English homework.

Question

Imagine that you are setting a story in catacomb. write a story starter describing the setting and introduce a character. Be sure to include:-Use figurative language and imagery to create a mood of suspense, fear, or terror.

-Use sentence structures effectively to create the mood you want.

Answer 1

To start, you need to know what a catacomb is truly like. If you've never been in one, imagine a dark, man-made cave. The best catacomb story I know of is Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amantillado.

I could easily begin this exercise, only to have you copy and paste it and then turn it in as your own answer to the writing prompt. But that won't help you.

So.....how do YOU go about doing this? Figurative language uses the senses. You wake up in a catacomb not knowing how you got there. What can you see? Describe what you can see. If you cannot see anything, then describe the feeling of not seeing anything. What do you feel with your hands? The mud and slime on the ground below you, the moldy/mossy walls, the dripping water from the ceiling. The cracks in the brick and mortar and the slimy areas in between each brick.

Can you taste the fear? Is there a salty taste in the air, or is it more the taste of rotten flesh? Do you smell rottenness or is it fresh dirt? Do you hear the drips of the water or just your own heart beating ever so faster as you give in to your fears?

Is your character slowly going insane or is he/she quick to making rash decisions? Is he/she brave or a coward?

Try writing from the viewpoint of the walled-in character from the cask of Amontillado.....a response to Poe's own catacomb tale.

Just remember that figurative language is the senses. As long as you describe the senses, you will do just fine. But don't do it simple. "I taste ...., I hear ....., I feel .....?" That is stupid.