Fear Essay
“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To
conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.” Just like wisdom is gained by a person conquering the
concept of fear, fear is developed by each theme of the stories. In “beware: do not read this
poem” by Ishmael Reed, “The Feather Pillow” by Horacio Quiroga, “Where Is Here?” by Joyce
Carol Oates, fear is developed through setting.
To start, in “Where is Here?”, the setting develops fear. The evidence to support this is,
“... she misjudged the distance of the doorframe- or did the doorframe recede an inch or two…
In the kitchen the lights were dim and an odor of sourish smoke…” (Oates, para 43 & 44). This
setting develops the theme of fear because it shows the house has changed since the stranger
entered the house. This develops fear because the stranger was acting strange, so if the house
changed when he was there, then it creates an ominous feeling. This is how the setting in
“Where is Here?” establishes fear.
Secondly, in “The Feather Pillow”, the setting expands fear. The evidence that backs this
is, “The whiteness of the silent patio—friezes, columns, and marble statues—produced the
wintry impression of an enchanted palace. Inside the glacial brilliance of stucco, the completely
bare walls, affirmed the sensation of unpleasant coldness” (Quiroga, para 3). This setting
expands the theme of fear because it creates an image of a giant, empty house in your mind.
This causes the reader to feel fear because they don’t know what could be in that boring, giant,
empty palace. This is how the setting in “The Feather Pillow” creates fear.
Furthermore, in “beware: do not read this poem”, the location creates fear. The evidence
that contributes to the thesis is, “you are into this poem. From the waist down, nobody can hear
you can they?... you cant call out frm this poem” (Reed, lines 27-28 & 33). This location creates
the theme of fear because it creates the atmosphere of the reader having no idea of where they
are. While the reader has no clue where they are in the poem, they are also calling for help but
no one can hear them which creates fear. This is how the location in “beware: do not read this
poem” creates fear.
Lastly, fear develops from the settings in “beware: do not read this poem” by Ishmael
Reed, “The Feather Pillow” by Horacio Quiroga, and “Where Is Here?” by Joyce Carol Oates.
The setting in “The Feather Pillow” shows fear because the house is an empty, huge, “palace”.
The same element relates to fear in “beware: do not read this poem” because they don’t know
where they are and are calling out and no one can hear them. In “Where Is Here?” the house
changes while the stranger is in it, which causes fear to develop. Remember, certain fears are
universal across all people so people need to learn that most things that they fear aren’t scary.