Unreliable Narrator In The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

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After reading the essay, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, by Edgar Allan Poe, I find that the narrator is unreliable. The narrator was unreliable because while reading the essay it makes the reader think that everything being said is actually happening. But, if you sit back and actually think about what you’re reading, you would see how many things stated are impossible. A perfect example of what I mean by impossible comes down to one of the statements, “I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.” Now could a person really hear things from heaven, earth or even hell? No. Also, to some people heaven, earth and hell doesn’t even exist. In this essay the narrator states, “I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror.” When someone groans it will either be out of pleasure or out of pain. It is not possible to hear someone groan and assume that it was out of terror. Maybe the old man was just stretching. “It was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe”, the soul doesn’t make a noise nor is it visible. The way I interpret the murderer in this essay is based kind of on his or her sanity. …show more content…

I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me—the sound would be heard by a neighbor!”, now this is a madman in desperate need of help. The heart does beat, but it can only actually be heard if someone put their ear to someone’s chest. Yes, obviously at that moment the old man must be terrified and his heart should be racing. The old man is scared because he has no idea what is in the darkness that has made the noise. He knew something was coming, but he didn’t know exactly what to expect. As said earlier in the essay, “He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult.”, now the old man would not be expecting this person in the darkness. This would be the last person he thinks is going to in fact kill

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