn't sleep and the clouds were glowing had any significance to the story?
ReplyDeleteThe guest/host relationship appears to be vague in all of the stories and movie clips we have watched. They seem to come into the host's lives, whether invited, like in "The Fall of the House of Usher", or unexpected, like in "Edward Scissorhands". The guest and the host seem to have a distant relationship, but it is the guest who initiates the relationship first, and the host who is excepting of the relationship. In our society today, it seems to be the other way around. The hosts are generally the more open and inviting people, whereas the guests are the one who don't fully put themselves out there until they have found a level of comfort. Knowing this, how does the time period from when Poe wrote this differentiate from the current time period? How does this effect the way the story is interpreted today compared to how it would be interpreted when it was originally written.
ReplyDeleteThe significance of the books is that, as the book increased in intensity, so did the outside and real world. This could represent that terrors in books can also translate to the real world.
ReplyDeleteI think that this quote in the beginning helps set the scene. Because all the points of the interpretation for what it has to do with the story are great, but it also helps bring that infectious feeling that the death and decay within the house that is occuring.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that in all of the Gothic works we have studied including the House of Usher the guest does not seem to understand what is going on within the house. It seems as if the house almost effects the guest in such a way that they are unable to understand what is going on inside of it. This is symbolic of the idea that one from the outside cannot understand what is going on within someone or something. Yet paradoxially the description of the house seems to reflect what is going on inside of Mr. Usher as well as within his family. This is one of the most interesting elements of gothic fiction the fact that the setting is both symbolical and physical, physically effecting and representing the story and characters while symbolizing greater ideas and themes. Setting is definitely very versatile within this story and type of fiction.
ReplyDelete