Edgar Allan Poe uses the unreliable narrator approach to discuss death in “The Tell-Tale-Heart.” Within the story, we have the perspective of a character, whose account could not be trusted by the audience. The unreliableness is easily seen inside the opening of the very first paragraph. “True!- nervous – very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses- not destroyed- not dulled them. […]” (Page 404) Poe inputted a feeling of calmness in his narration to show us that he appears to be sane. Throughout the story, the narrator actually confesses that he killed a person who lived with and buried that person under floorboards. Using the narrator’s perspective, Poe gives us
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The narrator in the story serves as a character who didn’t appreciate his life to a large degree that caused him to begin thinking negative thoughts and later, transitioning to the physical aspect of death. “It was open- wide open- […] I saw it with perfect distinctness- all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones […].” (Page 405) Coherently, Poe personified death several times, each, giving the audience a feeling of being in a “dark place” “[…][T]he hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, louder and louder every moment. The old man’s terror must have been extreme!” (Page 405) Here, the death of the old man is personified in such a way that the old man looked very close to …show more content…
“I heard a Fly buzz-when I died-[t]he Stillness in the Room […].” (Page 767) Here, we can see that the character wanted to remember something before he or she “leaves the world.” This suggests that some people are afraid of death while others react differently to it. Dickinson makes a connection to the real world, in which she gives us the idea that there are two sides of facing death. Such sides are watching someone, let’s say a close friend during their last moments of life and supporting a person, such as a friend/ relative when they are sick with a hard to cure disease (like cancer). Many people make the choice to accept that whatever lead or seems to lead to death in the future, while the other group stands out by being afraid of death, in general. “The Eyes around- had wrung them dry- [a]nd the Breaths were gathering firm[f]or that last Onset- when the [k]ing [b]e witnessed[…].” (Page 767) These pieces from Dickinson’s poem are reflecting the way we look at death and how we react when graced with certain events in life. At the same time, Dickinson provides comfort to people who have lost someone along with a chance to keep themselves and their loved ones in a state that would help them live a long, productive
The narrator in the story serves as a character who didn’t appreciate his life to a large degree that caused him to begin thinking negative thoughts and later, transitioning to the physical aspect of death. “It was open- wide open- […] I saw it with perfect distinctness- all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones […].” (Page 405) Coherently, Poe personified death several times, each, giving the audience a feeling of being in a “dark place” “[…][T]he hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, louder and louder every moment. The old man’s terror must have been extreme!” (Page 405) Here, the death of the old man is personified in such a way that the old man looked very close to …show more content…
“I heard a Fly buzz-when I died-[t]he Stillness in the Room […].” (Page 767) Here, we can see that the character wanted to remember something before he or she “leaves the world.” This suggests that some people are afraid of death while others react differently to it. Dickinson makes a connection to the real world, in which she gives us the idea that there are two sides of facing death. Such sides are watching someone, let’s say a close friend during their last moments of life and supporting a person, such as a friend/ relative when they are sick with a hard to cure disease (like cancer). Many people make the choice to accept that whatever lead or seems to lead to death in the future, while the other group stands out by being afraid of death, in general. “The Eyes around- had wrung them dry- [a]nd the Breaths were gathering firm[f]or that last Onset- when the [k]ing [b]e witnessed[…].” (Page 767) These pieces from Dickinson’s poem are reflecting the way we look at death and how we react when graced with certain events in life. At the same time, Dickinson provides comfort to people who have lost someone along with a chance to keep themselves and their loved ones in a state that would help them live a long, productive