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Suspense In The Tell Tale Heart Essay

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Studies show 36% of people enjoy horror movies. People around the world would kill  for the thrill of a horror movie or book. The story “The Tell Tale Heart” can leave the reader screaming  for more. In this story, by Edgar Allen Poe, a crazy man wants to kill an old man because of the old man's veiled eye. This crazy man narrates his own story, as it was. The three elements; suspense, poor choices, and theme, are best implemented in the story, “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe. To begin with, in “The Tell Tale Heart”, one of the first elements of horror shown is suspense. When showing suspense, the author puts the reader in a mysterious situation, where the reader is waiting for more information. The reader is excited for what will happen next. In the story, the narrator is dragging out the death of the old …show more content…

When a character makes a bad choice, it creates a bad situation. This is because is is bound to be a disaster, and there is many bad things that could happen. In the story, the crazy man makes decisions that puts him in a bad situation. His “disease” affects his decisions greatly. The man tells his readers, “... I myself in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim” (Poe, 300). This was a poor choice because it would be easier for the cops to find the body, considering how close to it they were. They could possibly smell or see the body better when in the room. Near the end, the crazy man shouts, “‘Villains!’ I shrieked, ‘dissemble no more! I admit the deed! -- here, here -- it is the beating of his hideous heart!’” (Poe, 302). This was a poor choice because without this announcement the crazy man would have been able to get away with his crime. After this decision, he will go to jail for sure. Evidently, poor choices are one horror element displayed in “The Tell Tale

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