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Legally Insane In The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

492 Words2 Pages

My opinion? My client, Edgar Allan Poe, is Legally Insane. Mr. Poe should be found not be guilty for the murder of the old man by reason of insanity. In my client’s confession, The Tell Tale Heart, he admits to committing the murder. But admitting to a murder does not make him sane. During this trial I will convince you, the jury, that my client is innocent by reason of insanity. The legal definition of insanity is that a person cannot tell reality from fantasy, they cannot control their their behavior or they could not tell right from wrong because of a mental illness or mental defect.Page one of my clients’ confession states he hears voices. “ I hear all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.” Sane people clearly do not hear voices within the earth …show more content…

A reasonable person does not, cannot, hear voices.Another reason why my client Edgar is insane is that in his confession he claims to have a disease. “The disease had sharpened my senses-not destroyed-not dulled them.” (Page 1) Edgar’s disease is clearly in Edgar’s head. He thinks his “disease” heightens his senses, he saw no physical change but he has mentally changed. His senses seemed more acute to him. This is not is a reasonable change due to disease. It is a result of his mental illness, his inability to tell right from wrong. Lastly, on page 5 Edgar admits to hearing the beating of the old mans heart while chatting with the officers. “I fancied a ringing in my ear.” “It grew louder-louder-louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled.Was it possible they heard it not? Almighty God!-no no! They heard!-they suspected!-they knew!-they were making a mockery of my horror!” “It is the beating of his hideous heart!” The officers did not hear the beating of his heart, it was all in Edgars head. Also when the ringing got louder and louder Edgar couldn't control how he felt. He just got angrier and angrier until he popped and told the truth in hope that the beating

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