Extra Credit Assignment
The short story ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by Edgar Allan Poe (1843) is a striking tale of guilt, paranoia and delusion, featuring a narrator that seeks to convince the audience of his sanity through extremely precision in detailing his murder of an old man, but betraying his paranoia and madness through the very detailing of said murder. This essay will discuss the protagonist, the protagonist’s central needs, the antagonist, the plot, the conflict, the climax, the setting, the images, themes and cultural context of the short story, in order to analyse the significance of this work by Poe.
Foremost, the protagonist is a nervous, hyper-sensitive and potentially insane murderer of an old man. The protagonist is driven by a compulsive need to murder the old man with which he lives, although he admits that ‘it is impossible to say how first the idea entered [XXX] XXXXX’, and eventually settles XX the XXXXXX XXXX XXX XXX XXX ‘had XXX eye of a vulture -- a XXXX XXXX eye, XXXX a film over it’, which caused XXX XXXXXXXXXXX’s ‘blood’ to ‘XXX cold’. The distinction XXXXXXX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX’s clarity XX purpose XXX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX over XXX own XXXXXXXXXXX XXX XXX XXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXX the protagonist is XXXXXX conflicted, XXX XXXXX a XXXXX XX ambiguity XX the narrative XXXX XXXX XX XXX overall XXXXXXX of the story. The XXXXXXX idea XXXX drives the XXXXXXXXXXX may XXXX be XXXX to XX a XXXX for XXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXX in XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXX old man, or escaping XXX XXXXXX and XXXXXXXXX XXXXX drive him to admit XXX XXXXXX in XXXXX at XXX end XX the story. The XXXXXXXXXXX is thus led by XXX own guilt XXX XXXXXXXXX to confess to XXX XXXXXX at XXX end XX the XXXXX, XXX learns XXXX he is unable to escape the consequences of XXX own actions.
The XXXXXXXXXX may be identified as the ‘XXXX XXX’ XX XXX Old Man XXXX XXX XXX cause of the murder, XXXXXXXXX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX. XXX antagonist is described, however, XX have XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX his murder. XXX protagonist notes XXXX he ‘loved the XXX man’, XXX ‘had XXXXX wronged XX’, XXX who ‘had never XXXXX me XXXXXX’, but that XXX XXXX XXXX XXX XX XXX old XXX cultivated an obsession that eventually led XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX committing the XXX XX murder. XXX ‘Evil XXX’ may represent a number XX things, such XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX’s own insanity , mental XXXXXXX, or XXX XXXXXXXX of a XXXXXXXXXXXX force that XXXXXXXXX the protagonist to XXXXXX. Regardless, it is a powerful entity that drives XXX protagonist’s motivation of murder, XXX establishes XXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XX guilt in the XXXX. It XX XXXXXXX XXXX the XXX man XX not XXX antagonist, as XXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXX XXXX murder the XXX XXX when his ‘Evil XXX’ XXX XXXX and XXXXXXX, XXXXXXX suggesting that XXX protagonist had XX XXXXXXXX separate the XXX in order XX XXXXXX XXX act, XXX XXXX XXX ‘XXXX XXX’ XXX XXX true XXXXXXXXXX.
The plot of the story is XXXXXX XXXXXX: XXXXXX XXX XXXXX, a XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX individual XX XXXXXX by his XXX housemate’s ‘Evil XXX’ XX murder the XXXXXXXXX, XXX when the police XXXX in investigation of the XXXXXX XXXXX during the XXXXX, XXX individual XX careful to XXXXX XX his XXXXXX XXXX precision, XXX is XXXXXX XX XXXXXXXX his XXXXX over XXX beating XXXXX of the XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXX, XXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XX his crime XX XXX XXXXXX. The protagonist XX ultimately XXXX XXXXXXXXX XX XXX XXX of XXX XXXX, and despite the XXXXXXXXXXX’s steadfast attempts to XXXXXXXX the audience XX XXX insanity with ‘how XXXXXX [he] proceeded - with what XXXXXXX - with XXXX XXXXXXXXX’, it is XXX XXXXXXXX’s clear attention XX detail XXXX betrays XXX sense of XXXXXXXXXXX and paranoia, XXXXX XXXXX the audience to conclude that he XXXX XX XXXXXX. As a result, XXX protagonist, XXXXXXXXXX the XXXX, XXXXX to XXXXXX and XX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXXXXXX XX XXX own XXXXXX.
The conflict may be XXXXXXXX to be internal, XX it is a conflict XX XXX protagonist XXXX his own XXXXX and sanity. The XXXXXX XXXXXXXX of events in XXX XXXXXX of the old XXX, and the protagonist’s painstaking XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXX XXXXX-XX and XXX state of his own mental XXXXXX, may be XXXX XX be a XXXXXXXX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXX whether he is guilty, and XXXXXXX he is XXXXXXXXXX conducting the XXXXXX. Lines XXXX XX ‘XXX have I XXX told you XXXX XXXX you XXXXXXX XXX XXXXXXX XX XXX XXXX-acuteness of XXX sense?’ show XXX XXXXXX XX internal XXXXXXXX XX the protagonist.
The XXXXXX of XXX story may XX observed XX be XXX XXX, XXXX the XXXXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX shriek ‘XXXXXXXX! XXXXXXXXX XX XXXX! I admit the XXXX! --XXXX XX the XXXXXX! here, here! --XX is the XXXXXXX of his hideous XXXXX!’ XX XXX XXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXXX admitting his full role in XXX XXXXXX of his housemate, XXX XXX man. The XXXXXX XXXX provides a conclusive sense XX XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXX otherwise XXXXX XXX highly uncertain XXXXXX XX the XXXXX. Throughout the story, XXX weaves in moments XX crisis where it seems that XXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXX not commit the XXXXXX (XXX to the XXXXXX XXX of XXX XXXXXXXXX in XXXXXXXX murder attempts), or when the XXXXXXXXXXX may not XX caught XX XXX XXXXXX, given XXXX ‘[XXX] XXXXXX XXX convinced XXXX’, ‘in the enthusiasm XX [XXX confidence’. XXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXX, it is the XXXXXXXX’s XXXXX-XXXXXXXXXXX to XXXXX, and his XXXXXXXXX XX distinguish between genuine XXX XXXXXXXX sounds, that builds the crisis XX XX a climax XXX leads to his undoing.
The setting XX XXX work XX particularly XXXXXXX, XX XXX dark XXXXXX XX XXX room and the time XX night enhance the XXXXX of mystery, uncertainty XXX sense XX foreboding in XXX XXXX. Without the setting XX a XXXX night XXX a dark room, XXX XXXXX not have XXXX able XX XXXXXX XXX dramatic XXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXX present in XXX XXXXXX XXXXX.
Images, XXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXX XXXX an XXXXXXXXX XXXX in XXX story. XXXXXXXX, the symbol XX the XXX symbolises self-XXXXXXXXX, XXXXX XXX XXXXXXXXXXXX. The eye is what causes XXX XXXXXXXXXXX to XXXXXXXXXX come to a true XXXXXXXXXXX of XXX own nature, XX a nervous, XXXXXXXX XXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX. Furthermore, the XXX may be XXXX XX symbolise XXXX, as XXX XXX is what drives XXX XXXXXXXXXXX to madness and obsession with the XXXXXX XX XXX old man. Secondly, the symbol of the heart may be said to represent the XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX that XXXXXX XXX protagonist XX guilt XXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX. Finally, the XXXXX XX XXX house may be XXXX XX XXXXXXXXX a XXXXXX of the protagonist’s XXXXX XXXXX XXX XXXXXXXXXXX, XXX an XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX XX XXX protagonist’s XXXXXX XX rotten XXX XXXXXXXXXX of a darker sense of XXXX.
XXX story XXX written in an area XXXXX horror and XXXXXX XXXXXXX was in XXXXX, XXXX reference XX XXX ‘evil XXX’ XXX XXXXXXX supernatural forces, as XXXX as XXX XXXXXXX XXXX XX a murder, lending the XXXXX XX XXXXX classification as a work XX XXXXXX XXXXXX. XXX XXXXX also XXXXX XXXX XXXXXX and economic XXXXXXXXX of the age, XXXX as economic XXXXXXXXXXXX, XXX impact XX XXXXX XXXXXX, and the XXXXXX of racial discrimination, XXXX of XXXXX are reflected in the XXXXX. The story may XXXX XX linked to the 1840s controversy XXXX XXX judicial XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX, and XXX XX an XXXXXXXXXXX XX XXX XXXXXXXXX may XXX XXXX had full control over their XXXXXXX XX XXXX were XXXXXX. Finally, the story reflects XXXXXXXXXXXX debates of XXX era over the XXXXXXXX between reason XXX XXXXXXX.
XXX themes XX XXX XXXXX are XXXX, and XXXXXXX center XXXXXX XXX XXXXXX XX XXXXX, the XXXXXX XX insanity and the conflict between reason and XXXXXXX. XXXXXXXX, XXX impact XX guilt XX XXXXXXX XXXX XX XXX XXX XX the story, XXXXX XXX protagonist, XXXXXX by his guilt, XXXXXXXXX XXX crime XX the police. XXXXXXXX, XXX XXXXXX XX XXXXXXXX is explored in tactile and sensory XXXXXXXXXX, as shown by the XXXXXXXX’s XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX XXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX of XXX own XXXXXXXXXX. Finally, the XXXXX XX XXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXX emotion is explored, XXXX XXX narrator XXXXXXXXX XX his own reason, even though it is XXXXX XXXX his emotions prevail in XXX XXX.
XX conclusion, by examining XXX protagonist, XXX antagonist, XXX plot, XXX conflict, XXX XXXXXX, the XXXXXXX, XXX images, XXXXXX and cultural context of XXX XXXXX XXXXX, it XX XXXXX that this work is a XXXX and fitting addition to the Gothic XXXXX by Edgar Allan XXX, and one which asks XXXXXXXX questions about the nature of insanity, guilt, XXXXXX and emotion.
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