Edgar Allan Poe is most famous for writing gothic short stories and poems. His life was full of what he considered tragic events, and he used his writing as a way for him to express his sorrow. Some of these experiences include the death of his wife, his step-father abandoning him, and his mother’s death. These events led Poe to alcohol and drugs, and he started writing about the dark side of nature and humanity. "The Raven," one of Poe 's most famous poems and the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" have much in common in terms of symbolism, setting, tone, and symbolism.
"The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Raven" both contain an element that symbolizes a feeling that the narrator is haunted by. In the "The Tell-Tale Heart," the narrator is haunted …show more content…
Most of Poe’s works is gothic so it focuses on portraying the negative side of nature and humanity. Some of the elements he uses have been addressed, but there are some more that Poe uses. A major characteristic of gothism is the breakdown of the characters. Both narrators in “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Raven” internally breakdown through the progression of the story. The theme of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is that guilt tortures humans and that it can’t be hidden. It patiently kills a person until he or she removes it by confessing which is seen at the end of the story. When the narrator states “I felt that I must scream or die!” the narrator is being tormented by the beating heart which is really the guilt (The-Tell-Tale Heart”). The same thing is happening to the narrator in “The Raven” except for the fact that it is instead love that is plaguing the narrator’s heart. The narrator describes his pain by stating “all my soul within me burning” (“The Raven”). This is a perfect example of how Poe illustrates the dual nature of human emotion such as love. People tend to think of love as a beautiful feeling which can heal a sad soul, but Poe depicts that it can also be lethal. The narrator of ‘The Tell-Tale Heart” loves the old man but kills him because of his hatred towards the eye. Then after he kills the old man, the narrator is hurt by guilt because he never stopped loving the old man. Unlike romanticism which encourages the importance of emotion, gothism shows that emotions shouldn’t be trusted and that they are
"The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Raven" both contain an element that symbolizes a feeling that the narrator is haunted by. In the "The Tell-Tale Heart," the narrator is haunted …show more content…
Most of Poe’s works is gothic so it focuses on portraying the negative side of nature and humanity. Some of the elements he uses have been addressed, but there are some more that Poe uses. A major characteristic of gothism is the breakdown of the characters. Both narrators in “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Raven” internally breakdown through the progression of the story. The theme of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is that guilt tortures humans and that it can’t be hidden. It patiently kills a person until he or she removes it by confessing which is seen at the end of the story. When the narrator states “I felt that I must scream or die!” the narrator is being tormented by the beating heart which is really the guilt (The-Tell-Tale Heart”). The same thing is happening to the narrator in “The Raven” except for the fact that it is instead love that is plaguing the narrator’s heart. The narrator describes his pain by stating “all my soul within me burning” (“The Raven”). This is a perfect example of how Poe illustrates the dual nature of human emotion such as love. People tend to think of love as a beautiful feeling which can heal a sad soul, but Poe depicts that it can also be lethal. The narrator of ‘The Tell-Tale Heart” loves the old man but kills him because of his hatred towards the eye. Then after he kills the old man, the narrator is hurt by guilt because he never stopped loving the old man. Unlike romanticism which encourages the importance of emotion, gothism shows that emotions shouldn’t be trusted and that they are