Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

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“The Tell Tale Heart” There are many different constituent parts in a horror story. Elements such as suspense, the source of the horror, characters, structure, plot, and the lesson learned, are all things that contribute to the overall theme of the story. They add the the “wow factor” that hooks readers in from the start. They work together to convey the importance of the author’s ideas and creations. This essay will explain each element and how it’s role in, “The Tell Tale Heart”, make it one of the best horror stories ever written. “The Tell Tale Heart” is a horror story written by Edgar Allen Poe in 1843. It focuses on the harsh crime committed by a insane caregiver. The story starts out with the week leading up to the murder. The caregiver awaits in the old man’s doorway waiting for the perfect time to attack. When the caregiver finally sees the old man’s eye, he makes his move. He suffocates the old man with is old mattress then disassembles his body. After that, he buries the remains in the floor boards. Later that night, the police arrive on a disturbance call and take a stroll through the house. The caregiver offers them a seat to rest from their fatigue, but they had no idea that the caregiver had placed their seats right above the dead body. Towards the end of the story, the caregiver starts to hear a sound …show more content…

In The “Tell Tale Heart”, the old man’s “vulture eye” is the source of horror for the caregiver (lines 13-14). You can infer that the old man has cataracts, a medical condition where the lens of your eye becomes opaque, causing a film to present over your eye. Although, the caregiver does not know this and believes the eye is evil and is there to haunt him day and night (lines 8-9). In order to stop the eye and for him to go back to normal he must end the old man’s life (lines 15-16). He waits in the doorway of the old man’s bedroom for a week trying to find the perfect time to

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