The Tell-Tale Heart and Symbolism - 1208 Words

Like many of Edgar Allen Poes works, The Tell-Tale Heart is full of death and darkness. Poe used many of the real life tragedies he experienced as inspiration for his gothic style of writing. Poe dealt with many aspects of death and madness in his stories, madness again is playing a key role in the plot. In this short story Poe used literary devices such as point of view and symbolism to give it a more dramatic effect and add to the madness the narrator portrays. Poes use of the point of view device is very evident in The Tell-Tale Heart. The madman that speaks through the entire story talks in an unreliable first person view. Because of the mans obvious madness you are not sure what is taking place in the†¦show more content†¦The chilling feeling that the eye gave him planted in him, the thought to kill the old man, and after thinking about it day and night, that is what brings the narrator to his mad state. He is so obsessed with it that he goes into the old mans room every night at midnight to slowly open the door and carefully look at the mans eye while he is asleep in bed. The last night when the old man wakes he shines his light on the man and describes it. It was open-wide, wide open-and I grew furious as I gazed upon itÂ…but I could see nothing else of the old mans face or person; for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely on the damned spot. Just looking upon the eye the narrator feels a sense of anger build up inside him, showing another reason for his madness. The bond between him and the eye is also seen in how directly puts the light on his eye when he enters the room. The main object of symbolism however is the beating of the heart of the old man the narrator hears because of his madness. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew louder and quicker, and louder and louder every instantÂ…It grew louder, I say, louder every moment!Â…I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me me-the sound would be heard by a neighbor! Because of the narrators own madness he is hearing this heart beat as though it is as loudShow MoreRelatedSymbolism In The Tell Tale Heart And The Tell Tale Heart987 Words   |  4 Pages How does the symbolism affect the meaning of a written piece, does it make it more or less important? Symbolism is used to represent ideas; that may imply deeper, hidden meaning than what the text directly states. Symbolism can be used in different ways throughout different books; for example, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, by Edgar Allen Poe and â€Å"Once upon a Time†, by Nadine Gordimer, contain a variety of symbolism that have the possibility of having two or more meanings. The problem with this is identifyingRead MoreSymbolism In Tell Tale Heart704 Words   |  3 PagesSymbolism in Tell Tale Heart Introduction To fully understand the strange and disturbing short story of Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, one must understand the main character that is narrating the story. Despite the narrator’s best efforts to show that he is smart, wise and above all else sane. The reader gets the feeling that there is more to the story. Body of the essay The story of Tell Tale Heart is about a man describing how and why he killed the elderly man that he was living with whileRead More Symbolism and Irony in The Tell-Tale Heart Essay2249 Words   |  9 PagesSymbolism   and Irony in The Tell-Tale Heart In Edgar Allan Poes short story The Tell-Tale Heart, the author combines vivid symbolism with subtle irony. Although the story runs only four pages, within those few pages many examples of symbolism and irony abound. In short, the symbolism and irony lead to an enormously improved story as compared to a story with the same plot but with these two elements missing. The Tell-Tale Heart consists of a monologue in which the murderer ofRead MoreSymbolism In Edgar Allen Poes The Tell Tale Heart1174 Words   |  5 Pages How does the symbolism affect the meaning of a written piece, does it make it more or less important? Symbolism is used to represent ideas; that may imply deeper, hidden meaning than what the text directly states. Symbolism can be used in different ways throughout different books; for example, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, by Edgar Allen Poe and â€Å"Once upon a Time†, by Nadine Gordimer, contain a variety of symbolism that have the possibility of having two or more meanings. The problem with this is identifyingRead MoreEssay on Symbolism in The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe1155 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism in The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe Like many of Edgar Allen Poes works, The Tell-Tale Heart is full of death and darkness. Poe used many of the real life tragedies he experienced as inspiration for his gothic style of writing. Poe dealt with many aspects of death and madness in his stories, madness again is playing a key role in the plot. In this short story Poe used literary devices such as point of view and symbolism to give it a more dramatic effect and add toRead MoreSymbolism in Edgar Allen Poes The Tell-Tale Heart Essay863 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in Edgar Allen Poes The Tell-Tale Heart In Poes The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator claims that he is not mad but his behavior tells a different story. He is truly determined to destroy another male human being, not because of jealousy or animosity but because one of his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale blue eye, with a film over it (1206). The narrator sees the man with this ghastly eye as a threat to his well being, but it is he who is a menace to his own being. HeRead More Edgar Allen Poes The Tell-Tale Heart and the Symbolism of the Eye1221 Words   |  5 Pagesthe genius responsible for dark, twisting, and often uncomfortably wondrous gothic tales, and one of the best is The Tell-Tale Heart. This is a classic tale of a confused man who is so incredibly bothered by his housemates eye, that he (I am assuming this sexless character is male) thinks the only solution is to resort to cold-blooded murder. Poe incorporates the symbol of the old mans eye in The Tell-Tale Heart, which has both physical and psycholo gical meaning, it also helps to develop theRead MoreConflict And Symbolism In Edgar Allan Poes The Tell-Tale Heart1117 Words   |  5 PagesEdgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, a short story about internal conflict and obsession, showcases the tortured soul due to a guilty conscience. The story opens with an unnamed narrator describing a man deranged and plagued with a guilty conscience for a murderous act. Edgar Allan Poe was a very popular and magnificent writer back in his day, around the 1800s. You may or may not have heard of him, but, he’s very popular for his dark and haunting poetry and short stories. Two of his most popularRead MoreTell Tale Heart Analysis1176 Words   |  5 Pagesespecially famous for his tales of mystery and macabre. A popular dark short story, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† and one of his first and most famous poems, â€Å"The Raven,† are no exception. â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† is a story of murder narrated by the culprit himself, while â€Å"The Raven† is a melancholy poem about a distraught lover and a talking raven. The reason why the two works are so well known is because of the effect of Poe’s excellent use of literary devices. Throughout â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Raven,†Read MoreAnalysis Of The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allen Poe1320 Words   |  6 PagesRory Spillane Mr. Bruno English IV period 8 1.29.15 Analysis of the Tell-Tale Heart Edgar Allen Poe was born on January 19th, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. He went on to become one of the most famous American poets and authors in history. The subjects of his poems and stories were often morbid in nature, many of them having to do with death and murder. Unfortunately, the dark tone of his work reflected the darkness of his life, which was marked with notable instances of tragedy, such as the