Formal Poe Essay: Tell Tale Heart
Introduction
Restate the prompt. There are many different and similarities between the narrator and the Old Man? Compare these two characters?
Quote: "I knew that sound well too. It was the beating of the old man's heart."
This quote is giving us the connection between the narrator and the old man. It is simple if the narrator can hear both his heart beat and the old mans are they the same heart beat.
Thesis: Poe is portraying the narrator and the old man as two different people. Although this is true, we see that the two individual have the same emotions, reactions, and feelings.
Old Man
Narrator
The clues of the short selection that conveys what is really happening
The Old Man Who is he?
The characteristics of the Old Man
His eye compared to the narrator
Awareness to his own death
Quote: "he was still sitting up in the bed listening;-just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall."
The quote show vaguely that the old man knew death was upon him.
Connection to the Narrator
Heart Beat
There is a fascination with the heart in this short story
the heart is where the soul is. If the two souls are connected then there is a huge possibility the characters are connected.
Quote: I placed my hand upon the heart and it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. HIS eye would trouble me no more."
Narrator
Narrator faults of being Insane
Quote: Villains! dissemble no more! I admit the deed! Tear up the planks-here here- its is the beating of his hideous heart!"
This finally shows the narrators insane manner.
Uses his reasons of why he is insane to prove that he is actually insane.
the narrator says
His connection to the Old Man
Other HInts
Hints that let us know they are the same person
Heart beats
Them Looking at Each other for hours
The Bed
Conclusion
Each Topic...