Illustrative Language In The Tell Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe, an author from the late nineteenth century, is famous for his dark, twisted, and often graphic short stories. Many critics claim that Poe had mental instabilities, which caused his obsession with the dark, terrifying themes he wrote about. Others believe he was a genius who created beautiful and incredible stories that remain popular today. One of these well-known stories was “The Tell-Tale Heart,” written in 1843 for a popular English magazine called The Pioneer. In the story, an unnamed man commits a heinous, yet carefully calculated murder for seemingly no sensible reason. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” a detailed plot is enhanced by illustrative language to show how human guilt can drive a person

From the beginning of the story, the main character remains unnamed and gives few details about himself. Even with his obvious insanity noted in the first paragraph, the narrator give incredible details about the crime he commits. For example, in the tenth paragraph of “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the murderer addresses his crime and uses immense details while describing it. Poe writes, “I threw the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once—once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done.” (Poe). The narrator gives clear details at the beginning of the story, but near the end he becomes exceptionally nervous and anxious. In the sixteenth paragraph of “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the narrator wonders why officers who have come to investigate have not left, and begins pacing and sweating. He quickly becomes mad and confesses to the crime by saying, “Villains! Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! —tear up the planks! Here, here! —It is the beating of his hideous heart!” (Poe). The narrator in Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” may be criminally insane and unreliable, but still gives expressive details about his

Poe has written countless stories in which his dark, vivid language presents itself, but in “The Tell-Tale Heart”, it used to express the violent actions that guilt can cause. He uses a form of tone that was criticized by many, but highlights the mentally instabilities of the main character. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is a piece of writing that has been read by millions since it’s appearance in 1843, and will continue to be one of Poe’s most popular texts of all