ipl-logo

Crescendo In The Tell Tale Heart

1565 Words7 Pages

"The Tell Tale Heart" A heartbeat builds to a crescendo in the climax of Edgar Allen Poe's, "The Tell Tale Heart". In this chilling horror the main character cannot tolerate his roommate, especially the eerie look of his vulture eye. Once he conjure the idea to murder his roommate the idea nags at him in such a way that he feels he must watch his roommate sleep for a week and then go through with murdering his roommate. These behaviors are absolutely bizarre and horrific. This makes us curious as to why a person would even think to go through with such action. Edgar Allen Poe uses the narrator's "disease" as the determinant for why he acts, thinks, and behaves so outrageously. One, of the outrageous behaviors that was caused by the …show more content…

"The Tell Tale Heart" states, "I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted( page 8)." He adds, "I foamed- I raved- I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased( page 8)." The noise he is referring to was introduced as a "low, dull, quick sound". He also heard a noise quite similar to this during and after killing his roommate, which he believed was his roommate's beating heart. Because he thinks this is some arbitrary noise in this scenario, we can assume that this noise is his heartbeat. Now any sane person would realize this and use methods to calm themselves, as to not be perceived as suspicious. However, it is clear that the narrator's disease has heightened his sense, but not his awareness of self. It would make sense that his heightened senses s why he was so sensitive to his own heartbeat. This is one reason why the disease caused him to confess. Of course, you could correlate his behavior of paleness, foaming and outbursts with symptoms of diseased people in general. Or, relate the disease to insanity and claim his conspiracy theories towards the policemen were insane, and therefore caused by the disease. You see, there are many reasons why this outrageous behavior was caused by the disease. To clarify, his confession is outrageous because of how confident he was in his success, and his perspective on the police and his heartbeat. Anyways, it is obvious to see that the outrageous behavior of his confession was caused by the

Show More
Related

  • The Tell-Tale-Heart Insanity

    830 Words  | 4 Pages

    This is the evidence that will persuade the audience to believe that the narrator is insane. However, stated by Dr. Mary C. Lamia in “The Complexity of Fear”, “...Fear and anxiety are important to differentiate... these emotions can transform into behaviors that may lead you to avoid situations or into defense mechanisms that may obscure the recognition of reality...they have been understood as keys to the dynamics of emotional illness.” People may think that the narrator has a mental illness due to all the unusual things he says and does however, all of his abnormal behaviors could be the result of fear and anxiety. For example, the heartbeat of the dead man could’ve been the heartbeat of the narrator, himself.

    Read More

  • The Tell-Tale Heart: A Literary Analysis

    885 Words  | 4 Pages

    The narrator also says, “... but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder…” (Poe 4,4). The narrator thought he was hearing his victim’s heart beat when his victim was drastically dismantled and already dead. This displays that he has hallucinations of sounds and paranoia which are both common symptoms of mental illnesses.

    Read More

  • The Monkey's Paw Mood

    875 Words  | 4 Pages

    It's the beating of his hideous heart,” (Poe 94). In the story, the narrator murdered the old man with a strange eye. A neighbor had reported a shriek to the police who came to investigate the situation. When the officers were first investigating, the narrator acted normally until later on the guilt of killing the old man had taken over him. The guilt made the narrator hear the old man’s heart beating which led the narrator to confess to his action.

    Read More

  • A Literary Analysis Of The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

    560 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Style of Poe Analysis In “The Tell-tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe, the demented, arrogant and dark tones reflect the man’s guilt and insanity that eventually leds him to admit to the crime he committed. Poe’s diction heightens the arrogant tones which is seen as the man plans the murder and carries it out in a careful, organized way. He goes “boldly” into the chamber, “cunningly” sticks his head in the doorway and feels “the extent of his own power”. Poe’s use of diction shows how cocky the man actually is.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Insanity In The Tell Tale Heart

    540 Words  | 3 Pages

    For instance, even though the killer believes he has a valid reason for murdering the old man, he becomes terribly frightened that the neighbors will hear the loud beating of the man’s heart and be alarmed. As stated in the text,”... the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me-

    Read More

  • Tell Tale Heart Annotation

    384 Words  | 2 Pages

    I sat, and while I answered cheerily. they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distant:-----it continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness--until, at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears."

    Read More

  • Insanity In Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

    780 Words  | 4 Pages

    On the other hand, the narrator acted weirdly in situations that are expected be handled in a normal way, like when the policemen were in the house. He acted weirdly since he was suspecting the policemen by thinking that they might know something about the death of the old man. He thought that the policemen suspected him for the murder of the old man. Therefore, he is indeed

    Read More

  • Interprettive Essay: The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

    728 Words  | 3 Pages

    - it is the beating of the hideous heart.’” This shows that the man believed that he was hearing the beating heart of an already dead man. Since, this is obviously not true, this proves that the murderer does indeed have mental disease. This would be a very vital piece of information if this case were to go to trial. The fact that this man has a mental disease would save him from being eligible from the death penalty.

    Read More

  • The Tell-Tale Heart Literary Analysis

    773 Words  | 4 Pages

    In “The Tell Tell-Tale Heart,” by Edgar Allan Poe, a diseased ridden madman violently murders an old gentleman. The story follows a madman who has convinced himself to get rid of the old man’s “eye.” After sliding a bed over the old man, the main character cuts up the body and buries it under the floorboards, only to admit to the dreadful deed later on when the police arrive. The trial has ended. The jury has found the defendant guilty.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Paranoia In The Tell Tale Heart

    1164 Words  | 5 Pages

    Obsession, internal conflict, and underlying guilt are all aspects of being human but when it’s associated with paranoia and insanity it may be just the recipe for the perfect crime as perceived by Edger Allan Poe in “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Poe uses this as one of his shortest stories to discuss and provide an insight into the mind of the mentally ill, paranoia and the stages of mental detrition. The story 's action is depicted through the eyes of the unnamed delusional narrator. The other main character in the story is an old man whom the narrator apparently works for and resides in his house. The story opens off with the narrator trying to assure his sanity then proceeding to tell the tale of his crime, this shows a man deranged and hunted with a guilty conscience of his murderous act.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Obsession In The Tell Tale Heart

    983 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is through the power of obsession, guilt and paranoia in which, Edgar Allan Poe reveals how far people would go to hurt others. Obsession acts as a strong motive for crime. Edgar Allan Poe portrays obsession in “The Tell Tale Heart” through the narrator as he expresses his thoughts leading up to the murder. After the narrator argues his case to why he is not mad, he begins his story with an “idea” which “entered his brain,” which is the start of an obsession that “haunted him day and night” (2.1-2). The narrator speaks as if the eye of the old man is latching itself onto the him.

    Read More

  • Tell Tale Heart Thesis

    760 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the story, the narrator says “It was the beat of the old man's heart”(Poe). While hearing a heartbeat right before killing the old man. This proves that the old man is insane, because he believes that his own nervous heartbeat was that of the old man’s. A sane person would know that the heartbeat was that of their own and would know that you can't hear a dead man's heartbeat. The narrator also said that “The sound would be heard by a neighbor”.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Birthmark And The Tell-Tale Heart

    437 Words  | 2 Pages

    He goes on to say “It was a low, dull, quick sound— much a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton,” (pg. 181) describing the beating of a heart when being questioned by the police. He also states “ They heard! — They

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe's Tales Of The Criminal Insanity Analysis

    1395 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Tell-Tale Heart written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1843 is about a man who claims he is not insane but only nervous. In turn, he tells a story to defend his sanity, in which he confesses to have killed an old man. He claims that his ambition was neither passion nor greed for money, but actually uneasiness of the old man’s pale blue eyes. He continues to insist that he isn’t mad because of his calm and collected actions. Even though he is a murderer, he claims that his composed actions aren’t ones of a psychopath.

    Read More

  • The Tell Tale Analysis Essay

    2068 Words  | 9 Pages

    The Tell Tale Heart TRUE! --nervous --very, very dreadfully nervous he had been and is; but why will you say that he is mad? The disease had sharpened his senses --not destroyed --not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute.

    Read More

More about Crescendo In The Tell Tale Heart

Open Document