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Analysis Of The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

Decent Essays

Poe’s Proficient Poems and Skillful Short Stories
Authors’ experiences can often influence their works of literature, especially harrowing, disturbing events. Life-changing events like the death of a family member, an illness, or severe depression shapes the way one views the world, and some authors express their feelings onto paper. Edgar Allan Poe, a skilled gothic fiction writer, experienced hardships and depression, which he conveys throughout his grim works. In his short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” a mentally-ill man successfully kills an old man because of his evil eye, but confesses to the crime, out of guilt. In one of Poe’s poems, “The Raven,” a mysterious raven visits the grieving speaker and reminds him that he will not escape the wrath of sorrow. Although Poe’s stories of misery and madness captivate many, his use of literary devices emphasize overarching themes and chilling moods, thus creating the powerful stories.
First, Poe uses irony, or a contrast between expectation and reality, to build an alarming and unsettling mood. In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the narrator creeps into the murky darkness of the old man’s room and notes that “the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers” (Poe 355). The old man’s precautions present situational irony, because he attempts to prevent outside threats from harming him, while the biggest threat resides on the inside. Because the thought of an insane stalker startles people, Poe’s use of the irony emphasizes the unsettling mood. Additionally, Poe employs irony in “The Raven” to create an alarming mood. When the mysterious raven makes an unexpected appearance in the speaker’s chamber, it “perches upon a bust of Pallas”(Poe 41). Because the raven speaks nonsense like “Nevermore”, the placement of the ridiculous bird reveals situational irony(Poe 48). By placing nonsense above Pallas, or wisdom, Poe enhances the alarming mood. Therefore, the irony in “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Raven” helps strengthen the unsettling and distressing mood.
Next, Poe creates a suspenseful and melancholic tone through carefully picked diction and negative connotations. In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” as the narrator meticulously opens the lantern, a “dim ray like the

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