tension and suspense of the tell tale heart

Edgar Allan Poe the author of The Tell Tale Heart creates tension and suspense by using a number of techniques. Poe was a 19th centuary short stort writer who wrote in the sytle of Gothic Horror. The Tell Tale Heart tells the story of a mad man who decides to kill an old mad because of his "vulture" eye. Poe details the exact things. The story begins with the narrator admitting that he is "very dreadfully nervous." The narrator believes that his nervousness has "sharpened my senses,not destroyed,not dulled them." He then goes on to say "But why will you say that I am mad?" this makes the reader ask himself why do people say he is mad? It creates tension as he seems nervous in what he is saying and the reader would like to know why? The narrator claims that he loves the old man but just didn't like his eye. Poe creates panic in the narrator's voice, and the reader senses growing tension in the narrators voice. The narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" tells his murder of the old man.As he tells the story in first-person, the reader cannot tell how much of what he says is true as he is an unreliable narrator as it is only saying from one point of view. This creates tension. The setting is in two different places as one part is in the house which i think is near other houses as it says "a shriek had been heard by a neighbour during the night." The other part of the setting

  • Word count: 1000
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Tell-Tale Heart

'A Tell-Tale Heart' The 'Tell-Tale Heart' first appeared in 1843 when it was published in The Pioneer. It is a short story centred, as customary for Poe, on the gruesome murder of a helpless and vulnerable member of society by a verifiable psychopath. The story is fairly well known but no where more so than America. In America Poe was often hailed as the inventor of science-fiction and the perfecter of Gothic horror. He was incredibly popular because he touched on subjects which people were intensely curious about but, because of taboos, were not openly talked about such as death, mutilation, fetish, madness etc... The title, with its short and strange nature immediately captures the reader's attention if not their imagination. Its meaning is as shifting and enigmatic as the story itself and bodes well for the rest of the story. The meaning only becomes apparent after the story has been read as it links in strongly with the climax. Nevertheless as the title is usually the first thing the reader sees, it has a very strong impact and sets the tone for the rest of the story. Some may say that the title suggests a strong sense of irony and betrayal in light of the fact that although the narrator strives to establish the rationalism in his deranged thought patterns, he is inevitably betrayed by his 'heart', by the human emotions that have been repressed in his madness. The

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'The Black Cat' by Edgar Allan Poe

'The Black Cat' by Edgar Allan Poe 'The Black Cat' by Edgar Allan Poe is an American classic. It was first shown in the 'United States Saturday Post' on August 19, 1843. It is about a man that loses his sanity because of one cat. Poe wrote this story after his wife's and his mother's death. The narrator is self-destructive by killing or hurting all things that loved him and alcoholism. After a while he recognizes his self-destructiveness. As the story begins, the narrator is in jail awaiting his execution which will take place the next day, ("But tomorrow I die") for the brutal murder of his wife. From this point, the rest of the story is told in flashback. Although several characters are mentioned in this story, the true focus lies on the narrator who is left nameless. He was especially fond of animals, and he was pleased to find that his wife shared a similar fondness for pets. They had many pets including, "...birds, gold fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a cat." The cat was a large, beautiful animal which was entirely black. His name was Pluto; he was the narrator's favourite pet. He alone fed him and looked after him. Pluto followed the narrator wherever he went. Occasionally, his wife would refer to an old superstitious belief that "all black cats (were) witches in disguise. Not that she was ever serious upon this point". But

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Comment on the techniques used by Poe in the short story 'The Tell-Tale Heart' and evaluate Poes success in the creating a supernatural story

Comment on the techniques used by Poe in the short story 'The Tell-Tale Heart' and evaluate Poes success in the creating a supernatural story. A young man who loathes another man because of his vulture like eye decides to kill him at night, while he sleeps. Poe uses derelict houses, death, darkness and night time which are all part of the gothic genre. To understand the story you need to know about the cultural, historical and social side of the story. Poe's short story was influenced by Jack the ripper and the white chapel murders also at that time scientists were experimenting with drugs such as opium which changed peoples personalities. Most pre 1914 writers were on this drug which would explain why the narrator appears insane throughout the text. Poe uses the gothic elements such as death and darkness to add suspense and a scary feel to the piece. Also to add more suspense poe uses metaphors, similies, personification and symbolism. Poe uses these techniques to describe certain things in more detail so you can see a picture in your mind, which draws you into the text. He symbolises the gothic genre with gothic elements to make the reader think about horror and suspense. When poe uses personification in the text he uses it to draw the reader in, he wrote Death with a capital D to make you believe that death is actually a person and is there. It also makes it sound more

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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‘Milk for the Cat’ and ‘A Case of Murder’

My task is to compare two poems called 'Milk for the Cat' which is written by Harold Monro and 'A Case of Murder' which is written by Vernon Scanell. The title 'Milk for the Cat' suggests that it is about a cat that is greedy and when she/he goes to drink her/ his milk she/he dies. The title 'A Case of Murder', suggests that it is about a killer who murders someone and detectives are investigating it. The poem 'Milk for the Cat' is about a cat that wants some milk and waits for it. In the end she gets her milk, at the last drop of the milk she sinks back into the night. The poem 'A case of Murder' is about a cat that was left alone in a basement flat and he only was nine. There was a boy who hated the cat and he dumped the cat in a spidery cupboard under the stair. The Cat in 'Milk for the Cat' is quite stubborn because she has to have her milk and in the end she gets it. The cat in 'A Case of Murder' is quite innocent because she didn't do anything to the boy. The people in 'Milk for the Cat' are eating and are laughing while two old ladies are stroking their silk. The boy in 'A Case of Murder' keeps on looking at the cat, he didn't like the cat so he took his daddy's stick and hit the cat and then he dumped it in a spidery cupboard. The effect in the ending in 'Milk for the Cat' makes the reader feel sleepy because when it says' Three or four hours unconscious

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How does Poe create a picture of the psychotic/insane central character?

How does Poe create a picture of the psychotic/insane central character? Poe manages to create a realistic vision of an insane narrator by using a range of various methods. For instance, in "The Tell-Tale Heart" Poe makes use of light and darkness, the description of the man's eye and the time frame to make the story more scary than anything else: "I put in a dark lantern all closed, closed so that no light shone out". This creepiness of the story indicates the madness of the narrator to the reader. Furthermore, Poe gives the reader the impression that the narrator is very intelligent, deceptive and somewhat charming. For example he says "They sat, and while I answered cheerily". This shows that he is putting on a good front for the police and making them believe he is normal. His intelligence makes him even more dangerous and worrying because of what he is capable of doing. Moreover, during the story the central character is constantly trying to convince the reader that he is not insane. However the more you go on, the more you realise that he is mad: "I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever". This shows that he is incredible obsessive and clearly confused in his mind, which is a sign of madness. The insane obsession he gets with the old man's eye takes over his mind and leads him to murder. In addition, the graphical and

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Ninteenth Century horror.

Ninteenth Century horror Horror can be delivered through many different ways, be it through gothicism, the psychological aspect or the industrial view on horror. Bram Stokers writing involves gothicism. He wrote many novels and short stories and amongst them was "The Squaw". I think that Stokers vivid and graphic descriptions of death add more aspects to his writing than just gothicism: "but the stone fell right on the kittens head and shattered out its little brains." People usually associate gothicism with creepy haunted houses or underground passages and secret stairways and that gothic writers focus more on describing the scene than the characters and death. These are true, but not necessarily to stoker. He sets the scene well and he also describes the manner in which the characters died with an exceptional likeness to life. Unlike the other authors that we have studied, Stokers characters have no clear psychological uncertainties. Elias P Hutcheson comes across as a very arrogant and racist character, and when he kills the cat´s kitten, the cat is set out for revenge fueled by the hatred of Hutcheson: ".... Launched herself at him as though hate and fury could lend her wings." I think that stoker drops subtle hints foreshadowing the fact that the cat is going to get revenge on Hutcheson: ".... Her eyes looked like positive murder" Stoker delivers an exceptional

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Explore the ways Shakespeare presents Edgar as a Christ like figure in the play "King Lear"

Explore the ways Shakespeare presents Edgar in "King Lear" and how the character of Edgar changes throughout the play An interesting concept is the ways Shakespeare presents Edgar in the play "King Lear". Edgar is the legitimate son of Gloucester and his illegitimate brother Edmund, wants to take his father's land, so he says to his father that Edgar is planning to kill him, and tells Edgar to flee. The role of Edgar changes throughout the play, he plays a symbolic part that who brings out central themes in the play. He supports and reflects the character of Cordelia; because both of the characters have almost been disowned by their fathers, even though both of them have done nothing wrong. The first scene we see Edgar is in plain contrast to his brother Edmund, in Act I scene II, where Edmund first tells Edgar to flee, because he has up set his father, Edgar is presented as gentle and almost placid, which is unlike his brother who comes across as strong and fierce. Shakespeare is showing the two sides of human nature, by giving the two brothers alternate personalities. Shakespeare also presents Edgar as a Christ like figure, the first scene the audience could notice this is act II scene III, where, Edgar decides he must take on a new identity, that of "Poor Tom" he announces this to the audience; he also announces that he is a wanted person. Throughout this soliloquy,

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Poe analysis of the Grimm Brothers

A Poe analysis of the Grimm Brothers Edgar Allen Poe wrote a paper on the philosophy of writing good short fiction. It was published in a book called 'New short story theories' by Charles E May. He stated: 'What I here propound is true: -therefore it cannot die:-or if by any means it be now trodden down so that it die, it will 'rise again to the life everlasting' nevertheless, it is as a poem only that I wish this work to be judged after I am dead. P69 + 70 Perhaps he knew that his work would be most appreciated after his death, as with most artiste work. Or perhaps he is trying to calm the nerves of new writers whose stories are deemed 'un-printable' by the critics, stating that while today they may not be appreciated, in a hundred years time, they shall be analysed and admired to thousands. When the Grimm brothers wrote their stories, they wrote them to begin with, as an extension to their medieval studies. They never planned to be a writer according to the research; they simply discovered a talent for it as life progressed. While their work was published in their lifetimes, they could never have known that there stories would progress around the globe, and into the mind of any every child's head as a form of entertainment. Almost every person in the world has heard at least one of the works of the Grimm brothers, and like Poe said, this kind of reconition can only

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The Fall of the House of Usher - By Edgar Allan Poe

Name:Matthew Elmidoro Form: 11G The Fall of the House of Usher By Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" is clearly one of his most well known short stories. Well over a hundred years after this story was written the basic elements of fear are being used today in cinematic and written works. In essence there are two elements that need to be understood to understand this story; the plot of the story, and the critical interpretations of tone and style to Poe's story. To understand any of the basic ideas of an story the reader must understand the plot of a story. On a "dull , dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year" the narrator travels to visit his boyhood companion, Roderick Usher. The House of Usher looks out upon a "black and lurid tarn" and is surrounded by decaying vegetation. The narrator is depressed and unnerved by his melancholy surroundings. As he peers at the image of the house in the water, he fancies there is an atmosphere peculiar to the whole area, "a pestilent and mystic vapor, dull, sluggish, faintly discernible, and leaden-hued." Before he enters the mansion he notices that its entire front is covered by minute fungi. A valet conducts him through intricate passages to the rooms of Roderick Usher, whom he finds greatly changed. His complexion is

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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