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How Does Edgar Allan Poe Use Repetition In The Tell Tale Heart

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In the short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” Edgar Allan Poe interests the reader through the use of literary devices such as symbolism, dramatic irony, and repetition. To begin, Edgar Allan Poe uses symbolism to engage the reader. In the following quote, the narrator is talking to the audience about why he killed the old man he cared for. As stated on page 145, “One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture… Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold”. To be clear, the reader understands that the narrator is mentally unstable, and whenever he sees the eye it only makes him more insane. For this reason the eye is a symbol of insanity. The author’s use of symbolism engages the reader since it helps build the narrator’s conflict with the old man. The reader keeps reading to understand why the narrator did what he did. Continuing, the author uses repetition to interest the reader. In the ensuing quote, the narrator is explaining to the readers how he premeditated his crime. As stated on page 147, “So I opened it- you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily…”. To elaborate, the reader know the narrator is unstable. The narrator is now using “stealthily” to try and convince the readers otherwise. Poe’s use of repetition adds another layer of dimension to the narrator. The reader then …show more content…

In the following quote, the narrator is accusing the reader of believing he is insane. As stated on page 145, “True!- nervous- very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?”. To elucidate, the reader becomes shocked by the narrator breaking the 4th wall and accusing them of being prejudiced. For this reason, it’s dramatic irony because the reader is getting the inside scoop from a character in the short story. The author’s use of dramatic irony enthralls the reader because they become singled out by a character. The reader keeps reading to find out more information about the

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There are so many different ways to relay a message to a reader using different types of figure of speeches, symbolism being one of the greatest forms of figure of speech. Symbols uses ideas or qualities to represent indirect suggestions to express emotions, natural objects, symbolic images or facts. In Edgar Allen Poe’s two short stories “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” show great representations of death by using symbolism, while in “The Tell-Tale Heart” uses the setting, title and amontillado. In the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” the author uses the man old man’s eye as a symbol.

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“ The Tell-Tale Heart” Interpretive Essay Is the complex character created by Edgar Allan Poe a calculated killer or a delusional madman. In the short story “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, the main character has a mental condition which causes him to kill a neighbor. He believes that his neighbor has a “vulture eye” which is the reason why he killed him. Night after night, he watches the man and plans how to kill him. Then one night, he puts his plan into action.

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The narrator was so consumed with the man's eye that he killed him just to get rid of the man's judgment. Though there were some repercussions with his immoral choices,he cannot take the terrible things

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Throughout history, we have came across many authors with different writing styles, word choice,or unique ways of interpretations. Edgar Allen Poe is one author who stands out to me the most. He has a unique and dark way of writing his stories and it appeals to the readers emotion and drama. He has a recurring theme of death and lost love, and in “The Tell-Tale Heart” Poe writes about murder, insanity, obsession and guilt. His use of symbolism and point of view is another reason what makes Poe one of the greatest.

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In the story “Tell-tale Heart,” Poe controls the pace of his story and increases tension by using repetition. Such as the sentence “It grew quicker and quicker and louder and louder every instant... It grew louder, I say, louder every moment!-,” in paragraph 11. The writer repeats the words quicker and louder to describe the heartbeat of the old man. This creates tension and excitement for the readers.

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The man says, “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing.” Tying in with the arrogant tones as well, the man has a very dark mind and the readers get a glimpse of his thought train through first person. He explains he needs to “take the life of the old man and thus rid myself of the eye forever.” No sane person would kill over a color of an eye, but as he describes the old man’s eye, the audience begins to understand why he takes the life of the old man.

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Irony may appear in difference ways within literature. Irony changes our expectations of what might happen. It can create the unexpected twist at the end of a story or anecdote that gets people laughing or crying. Verbal irony is intended to be a humorous type of irony. Situational irony can be either funny or tragic.

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As some may know, not being able to see what is heard in the night may lead to an over exaggeration what may be causing it. Thus, causing suspense and a connection between them and the story, as many fear the unknown. Next, the descriptions used to describe the old man’s eye were extremely unsettling. The eye was said to “represent that of a vulture, a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever I fell upon it my blood ran cold” (Poe 303).

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It usually implies a revelation as a defense of sanity. In the tales of the criminal insanity, first-person narrators are the protagonists, focusing on their conflicts with hysteria and law. In The Tell-tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe uses many symbols such as, the Evil Eye, the watch, the narrator himself, bedroom, and the lantern. He also tries to dehumanize the old man in the short story.

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The Tell-Tale Heart: Indirect Characterization In the excerpt “from The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allen Poe creates the conflicted character of an unnamed narrator through indirect characterization. Using the components of Action, what others say, and character’s internal thoughts, Poe portrays a story about insanity and reveals the conflicted and even insane thoughts and emotions going on in the character’s head. Poe uses Action as a component of indirect characterization to depict the meaning of the poem in many instances.

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While Edgar Allan Poe as the narrator of the The Tell-Tale Heart has the reader believe that he was indeed sane, his thoughts and actions throughout the story would prove otherwise. As the short story unfolds, we see the narrator as a man divided between his love for the old man and his obsession with the old man’s eye. The eye repeatedly becomes the narrator’s pretext for his actions, and while his delusional state caused him much aggravation, he also revealed signs of a conscience. In the first paragraph of the short story, The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe establishes an important tone that carries throughout his whole story, which is ironic.

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Style: The story was written as the narrator was trying to explain his state of mind while actually being mad and using a lot of expression throughout the story. Irony: The most ironic thing that captured my attention was denial. The narrator starts off the story denying he is mad but as the story continues the readers learn he actually is mad.

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A narrator: defined as a person who guides or tells the story of events through one’s own experience. As far as we are told, the narrator tells the story precisely and can make the words of the page come to life. Yet, is it possible for the narrator to tell the story incorrectly through their own perspective? This well-written horror shows us anything is possible in the art of literature. From reading “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, readers learn that the narrator is unreliable and therefore cannot be trusted to tell the story completely accurately.

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In this excerpt “from The Tell-tale Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe creates the supercilious character of an unnamed narrator through indirect characterization. Using the components of character motivation, internal thoughts, and actions, Poe portrays a story about deception and reveals the feelings of superiority, and ultimately guilt, that is invoked by the pretense of innocence. The narrator’s motivations can be identified through his internal thoughts and his actions. For example, both components are recognized when the narrator says “while 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.”

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Suspense by Edgar Allen Poe Suspense is a writing style that authors use to make it so a reader is ahead of the characters in the story. Edgar Allen Poe profoundly used this technique in his story “Tell Tale Heart”. The narrator is psychotic and is particularly tormented by an old man’s ‘evil’ glass eye. He was willing to do close to anything to be rid of the eye, including murder.

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