The Death Penalty In The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

The death penalty is one of the most controversial topics in the world right now. This controversy is only emphasized in the short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe when a man murders another man over his “vulture” eye. The story takes place in an old room of an old house. He suffers from mental illness, and he is scared by his neighbor’s “vulture” eye. This paranoia and anxiety leads to the murder of the old man. Based on the evidence presented in the 8th Amendment of the Death Penalty, the main character should be sentenced to the death penalty based on the aggravating evidence and the definition of justice. To begin, the aggravating evidence shows that it was a premeditated murder, which is classified as first-degree murder, which should lead to the death penalty. Edgar Allan Poe writes,”The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead.” By making the murder victim an innocent old man, Poe is able to show the extremity of the murder, and how it wasn’t just an adult, but he would even take the measures to kill an old man, just to be rid of a vulture eye. Not only that, but he killed the old man through suffocation and strangulation, which is an extremely inhumane way to kill someone. Not only was the victim an old man, he was also killed in an
Nonetheless, the definition of justice as given above is giving each their due, and the very reason the courts were made was to enforce justice, and the only way to enforce justice is to apply the death penalty. Others may argue for live imprisonment or psychiatric institution, but that is simply not justice for the old man who was murdered. The only way to give justice in this situation is to apply the death penalty. While others may argue for life imprisonment or just even 20 years in prison, justice calls for the death penalty in order to give the murderer his