Literary Devices in the Tell Tale Heart

Yuan Qinghan

Mrs. Jacob

ESLEO

4.6.2016

                  Literary Devices in the Tell Tale Heart

  There are 3 literary devices in the story” The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. First of all, the narrator tell our that he has the disease. It his sharpened heard. For example, he still telling us he is not mad, but the similar time he tell us about his disease-sharpened heard. The narrator in the first paragraph tell the reader.” The disease had sharpened my senses- not destroyed-not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? ” The narrator is exaggerating the facts. Normally, what he has sharpened heard. The reason he feels the old man eye influence his heard is that he is mad and confuses with the illness However, he thought he is normal and just hear better than others. The first paragraph provides dear reason, he is mad.

  In addition, the narrator’s mentality is questionable when he provide the reason for us why he wants to kill the old man. For instance, he tell us he love the old man but he just doesn’t like the old man’s eye and give describe about the old man’s eye. The narrator in the second paragraph telling why he did not like the old man eye.” I loved the old man, he had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture- a place blue eye with a film over it whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees- very gradually.” I think the old man’ s eye is crazy. The old man’s eye maybe is not pretty. But a normal people is not just feeling an ugly eyes to kill a person. So , he has an illusion when he saw the old man’s evil eye.

  Finally, at the end of the story, the narrator give our the important evidence of his crime. For example, when he killed the old man and cut his body, put its under the floor. He thinks he did everything is perfect. But when the policeman came, he heard the man’s heart beating and think the policeman can heard, too. The narrator in the paragraph eighteen telling policeman he admit he killed the old man.’’ ‘ villains ! ’ I shrieked ‘dissemble no more! I admit the deed! –tear up the planks! Here, here!- it is the beating of his hideous heart!’ ” The narrator is really insance. He can listening the old man heart beating ,he think the policeman can listing too. And he think the policeman smiles are hypocritical. So he is confused and falsely thinks they making fun of him. That, he tells the policeman, he killed the old man, in order to get rid of the growing noise. The all things tell our the narrator is mad.