When a person reads he/she feels a certain way driven by the words in the text, this is called mood and it has to do with word choice, imagery, and figures of speech that are used in a story. This helps create a distinct feeling for audiences. The two sentences which contribute to the overall eerie mood of this excerpt from
Poe in "The Cask of Amontillado" are the two first beginning “The wine sparkled…” and "The nitre!" I said;”
By describing the environment surrounding Fortunado and Montressor as they walk down a long passage through catacombs and wine vaults, Poe sets the tone of the scene.
