Question

One morning, in cool blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree; hung it with the tears streaming from my eyes, and with the bitterest remorse at my heart; hung it because I knew that it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offence; hung it because I knew that in so doing I was committing a sin a deadly sin that would so jeopardize my immortal soul as to place it if such a thing were possible even beyond the reach of the infinite mercy of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God. What technique does the author use in this passage in order to call attention to the importance of the event? A. A metaphor to show the narrator's remorse B. A flashback to a previous, similar event C. Use of the phrase "Most Terrible God" D. Repetition of the phrase "hung it"

Answer 1

Answer:

D. Repetition of the phrase "hung it".

Explanation:

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Black Cat" narrates the story of a man who killed not only his cat but his wife in his drunken state. His actions resulted in his death sentence which we came to know from the start of the story. He was to be hanged the following day.

With the repetitive use of the phrase "hung it", the author emphasized the importance of this phrase in the story. And as it will turn out, the narrator and protagonist will also be hanged for his crimes. The hanging of his cat is a foreshadowing of his own hanging that starts the story. The death of the cat, the re-imagining of the new cat as the dead cat all leads to the climax of the story. The "hung it" phrase played an important role in the plot, bringing the attention to this act in the forefront till the end.

Answer 2

Answer:

D. Repetition of the phrase "hung it."

Explanation:

In this passage, the author employs repetition in order to highlight the importance of the event being described. We learn that the speaker has hung a cat with the intention of killing it. We also learn that he feels terribly guilty about it, and thinks that God will never forgive him, and will in fact punish him for such a terrible action. The impact of the event is highlighted by the fact that the speaker continues to repeat the phrase "hung it," as if he could not believe that the event had actually taken place.