Comparing Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat

703 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Violence in literature

Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat.

The two short stories that I have chosen by Edgar Allan Poe are The Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat. These two stories in particular have many things in common as far as technique goes, but they do have some significant differences between the two. In this paper I will try to compare and contrast these two short stories and hopefully bring something to the readers attention that wasn't there at first.

One of the main differences in these two short stories is the way in which the reader finds out the ending of the stories. In The Black Cat the reader finds out the ending of the story in the traditional format. At the end of the short story. However, in The Tell Tale Heart the reader knows the ending at the very beginning of the story. An advantage of having the story come full circle is that it allows the reader to try and focus on other aspects of the story such as why and how. Poe makes the ending very clear to the reader, in doing this he makes the reader read with anticipation. The anticipation that is created makes the story more enjoyable. The Black Cat is written in the more traditional sense, which has its advantages as well. A traditional way of writing is having the story flow from beginning to end. Poe is able to develop the characters as the story goes along and of course by not knowing the ending the story is full of surprises that make it unpredictable.

Another difference in technique that Poe uses between the two short stories is the way that the anger in placed. In The Tell Tale Heart the main character's anger is placed on the direct object of whom he has problem with, but in The Black Cat the main character chooses to displace his anger on to an animal whom he had no prior qualms with. I think what Poe was trying to convey was that sometimes our anger is directed at the things that really can't fight back, in a normal circumstance (in the story there were supernatural aspects with would not occur in a normal environment). As we read the story and see how the man is displacing his anger we realize that at one time or another we have all done this.

Show More
Related

  • The Role Of Structural Choices In Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

    479 Words  | 1 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe’s structural choices in “The Tell-Tale Heart” affect our understanding of the narrator and his actions. An example of this is the way he presents the main character. The main character appears to be unstable, and he killed an old man because of one of his eyes, which the main character refers to as “the vulture eye”. In the story, the character is talking about the murder of the old man after it happened; he is not narrating the story at the exact moment that it happened. You can tell that he is talking about it after it happened because the narrator says “you”, meaning that he is talking to someone, and is telling them the story. For example, in the story he said, “You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with

    Read More

  • The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe

    555 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado are two stories written by Edgar Allen Poe in the 18th century. Both of these stories are primarily focused on the mysterious and dark ways of the narrator. Since these stories were written by the same author, they tend to have several similarities such as the mood and narrative, but they also have a few differences. For instance, the characteristics of both narrators are different, but both stories portray the same idea of the narrator being obsessive over a certain thing.

    Read More

  • Insanity In The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    The “Tell-Tale Heart” is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and serves as a testament to Poe’s ability to convey mental disability in an entertaining way. The story revolves around the unnamed narrator and old man, and the narrator’s desire to kill the old man for reasons that seem unexplainable and insane. After taking a more critical approach, it is evident that Poe’s story is a psychological tale of inner turmoil.

    Read More

  • Styles of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge versus The Tell Tale Heart

    481 Words  | 1 Pages

    The authors, Ambrose Bierce of 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' and Edger Allan Poe of 'The Tell Tale Heart' have unique styles to pull the reader into the story. Both authors use unreliable narrator and imagery to allow the reader to picture and follow the narrator's way of thinking. In the Tell Tale Heart, the man is very repetitious and his psychotic behavior is what intrigues the overall dark madness of The Tell Tale Heart. In Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Bierce uses illusions to allow the reader to follow wherever his ideas lead which also intrigues the overall dark madness effect.

    Read More

  • The Tell Tale Heart Literary Analysis

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Poe has a lot of “psychological drama” in the work “The Tell-Tale Heart” (179). Poe’s work make the readers feel if the readers are there. He uses “irony” and “dramatic actions.” Poe intends to keep his readers one edge. Poe’s style has a genius about it. In Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” it states, “Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly --very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man 's sleep” (qtd. Poe). In this work Poe is Dramatic in telling the readers that he is creeping into this old man’s room to kill him. Poe’s work make an impression on his reader especially in “The Tell-Tale Heart.” In the entire short story Poe tries to under mind his

    Read More

  • Tell-tale Heart Literary Analysis

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Like many of Poe's other works, the Tell-Tale Heart is a dark story. This particular one focuses on the events leading the death of an old man, and the events afterwards. That's the basics of it, but there are many deep meanings hidden in the three page short story. Poe uses techniques such as first person narrative, irony and style to pull off a believable sense of paranoia.

    Read More

  • Symbolism and Irony in The Tell-Tale Heart

    2255 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...binson, E. Arthur. "Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart'." Twentieth Century Interpretations of Poe's Tales. ED. William L. Howarth. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1971. 94-102.

    Read More

  • Point of view "Tell-Tale Heart"

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poe writes “The Tell Tale Heart” from the perspective of the murderer of the old man. When an author creates a situation where the central character tells his own account, the overall impact of the story is heightened. The narrator, in this story, adds to the overall effect of horror by continually stressing to the reader that he or she is not mad, and tries to convince us of that fact by how carefully this brutal crime was planned and executed. The point of view helps communicate that the theme is madness to the audience because from the beginning the narrator uses repetition, onomatopoeias, similes, hyperboles, metaphors and irony.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of The Tell Tale Heart

    1694 Words  | 4 Pages

    Yet, there are two overwhelming explanations behind trusting that Poe 's motivation in "The Tell-Tale Heart" goes past the blend of ghastliness and confusion. Above all else, he has shrewdly muddled his story by making the storyteller 's portrayal of himself and his activities seem inconsistent. Incidentally, the hero endeavors to demonstrate in dialect that is wild and cluttered that he is deliberate, quiet, and

    Read More

  • Graduation Speech: May You Have Enough

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    She said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. I wish you enough, too."

    Read More

  • Graduation Speech: Live Life to the Fullest

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    Commencement is a critical juncture in our lives; it is a momentous occasion where we believe we are about to start anew. However, graduation is the bittersweet moment where the forces of past and future are simultaneously acting on us. Consequently, the past is not dead. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, suggests that our past experiences will be with us forever as he states, " [we] are a part of all that [we] have met; yet all experience is an arch where through gleams that untraveled world." That is why graduation, similar to other turning points in our lives, possesses two halves, which accentuate each other. We are looking forward, but the "arch" of experience beckons us to remember, value, and learn from our past experiences. Thus, I feel that in order to appreciate commencement fully, we must remember our own past, and in particular, the last four years:

    Read More

  • Nursing Graduation Speech

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today, as we graduate, with degree nearly in hand, I challenge each of you to make a difference in whatever you do. Remember that life didn't end when we re-entered school. Life continued throughout our program. Even when stretched to the limit, life only got more challenging. And now, graduating, life only changes pace. Our degree completion is not really an ending as much as a new beginning as we re-enter our lives of work and home. We thank all of our family, friends, instructors and co-workers who helped see us through this process. Thank you for this opportunity and good luck to you all.

    Read More

  • The Black Cat Analysis

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Black Cat immerses the reader into the mind of a murdering alcoholic. Poe himself suffered from alcoholism and often showed erratic behavior with violent outburst. Poe is famous for his American Gothic horror tales such as the Tell-Tale Heart and the Fall of the House of Usher. “The Black Cat is Poe’s second psychological study of domestic violence and guilt. He added a new element to aid in evoking the dark side of the narrator, and that is the supernatural world.” (Womack). Poe uses many of the American Gothic characteristics such as emotional intensity, superstition, extremes in violence, the focus on a certain object and foreshadowing lead the reader through a series of events that are horrifying and grotesque. “The Black Cat is one of the most powerful of Poe’s stories, and the horror stops short of the wavering line of disgust” (Quinn).

    Read More

  • Funny Graduation Speech: Let Me Out of Here!

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    First of all, I'd like to welcome all the parents, relatives and friends, on behalf of the senior class. It has been a long, hard road to graduation and I know your presence here is greatly appreciated. My job as salutatorian is to reminisce on our past here at County High, a past that reads like a script of a soap opera.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of Poe's The Tell Tale Heart

    1651 Words  | 4 Pages

    Three elements of literary work that truly sum up the theme of The Tell Tale Heart are setting, character, and language. Through these elements we can easily see how guilt, an emotion, can be more powerful than insanity. Even the most demented criminal has feelings of guilt, if not remorse, for what he has done. This is shown exquisitely in Poe's writing. All three elements were used to their extreme to convey the theme. The balance of the elements is such that some flow into others. It is sometimes hard to distinguish one from another. Poe's usage of these elements shows his mastery not only over the pen, but over the mind as well.

    Read More

More about Comparing Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat

Open Document