Use Of Suspense In Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

Tell-Tale Heart A lot of authors use special elements and devices to grab reader’s attention or create suspense in their stories. It could be through the use of symbolism, irony, metaphor and etc. But have you ever thought about which devices Edgar Allan Poe uses in his story “The Tell - Tale Heart”? Lets think about it together. At first, “The Tell - Tale Heart” is a story which tell us about a man who killed an old man only because of an old man’s eye and try to prove that he is not an insane person. We can list many tools that Edgar Allan Poe uses in this story. In a story “The Tell - Tale Heart” Edgar Allan Poe uses three main elements; he refers to a reader, changes a time of a story and uses a repetition to create a suspense of his story. First of all, let's talk about how Edgar Allan Poe referring to a reader in “The Tell - Tale Heart”. We can give an examples of this device that Poe uses. “How calmly I can tell you the whole story.” (1) In that example we can see that Poe uses “you” to refer
to reader and grab his attention on that. “You fancy me mad.” (2) Here Edgar Allan Poe refer to a reader and says that we are fantasize like the narrator is mad. Using this smart element he putting an idea in our mind that the narrator can be mad. So, even if reader didn't thought about madness of a narrator, he will now. In addition to that, Edgar Allan Poe changes a time of a story to create an interest. For example, “It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed.” (2) “For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down." (2) Can you imagine that a person will open the door or stand static in a whole hour. Also, Poe can speed the time up, "With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. It grew louder louder --louder!" (5) Using this tool, author makes as interesting to what will happened next in the story. Third, repetition of a words is very useful element of writing that Poe uses too.
“I moved it slowly --very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep.” "It grew louder louder --louder!" “I felt that I must scream or die! and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!” All of that create a suspense in a reader's mind. Also, it helps a reader to understand more the atmosphere that leads in a story. It helps us to imagine the feelings of a narrator and how he is thinking in particular citation. Therefore, all of those elements: referring to a reader, changing a time, and using a repetition are really very useful for all writers to create a suspense of a story. In addition Edgar Allan Poe is a talented writer and he is using this writing tools wisely. I enjoyed reading this story and I would love to read more stories by Edgar Allan Poe. I think when I will have my children I will read Poe’s books to
him.