Blog #3. Hardest Blog Ever.

   Edgar Allen Poe, the father of all the creepy arts, is a badass because he has an NFL team named after one of his poems (the Baltimore Ravens). Not only is the team named after one of his works but the three mascots are each named after him, one raven is Edgar, another is Allen, and the last one is Poe. This achievement alone makes me idolize him as a writer but because he is the father of all the creepy arts is why I would look at some of his work to get ideas when creating my own scary story.

   Five techniques that Poe used in "Fall of the House of Usher" that I would definitely try to mimic are the use of imagery, personification of the setting, some type of perverse sexual behavior, resurrection, and a vague ending to mess with the reader's imagination.  These five things are what make the story scary/creepy and are definitely what I would take from him and try to use.

   Imagery use is vital to the creepy factor because this is what makes the reader feel like they are actually in the story. Imagery is what messes with the reader's mind because of how real it makes the setting feel. Poe uses imagery in "House of Usher" when he describes the house as its falling to its destruction and makes the reader feel as if they are there with when Madeline rises from the dead and makes Roderick die of fear. Along with imagery is the personification of the setting. Poe personifies the house when it is making all the nosies and is "possessed by the devil" and how the house has "feelings". Imagery and personification of the setting are the two most important factors I would take from Poe.

   Perverse sexual behavior, like incest, in the House of Usher, is a factor that doesn't add to the scare factor but makes the creepy factor go off the charts. Madeline and Roderick were twins but more "more than that". Being more than a sibling to your sibling is just weird and disgusting and defines who Poe is as a writer.  Resurrection adds to both the scare factor and creepy factor. Seeing someone at your doorstep that you just buried would be scary as hell. Roderick was right to be literally scared to death because I would be terrified if that happened and scarred for life because of how creepy that would be. To go along with the creepy factor, the use of a vague ending moves that even farther off the chart. It is unsure who really died and what truly happens at the end of the story. This messes with the reader's mind and imagination which is why I would steal it from him.

   If I had to make a scary story these five techniques would be what I would use for sure. Thanks to Mr. Poe we have the scary stories and movies and a lll different forms of art that follow his original setup.