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The Tell Tale Heart Insanity Essay

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To be pardoned as not guilty by reason of insanity, the defendant must be able to prove that they were not able to distinguish right from wrong or acted on uncontrollable impulsive behavior at the moment they committed the crime, and therefore should not be held responsible for their actions. In the horror short story by Edgar Allen Poe, titled The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator kills the old man of whom he is the caretaker. While it is undeniable that the narrator committed the crime, it can be debated by readers on whether or not he should be charged as not guilty by reason of insanity or just guilty for premeditated murder. The narrator is not guilty by reason of insanity because of his inability to distinguish fantasy from reality, as well …show more content…

On the fourth page of the story, a quote states“—but I found the eye always closed, and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye”. The narrator doesn’t actually want to kill the old man but instead has an irrational fear of a fantasy of the Old Man’s “evil” eye and that is what drives him to commit the murder. The readers know this because the quote shows how the narrator has no urges to kill the man when the eye is not seen. Another quote that shows how the Narrator can not distinguish fantasy from reality is “The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease ….. And still, the men chatted pleasantly and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God!—no, no! They heard!—they suspected!—they knew!—they were making a mockery of my horror!” In this quote, the Narrator impulsive goes from acting calm because he knows that the police officers do not suspect him of any crime to freaking out because he believes that they already knew that he killed the Old Man. The Narrator is unable to realize that the noises he hears can not be heard by others because he is making them up in his own …show more content…

One quote on page three of the story states “You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution— with what foresight—with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.” The narrator shows the readers how he had planned the murder for a whole week before committing it and even thinking through the plan that he was going to be so kind to the Old Man so that there would be no suspicion or worry of the narrator harming him. Another quote to help prove that the narrator should be charged as guilty is “If still, you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence”. In this quote, the narrator shows how not only did he plan the murder but how he had put in the thought to plan how to conceal the body and cover up any evidence that could be used to prove that he committed the murder, further proving that this was not an impulsive action and had been planned to every last

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– no, no? They heard! – They suspected! – They KNEW! – They were making a mockery of my horror!

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