pon me, my blood ran cold (Poe 1). The vulture is a bird that only preys upon the dead. Blood running cold is associated with a corpse; therefore, death. His words prove that the eye is expiration looking him in the face. "He was still sitting up in bed listening; --just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to death watches on the wall" (Poe 1). Killing the old man is retribution for fear of death. He is a constant reminder of the perpetrator's greatest fear. Wondering when cessation is going to occur can drive a man insane. "His eye would trouble me no more," illustrates that the man has defeated death (Poe 2). This is ironic because death will always triumph in the end. The killing may give the man temporary solace from his fear, but it can not last. Poe's illness causes him to constantly deal with the coming of his end. He too wishes there were something he can do to ward it off. Obviously this is not possible. The Cask of Amontillado revels in revenge based on upholding one's family motto. Fortunato disrespected Montressor, "the thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but he…ventured upon insult…" (Poe 1). Montressor is an extremely proud man. He takes the comments to heart, and is disturbed by them. His need for revenge is innate. The need is genetic, based on the family motto, which states "No one assails me with impunity". He is compelled to commit murder to honor his family name. Montressor must seek his resolution very mechanically. "A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong" (Poe 1). Fortunado must not know that he is seeking revenge, but when the plot is revealed it is imperative that he takes credit for the act. Montressor's act of murder is calculated; thus, chillingly horrifying. The organization insures that Fortunado is doomed. Poe's interest in burial...
