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    The narrator in the short story "the Black Cat" has a very distorted sense of reality. He tortures and kills his beloved cat over him not paying attention to him. In the story "a Retrieved Reformation" by o.henry, the narrators sense of reality is less distorted.

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    The narrator in the short story "the Black Cat" has a very distorted sense of reality. He tortures and kills his beloved cat over him not paying attention to him. In the story "a Retrieved Reformation" by o.henry, the narrators sense of reality is less distorted.

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    14 views4 pages

    Carlynberkeargumentitveessay

    Uploaded by

    api-297411701
    The narrator in the short story "the Black Cat" has a very distorted sense of reality. He tortures and kills his beloved cat over him not paying attention to him. In the story "a Retrieved Reformation" by o.henry, the narrators sense of reality is less distorted.

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    of 4

    CarlynBerke

    Period7
    PerceptionVersusRealityEssay
    RickRiordansaidHumansseewhattheywanttosee.Oneperceiveswhatone
    thinksisrightandwhatonewantstosee,eventhoughitmaybewrong.Thenarratorin
    theshortstorytheTheBlackCatbyEdgarAllenPoehasanextremelydistorted
    senseofrealitythatshowsthroughwhenhetorturesandkillshisbelovedcatoverhim
    notpayingattentiontohim.Healsomurdershiswifeinafitofrageanddrinkstosolve
    hismanyproblems.IntheshortstoryARetrievedReformationbyO.Henry,the
    narratorhasalessdistortedsenseofrealityhowever,hisrealityisstillpartiallyfaroff
    becausehepretendstobesomeoneelseinordertochangehispast.Thenarratorin
    theshortstoryTheBlackCathasaverydistortedsenseofrealitybecausehetortures
    andkillshisbelovedcatandwifeandoverdrinkstotrytofixhismanyproblems.
    ThenarratorinthestoryTheBlackCathasaveryfaroffsenseofreality
    becauseheperceivesthatbydrinkinghisproblemswillgoaway.Inthetextitstates,I
    drankmoreeachpassingday.Mywifewhofaithfullylovedmeinspiteofmyweakness
    becameavictimofmydrunkenness.(3).Thisshowsthathedranksomucheveryday
    andcontinuedtodrinkmoreandmore.Bothhisanimalsandhiswifesufferedfromhis
    drinkingasitgotworse.Thetextalsostates,Toescapethecatandmyotherproblems
    ,Icontinuedtoturntoalcohol.(5).Thisshowsthattheharderlifebecamethemorehe
    drank.Hethoughtthatdrinkingwouldgetridofhisproblemsbut,itonlymadethem
    worse.

    Alongwiththenarratorperceivingthathisdrinkingwasgoingtofixhisproblems
    inlife,hebrutallymurdershiswifeoutofafitofrage.Thenarratordoesthisbecausehe
    tripsoverhiscat,makinghimveryangry.Hiswifesavesthecatashewastryingtokillit
    andsheendsupbeingthevictimafterhisangerforthecatturnstoangeragainsther.
    Thetextonpage6states,Instantlymyrageturnedagainsther.Ismashedtheaxeinto
    herskullandshefelldeadinstantly.Thisshowsthatoutofafitofrageheturnsonhis
    wifeandtakesherlife.Hethoughtthatitwasokaytokillheroverthefactthatshewas
    tryingtothecatthatshegrewfoundof.Ifhedidnothaveaverydistortedsenseof
    realityhewouldnotkillhiswifeoverhersavingthecat.
    AnotherstoryinwhichthemaincharacterhasadistortedsenseofrealityisA
    RetrievedReformation.IntheshortstorythemaincharacterJimmyValentinehasafar
    offsenseofreality.Thetextstates,Mr.RalphSpencerthephoenixthatarosefrom
    JimmyValentinesashes.(272).ThisshowsthatJImmyValentinebecameanewman
    andheperceivedthatifhedidthishewouldbeabletostartoverandgetridofhisold
    self.However,thenarratorintheTheBlackCathasanevenmoredistortedsenseof
    realitybecausehethinksthatjustbecausehiscatdoesnotcometohimrightawaythat
    hecantortureandkillthepooranimal.Onpage3thetextsstate,Icalledforthecat
    whileIwastakingoffmycoatbut,hedidntimmediatelycometome.alsoWhileIwas
    holdingbytheneck,Itookaknifefromthekitchentable,andconsciouslycuthiseye
    fromitssocket.Thisshowsthathetortureshispoorbelovedcatjustbecausehedoes
    notcomeuptohimrightaway.Alsohisrealityissofaroffthatheperceivesitokayto
    killthecatoutofrage.Thetextonpage4states,Ikilledhimevenasmyeyeswere

    runningwithtearsbecauseIcouldnotstandthesightoftheanimalwhichonly
    remindedmeofhowevilIhadbecome.Thisquoteshowsthathekillshispetand
    realizeshisevil.Heknowsthathehasbecomeanevilpersonandheperceiveshimself
    tobeanevilmanbutdoesnotstophisevildeeds.InARetrievedReformationJimmy
    Valentinechangedhisnamebecauseofhisperceptionthatchanginghisnamewould
    changewhohewas,butmanyliveswerelostduetoinsaneperceptionofthenarratorof
    TheBlackCat.

    ThenarratorintheshortstoryTheBlackCathasamuchmoredistortedsense
    ofrealitythenJimmyValentinefromthestoryARetrievedReformation.Thenarrator
    intheshortstoryTheBlackCathasasenseofrealitythatisextremelydistorted
    becausehetorturesandkillshisbelovedcatwhenhestartstoignorehim,brutally
    murdershiswifeoutofrageandoverdrinkstotrytoerasehisproblems.Onewill
    alwaysperceiveasituationbasedonwhatonethinksisright.Thescenarioswillvary,
    theperceptionswillvarybuttherightthingtodowillnevervary.


    WorksCited

    Henry,O.ARetrievedReformation.ARetrievedReformation(n.d.):n.pag.Web.
    Poe,EdgarAllanTheBlackCat."TheBlackCatbyEdgarAllanPoe
    Poestories.com."

    Poestories.N.p.,n.d.Web.20Oct.2015.

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