The Tell Tale Heart Literary Devices
The Tell-Tale Heart is written by Edgar Allan Poe and published in 1850 and tells a story about an unnamed Narrator wanting to kill an Oldman he loves. The story is widely considered as a classic but why? The author uses techniques in his work to make his story more proficient by using what makes a story: the concept, setting and the way it is written. All of those are compulsory to making a story into a great one.
Edgar Allan Poe has created a unique and original story that at first glance it will instantly hook you. The story is gripping as the reader follows an unnamed Narrator wanting to kill an old man which had never wronged him; the Narrator stated ‘I loved the man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me an insult. For his gold …show more content…
I had no desire. I think it was his eye!’ The Narrator describes the old man eyes as the eye of a vulture, stating it is evil. The whole concept about murdering a person because of his eyes gets the reader on board, making us want to read more, and think about afterwards, and when authors in general make you think, that’s when you know it’s a great concept.
Setting has a major influence on how the story goes, its use of night time is very impactful than it would be in day time, it makes every moment intense; tension building, as the reader reads the process of how the Narrator will strike the old man on the eighth night.
Edgar has made night time a character as it makes the old man feel isolated and vulnerable when everyone is asleep, and it does make the Narrator so much eviler. We don’t get a description of what the old man bedroom looks like as the Narrator described the room as it is ‘black as pitch’, this creates more of a tension, as we, the readers will asked to ourselves: is the old man asleep? We don’t know because the Narrator doesn’t know which makes it more of a fun to read; it’s unpredictable and more thrilling that way. Another use of setting is the bedroom, the bedroom is supposed to be a place of privacy, where you can rest and not worry about being murdered or be scared but the Narrator completely violates that privacy of the room and kills the old man. The impacts it will have on the readers are going to be negatives, you being more scared than ever, thinking about someone under your roof, spying on you at night for weeks, wanting to kill then acting normal in the day; the thought of it is terrifying but the positive is you were engaged if that thought sticks out. Edgar uses the setting to bring tension, terror and suspense to the action and makes it more effective to its
surroundings.
The Tell-Tale Story is written in a first person narrative and it’s one of the strongest tool as we enter the mind of this psycho, this brings out more suspense than it would be in third person. The story is written in a journal type of way, and it feels like that the narrator is telling a secret to us but he is trying convince us that he is a sane person, but the more depth he goes into the story, the more of a psycho you released he is. What will engage the audience is how the Narrator is so unpredictable because he is insane, this builds suspense as we will be shocked and unanticipated that we will be on the edge of our seats. And as the story concludes, you’ll start to rethink and will have theories such as: Is he just covering this up with the evil eye to get away from being that insane person? The first person narrative is the strongest tool in this story, as it gives the Narrator and only the Narrator their thoughts and reaction unlike third person which would be all the characters point of view. And being first person is a way to communicate with you, in the story it would be convincing you.
Edgar Allan Poe has created a unique psychological horror short story by using these three compulsory techniques for story telling: Concept, setting and the way it is written. Edgar uses these techniques to his advantage to bring a suspenseful terror, making the surroundings more terrifying then it is and creating a character that’s so complex and unpredictable, it comes off as an interesting, fun character and this is how the author keeps the audience engaged.
Edgar Allan Poe has created a unique and original story that at first glance it will instantly hook you. The story is gripping as the reader follows an unnamed Narrator wanting to kill an old man which had never wronged him; the Narrator stated ‘I loved the man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me an insult. For his gold …show more content…
I had no desire. I think it was his eye!’ The Narrator describes the old man eyes as the eye of a vulture, stating it is evil. The whole concept about murdering a person because of his eyes gets the reader on board, making us want to read more, and think about afterwards, and when authors in general make you think, that’s when you know it’s a great concept.
Setting has a major influence on how the story goes, its use of night time is very impactful than it would be in day time, it makes every moment intense; tension building, as the reader reads the process of how the Narrator will strike the old man on the eighth night.
Edgar has made night time a character as it makes the old man feel isolated and vulnerable when everyone is asleep, and it does make the Narrator so much eviler. We don’t get a description of what the old man bedroom looks like as the Narrator described the room as it is ‘black as pitch’, this creates more of a tension, as we, the readers will asked to ourselves: is the old man asleep? We don’t know because the Narrator doesn’t know which makes it more of a fun to read; it’s unpredictable and more thrilling that way. Another use of setting is the bedroom, the bedroom is supposed to be a place of privacy, where you can rest and not worry about being murdered or be scared but the Narrator completely violates that privacy of the room and kills the old man. The impacts it will have on the readers are going to be negatives, you being more scared than ever, thinking about someone under your roof, spying on you at night for weeks, wanting to kill then acting normal in the day; the thought of it is terrifying but the positive is you were engaged if that thought sticks out. Edgar uses the setting to bring tension, terror and suspense to the action and makes it more effective to its
surroundings.
The Tell-Tale Story is written in a first person narrative and it’s one of the strongest tool as we enter the mind of this psycho, this brings out more suspense than it would be in third person. The story is written in a journal type of way, and it feels like that the narrator is telling a secret to us but he is trying convince us that he is a sane person, but the more depth he goes into the story, the more of a psycho you released he is. What will engage the audience is how the Narrator is so unpredictable because he is insane, this builds suspense as we will be shocked and unanticipated that we will be on the edge of our seats. And as the story concludes, you’ll start to rethink and will have theories such as: Is he just covering this up with the evil eye to get away from being that insane person? The first person narrative is the strongest tool in this story, as it gives the Narrator and only the Narrator their thoughts and reaction unlike third person which would be all the characters point of view. And being first person is a way to communicate with you, in the story it would be convincing you.
Edgar Allan Poe has created a unique psychological horror short story by using these three compulsory techniques for story telling: Concept, setting and the way it is written. Edgar uses these techniques to his advantage to bring a suspenseful terror, making the surroundings more terrifying then it is and creating a character that’s so complex and unpredictable, it comes off as an interesting, fun character and this is how the author keeps the audience engaged.