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Outline For The Tell Tale Heart

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1. (TS) In “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, a nameless man murders an innocent friend due to internal and external motivations. 2. (Context + CD) The story begins after the conclusion of the main events of the tale with the narrator defending his questionable actions to the reader. During this brief mitigation, he reveals himself to be mentally impaired, but does not reveal to the reader in what way. Instead, he claims his condition has sharpened his senses and he still has full control of his mind. To assure the reader does not throw away his story as a dubious alibi he says, “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.” (Poe 1) 3. (AN) Poe gives a subtle intimation that the man’s internal struggles are with his own …show more content…

One example of this would be the narrator believing that the “vulture eye” of the old man is evil and therefore the old man should be killed. There, the man succumbs to the impulse of his broken mind rather than thinking rationally. 4. (AN)Toward the end of the story, his madness overcomes him upon hearing the “low, dull, quick sound”(Poe 4) of the old man’s beating heart. He promptly snaps, exposing his misdeeds to the law enforcement. 5. (Trans + CD)In addition, the unnamed man is also externally motivated in his barbarous

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