Tell-Tale Heart Essay.

Leslie Sanchez
11/10/10
Period 3/4

Tell-Tale Heart Essay [Reading Response {essay} for Mrs. Jacques class]

"Am I mad?" The man questions himself. Indeed he is. The "Evil Eye" of a man he knows, is what is driving him insane. What does he do about it? let's see. This suspenseful story, Tell-Tale Heart is an eye catching piece of literature. Edgar Allen Poe truly poured his heart out in this story. He included intense imagery, gruesome climax, and intense ending.

The accurate imagery in Tell-Tale Heart portrayed in the story makes the story seem so realistic. It makes the reader feel like they are witnessing this happen themselves. ..."a single dim ray, like the thread of a spider, shot from the crevice and fell upon the vulture eye." (page 627). This quote is detailed and described with incredible intelligence. It relates the ray of light, to a spider's thread. This metaphor shows how thin and precise the ray of light was. The "vulture eye" also shows that the man's eye resembled a unique, and intense appearance of a mortifying creature. ....."all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very narrow in my bones"...(page 627). That quote is incredibly descriptive. The words are put together so well. It describes the physical representation of his perplexing eye. In itself, the quote describes his eye with so much detail, you can picture it in your mind. This is truly a quote with imagery. These are interesting, but what really catches your eye is the climax!

The bloodthirsty climax is brutal. " The old man's hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once-once only." (page 628). This is a quote that sends shivers down your spine, and triggers hairs to rise from you arms. It shows how distorted the man's mind was. The top of the story really comes out when this quote appears in the story; "I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him." (page 628). That truly uncovered the man's "mad" mind, and showed how he was insanely demented. He killed a man, because of his eye. That was that high end of the dark and delirious story, and I have to admit it was unnerving. I'm not the only one who admitted to something, because in the resolution, the story takes a turn.

The last part of the story was wrapped up by two main quotes. One of them is "He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more." (page 629). That is how the old man ended up, dead. Later the mad man's conscience was guilty, that it made him more of a lunatic than before. The pressure gets on him so bad he finally spills the beans and shrieks, " I admit the deed!-tear up the planks-here, here!-it is the beating of his hideous heart!". That's right, he ADMITS it! Personally, i didn't see that one coming. The resolution truly unexpected, and mind blowing! Everything comes to an end though.

Now it's time for this essay to come to an end as well. The three literary components that were brilliant in this story Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allen Poe are fantastic imagery, exquisite climax, and twisted resolution. The writer of the story (Edgar Allen Poe) is a talented and descriptive writer that can catch any one's eye, and interest them as well, from the beginning until the end.