Read the “Tell tale heart” by Edger Allen Poe. How does Poe create horror and suspense? How does it compare to modern day horror stories.

Authors Avatar

The Tell Tale Heart

Read the “Tell tale heart” by Edger Allen Poe. How does Poe create horror and suspense? How does it compare to modern day horror stories.

In order to assess how the narrator, Edger Allen Poe creates horror and suspense I will look at, the use of language which is used, the narrator and how he uses direct address and how this horror story differs from a modern day equivalent.

In the very first line Poe uses punctuation.

‘True! – nervous – very, very dreadfully nervous’

This creates a very slow start to the story and it and it makes one want to read on.

Also the use of language and repetition in the first line creates a very high tense situation in the reader mind, before the reader knows of any characters it is already apparent that something mischievous is happening.

Poe also uses direct address throughout his story with great effect.

‘how calmly I can tell you the whole story’

The use of direct address is a very powerful way of attracting the readers’ attention and making them feel apart of the story. When I was reading the story the use of direct address gave me a very unsettling feeling.

Join now!

The narrator frequently says that he is not mad, he thinks that the very idea of him being mad is obscene and he laughs at the idea.

‘Ha – would a madman have been so wise as this?’

Here the narrator says that he is not but in the first paragraph he says.

‘I heard all things in heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How then I am mad.

He once again says that he is not mad but he is hearing things from heaven and hell so this surly means that narrator ...

This is a preview of the whole essay