Edgar Allen Poe

“Then into the chamber, turning, all my soul within me burning.” This quote by Edgar Allan Poe in the poem, “The Raven” shows a suspenseful mood. “The Raven” is about a man who lost the love of his life, Lenore, and is constantly taunted and tortured by a raven who reminds him of his lost love. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is a similar suspense story, depicting a man who believes he is not crazy, all the while planning to kill an old man because he dislikes his eye. The killer later confesses because his own guilt rings in his ears. Since all of Poe’s loves and family died from consumption, it is obvious that his depressing works were greatly influenced by his life of death. He uses descriptive details, setting, and figurative language to set the mood for his horrifying suspense stories.
To commence, Edgar Allan Poe used descriptive details to create mood in his stories. For instance, in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Poe describes the old man as having a “pale blue eye with a film over it,” creating a creepy mood. A creepy mood is inflicted upon the reader because the eye is described in a way that feels as though it is constantly staring at you. In the same story, Poe depicts the fictional watch as having a “slow, dull, quick sound,” creating a dismal mood because the reader can almost hear the nervous beating of the killer’s heart. In another wonderfully twisted story by Poe, “The Raven,” he uses descriptive details again. In this poem, Poe calls the bird an “ebony bird,” making the reader think that the bird is dark and evil, setting a spooky mood. Also in “The Raven,” the bust above the man’s door is described as “placid,” meaning calm. This occurs in the middle of an eerie tale, creating a horrifyingly serene mood, if only for a moment.
Furthermore, Edgar Allan Poe uses setting in his stories frequently to create mood. One example of this is in “The Raven,” Poe writes “bleak December,” which creates a desolate, unwelcoming mood, showing that where this narrator lives is...