Abdulgalil Ahmed
Pro. Nicholas T. Spatafora
ENG102.5820
October 18, 2013
Draft # 1
The Use of Reverse Psychology
Why do people seek revenge? The Quran and Bible teaches us to "give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" to punish an offender. But more than 2,000 years later, Martin Luther King Jr., responded, "The old law of 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind." It means if people take revenge, it will not help them to move in life but it will make it ghastly. In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," Montresor seeks revenge on man named Fortunato, who irreparably insulted him. "THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge" (733). In the beginning of the narrative, it shows a hatred that Montresor holds against Fortunato, and then goes on to clarify that Montresor seeks retribution in an evil way.
He entices his victim Fortunato to the murder scene by flattering Fortunato and using reverse psychology.
Montresor preserve an appearance of a fine will towards Fortunato and decides to use Fortunato's weakness for fine wines. " He had a weak point----this Fortunato---although in order regards he was a man to be respected and even feared. He prided himself on this connoisseurship in wine. Few Italians have the true virtuoso spirit"(733). It shows Montresor knows that Fortunato is a wine lover and he will use this advantage to take Fortunato life. He structured a plan to take Fortunato to the vaults where he will murder him. Montresor lies about having a pipe of Amontillado in his vault and uses this to attract Fortunato. He tries to trap Fortunato a few times by saying that he...