The Purloined Letter

Perhaps it was  the blandness of the web page but I had to really focus hard in order to get the story to sink in. But once it did I truly understood and marveled at Edgar Allan Poe's ability to make a character that could hoodwink another character so elegantly and effectively.  "The Purloined Letter" is a great detective story that shows that no triumph can come of underestimating the enemy.The Prefect in this story was so full of himself and so focused on the reward he would get that he overlooked hiding places that he deemed unnecessary which where those that were simple. Dupin on the other hand rationalized all possibilities and found the letter with ease in the simpliest of places. In the end, according to Dupin, the reward clouded the Prefects judgement.

The Use of Force

I must admit that when i was reading this story i couldn't help but think that it was going to have a supernatural ending to it. It just seemed to point in that direction for me. I really thought it was interesting to see how the doctors professional composure seemed to dwindle as he was continuously unsuccessful in getting the girl to open her mouth. He gave up on the wooden spatula and used the metal spoon end to pry it open. And I understand why the little girl didn't want anyone to know about her illness but it would only make things worse for her in the long run. But, i suppose that since she was only a kid she really didn't have a great grasp on the situation