† Response to Literature † finsished...

Briana Daoust

11-8-10

E.L.A.

Tell-Tale Heart

by Edgar Allan Poe

"I was never kinder to the old man than during that whole week before I killed him." (Poe 626) Following this further, this short tale, by Edgar Allan Poe illustrates a picture in your head with his creative imagery and his suspenseful plot! Tell-Tale Heart goes from a kind old man with an Evil Eye, to a madman with a soul that drives him so crazy, he admits his awful deed! This story, by Edgar Allan Poe, shows a gut wrenching plot, fantastic characterization, and incredible imagery that will paint a picture in your mind.
The gut wrenching plot in Tell-Tale Heart keeps the reader jumping and your heart racing! "I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the Eye forever." (Poe 626) This was said by the crazy man shows his thought process when he goes for the kill. He wanted to get rid of the Eye so in this quote it shows his relief when he gets rid of the eye forever. "First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs." (Poe 629) How Poe wrote this displays how much effort the madman put forth to make sure the old man was dead. Although he first killed the man with the bed, he then had to cut him apart. All of this just to make sure the old man was completely dead.

 The way Poe describes the characters in the book makes it seem like you know the person. “It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed.” (Poe 626) This is the madman he is talking about. He basically described to us that the madman is so crazy, he wouldn't have the common sense to just open the door wide enough in the first place. It shows that he is truly crazy and insane. Ideally, the madman is scared of waking the old man. However, common sense would tell you to just open the door slowly, but to not take forever. “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.” (Poe 626) The whole book is mainly about the madman, so he is talking about himself in this quote. Telling himself that he is crazy, basically, he is admitting it to himself. He is saying how he is proud of what he did and that madmen are supposed to know nothing.

Edgar Allan Poe shows his great talent when writing imagery. It's as if you can paint a picture in your head.”...I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness- all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow of my bones...” (Poe 627) This is fantastic imagery, he uses the perfect mix of adjectives to create a full and descriptive sentence. Without even seeing the Eye, I know anything I need to know because of this sentence. “It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.” (Poe 628) I love how this quote says one thing, but has another meaning. He is showing how the guilt he felt made his heart beat like a drum. When he says - “..stimulates the soldier into courage.” - he means the guilt of his action made him tell the truth and admit the deed.

Edgar Allan Poe uses his creativity to create an intriguing story with his characterization, descriptive imagery, and incredible characterization. I was interested right from the start with the suspense of the madmen watching him sleep at night and all the way up to the very end of the book when the madman admits his deed and tears up the floor for the police to see.