Examples Of Suspense In The Tell Tale Heart

Words: 909
Pages: 4
Open Document
“THE TELL-TALE HEART” TEXT RESPONSE

1. How does Poe create suspense in this story? Refer to the use of language and one literary technique in your response.
Poe creates suspense and tension in his short story through integrating a variety of literary devices such as imagery and repetition. By exploring the use of repetition, the author manipulates the pace of his story to build up the suspense until the climax of the story. The effective application of this technique means that the author is able to involve the readers into the tension of the story. In passage 10, the beating of the heart is constantly referred to and described as it grew “louder, louder!” The continuous repetition of the word “louder” and other amplifying phrases such as “quicker and quicker” and “extreme” (passage 10) in the same passage creates the effect of tension, as the intensity increases at every repetition of the word. By simultaneously applying …show more content…
The symbolism of the eye is profound throughout the text as the narrator blames the course of his actions on the “evil eye” (passage 3) and describes it to be “pale blue, with a film over it” (passage 2). The “film” (passage 2) over the eye can be interpreted as something similar to a filter as it conceals and twists the vision of the world. In this sense, the eye of the old man represents the clouded and distorted view the narrator has on the world and in turn, the view of the readers as they are conveyed the information. Imagery is also used through Poe’s description of the eye to create an ominous atmosphere. “The evil eye” (passage 3) holds a significant meaning to the text as the narrator continuously uses the eye to justify the death of the old man. Using the word “evil” (passage 3), the narrator denotes that the eye is a harmful existence to him, expressing the narrator’s feelings for the old
Show More

Related Documents: Examples Of Suspense In The Tell Tale Heart

Comparing The Landlady And A Tell-Tale Heart

Even though both "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl and " A Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe both wrote different stories they both used suspense in there story's to make the story's better. Suspense is the feeling or rush of adrenaline of not knowing what is coming next. Suspense makes stories so much better cause they keep the reader not knowing what is going to happen in the end so it keeps them interested. Also keeps the reader nervous because the reader doesn’t know if what happens next is going…

Words 869 - Pages 4

Tell-Tale Heart And Dahl's Suspense Essay

The authors of “Tell-Tale Heart”, Edgar Allen Poe, and “The Landlady”,Roald Dahl, build suspense in many ways.Some ways the passages build suspense is by adding mystery, using tone, and foreshadowing the rest of the passage.Which all of these help build suspense. One element in both texts is foreshadowing.Foreshadowing is a spoiler about what happens before it happens.This is used to create a good horror story.An example of this from the”Landlady” (line 104 and 105) when the old lady says;”But, before…

Words 387 - Pages 2

Comparing The Monkey's Paw And The Tell-Tale Heart

the story “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Tell Tale Heart”, these two storys both contain suspense,mystery,and surprise. Suspense is wanting to know more. Both story’s has a suspense.An example from “Tell Tale Heart” would be, “it was about a week after the old man,walking suddenly in the night,stretched out his hand and fould himself alone.”that is suspense because you would want to know what would happen next since the old man woke up.My next example, is from the story “The Monkey’s Paw”…

Words 515 - Pages 3

The Tell-Tale Heart 'And Lamb To The Slaughter'

A major aspect of dark romanticism is the shock effect and suspense the reader undergoes while reading these types of works. The best gothic authors create suspense and thrill very well. Two great examples of stories built with suspense are, “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe and “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl. A Majority of the plot in these stories is advanced by descriptions and actions of the main character. Dahl and Poe exploit this plot device by limiting and conversely offering…

Words 950 - Pages 4

How Do Stories Build Suspense

great suspense. Like the stories "The Monkeys Paw" by W.W. Jacobs and "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe, those stories build good suspense within them due to the cause- and-effect relationships. The cause-and-effect relationships build suspense within stories by making the reader think what could happen next after the cause is presented and finally when the effect comes it makes the reader surprised and wanting more from the story. cause-and-effect relationships cause good suspense within…

Words 418 - Pages 2

The Tell Tale Heart Suspense

Introduction Imagine having committed a murder on someone that did nothing wrong to you but something they had was haunting you.This is the issue that the main character faces in The Tell Tale Heart by Edger Allen Poe.In the story, the main character wants to kill the old man because of his evil vulture eye.However ,the the old man has done nothing wrong to the killer but the vulture was the motivation to kill the old man.He decides to sneak into the old mans chamber every night just at midnight…

Words 1011 - Pages 5

Suspense In The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

piece “The Tell-Tale Heart” is all about. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is a literary horror piece written by Edgar Allen Poe in 1843. Despite its old age, it still appeals to many readers and is still read as one of his greatest works. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is very rich in its individualism and the suspense that surrounds the story. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is a unique story that, at the same time, is horrifyingly realistic. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is written by an insane man, the narrator, and tells of a man…

Words 1362 - Pages 6

The Tell Tale Heart Insanity

In The Tell Tale Heart, the protagonist constantly insists that he is totally sane despite clearly insane actions. Throughout the text, the protagonist says, “I’m not crazy; would a crazy person do this?” after ranting about be sane he unsuccessfully coveys that he is not insane to the reader. Also he says, “If you still think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body”. This is another example of the narrator showing the reader…

Words 370 - Pages 2

Tell Tale Heart Point Of View Analysis

A narrator’s point of view can shape the perceived perception upon the listener or reader. “Tell-Tale Heart,” by Edgar Allen Poe, is a story about a deranged caretaker who killed an old man due to an imperfection, which is his “vulture eye,” that caused fear. This short story captivates the readers by using first person point of view and the writer making the main character an unreliable narrator. The author used first person point of view to display character journeys, growth, and emotional closeness…

Words 680 - Pages 3

Tell Tale Heart Vs. W. Jacobs Analysis

Suspense is one of the most important elements in an eerie and frightening story or movie, and without it, there it wouldn’t be spine-chilling. In the story “Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe, he creates a very suspenseful mood to entice readers into continuing to read the story. In the story, “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs, he also creates a suspenseful mood to make readers interested and read until the end of the story. The authors of these stories, Edgar Allen Poe and W. W. Jacobs, also…

Words 727 - Pages 3