The Cask of Amontillado - Essay Example

How to Annotate a Literary Work The Cask of Amontillado Stories published many years in the past or other old literary works are often challenging to most students to read, comprehend and annotate. A clear example is Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” published 1846. Students, therefore, must ensure active readership to provide a succinct annotation of the story. It is imperative for a student to annotate the text while reading it. Before explaining the best annotation strategy for Poe’s story, I will clarify the concept of annotation.

I will provide clear definition and accompanying explanations of annotating a literary work. After explaining the concept of annotation, I will provide a synopsis of the short story. After explaining the concept of annotation, I will highlight a summary of Poe’s major themes in the story. According to the Cornell University Library, an annotation refers to a critical review and explanation of a literary work. It demonstrates a critical assessment to reform readers or researchers about the topic under analysis (Cornell University Library 1).

For every annotation, all or one of the critical elements must exist. First, a summary of the literary work forms a fundamental aspect of an annotation. Next, an annotation should provide a perfect critique and analysis of the literary work under study. A vital component of an annotation is the relevance of the literature under study to the subject under study. It is noteworthy that an annotation should be precise and detailed. It should reflect the author’s original theme or main interest when writing the literary work under study.

A perfect comprehension of the reading, therefore, is essential to have an accurate annotation of a literary work. Montresor swore revenge- he would destroy Fortunato, and do so without fear of punishment. He meets a drunken Fortunato at a carnival, tricks him into vising an underground vault, and there he chains him to a wall and buries him alive. Montresor never explains how Fortunato insulted him. Poe’s story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” is an account of bitter revenge and murder (Poe and Gary 22).

Its setting is at an Italian cemetery. From its beginning, the narrator expresses bitter feelings against Fortunato for insulting and hurting him. Having found Fortunato drunk, the narrator leads him to an underground graveyard. The narrator gets Fortunato drunk as they proceed further deep into the underground graveyard. Fortunato speaks of Amantillado as he continues to get drunk until the narrator chains him to a wall. Montresor, the narrator as Fortunato refers to him at an almost the last instance, fills the hole in which he buries Fortunato using bricks.

After executing psychological torture on Fortunato, the narrator finally lets him to die. In the story, Poe reveals a major theme of betrayal. Poe’s story is among the old literary works that may be challenging to most learners who do not engage in active reading. Active reading of the text is a prerequisite to ensure a perfect annotation. According to the Purdue Owl Online Writing Lab, writing an annotation entails three critical processes including summarizing, assessing, and reflecting.

The three stages, summarizing, assessing, and reflecting, ensure a reader has a comprehensive mastery of the text before writing an annotation. Explore the themes in the text and explain its significance (Purdue Owl Online Writing Lab 1). Outline the characters and their roles in developing the story and theme expressed in the text. Explore the contextual analysis of terms applied in the text as expressed by the author in relation to the characters’ roles. Purdue Owl Online Writing Lab highlight that students write annotations to learn and explore the topic in preparation for a project.

Further, writing an annotation helps other researchers get an overview of vital topics to be published. Works Cited Cornell University Library. How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography: The Annotated Bibliography. Web. 2014. Accessed from: http://guides.library.cornell.edu/annotatedbibliography Poe, Edgar and Gary, Kelley. The Cask of Amontillado. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 2008. Print. Purdue Owl Online Writing Lab. Annotated Bibliographies. Web. 2014. Accessed from: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/