Purloined Letter 'And Borges The Garden Of Forking Paths'
639 Words3 Pages
In the 1845 short story “The Purloined Letter”, Edgar Allen Poe cleverly muddles with the minds of the reader by writing a confusing and mysterious tale, portraying to others, who may have a hard time looking for something in open view, the message that life is not what it appears to be. In the 1941 short story “The Garden of Forking Paths”, Jorge Luis Borges is acclaimed for piquing the reader’s interest through psychological and philosophical thinking in order to unify people who may feel that their life is physically, metaphorically, and infinitely a “labyrinth”. Although Poe and Borges use diction and symbolism in a similar manner, their use of irony is different in the sense that Poe uses the irony of names and Borges uses situational irony. In a mocking tone, Poe informs the readers about a purloined missive that is significant in power, as well as describe the extensive search used to find said missive. On the other hand, Borges uses an anxious tone to connect with readers who feel lost in a labyrinth with several possibilities to take. The use of diction…show more content… Poe used the irony of names towards the characters Prefect and Dubin. When reading the story, the readers may misinterpret Prefect and instead say Perfect. Additionally, Dupin has the stem word dupe, which is a victim of deception. Ironically, it is Dupin who is the deceiver in the story. Poe intentionally used the irony of names so the readers can characterize Dupin and the Prefect. Borges uses situational irony in the final moments of “The Garden of Forking Paths”. Yu Tsun is captured in the city of Ashgrove by Captain Madden. When Yu Tsun is the captured, the Germans are aware of it and they bomb the city of Ashgrove within days. Borges includes situational irony to show the results of the path that Yu Tsun has