Analysis of Edgar A. Poe Through the Tell-Tale Heart Essay...

Trey Rutherford Mrs. Keri Mathis ENGL 1102 13 February 2013 Discovering the Darkness: A Psychological Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe In every culture, in every nation around the world, there are those names which echo in the minds of the people. These names are bred into every individual from childhood as masters of their crafts, whether such a craft is in the arts, athletics, or academics. One such name in American history that must be agreed upon as one of the masters and shapers of American literature is a Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. This man brought to the American literary style a darkness that can be described as a reflection to Poe’s own life and mental state over the course of his lifetime. One such work, Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦The only thing that was wrong with him, and even the term â€Å"wrong† would be debated by the character, was his heightened sense of hearing, stating that the â€Å"disease had sharpened [his] senses – not destroyed – not dulled them† (Poe 52). By commenting on and accepting the presence of a  "disease,† the narrator leads the reader to believe the man thinks himself completely sane. Poe’s life, including events of dropping out of school, enlisting in the army under a false name, and his deterioration as he pursued a living based solely on his writing, must have included justifying himself to the public, just as his narrator is doing to the reader, the jury, his inner thoughts, etc. On this note, the narrator never truly admits to whom he is addressing. One can assume that he speaks to the reader directly, or rather, he is thinking to himself, as his thoughts are clearly rapid and muddled, such as when he says, â€Å"True! – nervous – very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am† (Poe 52). Yet he appears to be telling his own story, feeling the need to use the second person (â€Å"you†) to address his audience directly, insinuating that this is possibly a story being told aloud. Or perhaps he speaks to himself, as if the entire story is an instance merely in his head, and he is simply justifying to himself that he is not an insane man like he has been told by society. This vagueShow MoreRelatedWhy Should We Care?1748 Words   |  7 PagesWhy Should We Care?: Edgar Allan Poe â€Å"Few creatures of the night have captured [reader’s] imagination[s] like [Edgar Allan Poe]† (â€Å"Vampires†). Poe has fascinated the literary world since he first became known for writing in 1829, when he was just twenty years old (Chronology†). While he is widely known for exploring the macabre, his work is controversial because of its psychologically disturbing nature. Edgar Allan Poe is worth examining as an author because his many contributions to the literaryRead MoreEssay on Insanity: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe1165 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† by Edgar Allan Poe is a first-person narrative short story that showcases an enigmatic and veiled narrator. The storyteller makes us believe that he is in full control of his mind yet he is experiencing a disease that causes him over sensitivity of the senses. As we go through the story, we can find his fascination in proving his sanity. The narrator lives with an old man, who has a clouded, pale blue, vulture-like eye that makes him so helpless that he kills the old man. 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Poe’s mental stability also comes into question whenRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart And The Fall Of The House Of Usher Essay2099 Words   |  9 PagesEdgar Allan Poe’s works contain many Gothic elements like fear, gloom, death, the supernatural, and horror, as well as several romantic characteristics, such as high emotions, nature and a focus on individuality. Through the use of these elements, Poe is able effectively enhance a reader’s emotions and produce sensations of mystery. The short stories â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† by Edgar Allan Poe contain many of these elements, and in this paper I will analyze why theseRead MoreAuthor of Mysteries to Horror, Edgar Allan Poe Wrote Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat in One Year710 Words   |  3 PagesEdgar Allan Poe is a famously credited author known for his short stories in areas from mystery to horror. He lived during the 180 0s. In the year 1843, Poe wrote two stories, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† in January and â€Å"The Black Cat† in August. The first story is about a man who tries to convince the reader of his sanity by describing the murder he committed of an old man. The second story is about a man who accounts on his transformation into a murder. Some believe that the two stories were based off