One of his beliefs was that authors should only start writing their story once they have decided upon an ending and upon what emotional response, or effect, they wish their story to elicit. He argued that writers should then decide the other elements of their story, such as setting, tone, and characters in compliance with the chosen emotion in order to achieve a “unity of effect.” Poe exemplifies his own theory in his short story “The Tell-Tale Heart.” In the story Poe makes it quite apparent that he had determined the course of emotion far before he wrote the plot. Starting the story with his character querying, “Why will you say that I am mad?” (715), Poe illustrates the character’s madness throughout the plot, even as he tries to convince the reader of the character’s sanity. Even though the emotion builds throughout the story, culminating in a murder and a mental breakdown, Poe perfectly illustrates his theory by creating a unified effect of terror and …show more content…
Consisting of eighteen lines, “Thoughts in a Zoo” by Countee Cullen most closely resembles the form of rhyming couplets with an AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHII rhyme scheme. Typical of poetry from the Harlem Renaissance, “Thoughts in a Zoo” deals with race, but unlike many Harlem poets, who tend to make racial tension the primary focus, Cullen deals with race in a subtler manner. Instead of explicitly declaring his racial beliefs, Cullen relies on the idea of being trapped to convey emotion to his readers. His poem contains little repetition, but it is full of similes and imagery, drawing on Cullen’s inner turmoil to create a metaphor of him being trapped in a zoo. Interestingly, unlike most poetry of the Harlem Rennaissance, “Thoughts in a Zoo” does not necessarily deal with Black and White, but instead Cullen seems to imply that all men are trapped in the zoo of the world