Essay - The Theme of Madness in Edgar Allan Poe's the Tell-tale...

The Theme of Madness in Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

Madness is a frightening ********** and becomes a major theme in Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart." In this tale, Poe uses madness as a toll th*****t provides horror and suspense. ***** narrator's madness moves at the pace of story, reveal*****g Poe's expert story-telling technique.

Poe's form is extremely effective in ***** tale because ***** narrator's madness creeps up on him. It ***** slowly and with certa*****ty, much like the narrator does. For example, the ***** tells us that he is not mad at ***** beginning ***** the story. At first, we are inclined to believe ***** but as the ***** progresses, we realize ***** he h***** lost *****is mind. Poe's technique intensifies this aspect of the story by having ***** narrator move into the old man's room at a slow pace for seven nights in a row. The narr*****or even admits, "a w*****tch's minute-h***** moves more quickly than did mine" (Poe 139). This ***** is po*****rful because it makes us pay attention to what the narrator is telling *****.

***** also adds ***** in this tale. At the beg*****ning of the *****, the ***** tells us he is not ***** and admits, "The d*****ease has sharpened my senses--not destroyed, not dulled them" (139). The narrator's state ***** mind is always questionable, which is finally revealed at the end of the story. This ***** progression of ***** builds ***** suspense in this tale.

To conclude, "***** Tell-Tale *****" is a tale that uses madness to be horrify*****g as well as suspenseful. Poe's style can be seen in this story, as the narrator's madness slowly ********** as apparent as his crime against ***** old man.

Works Cited

The ***** Heart." Eighteen Best Short Stories by Edgar ***** Poe. New York: Laurel. 1965. pp.