The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl, The Tell Tale Heart And Tony Kytes, The Arch Deceiver

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The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl, The Tell Tale Heart And Tony Kytes,

The Arch Deceiver

For My GCSE Wider Reading Unit (WRU) I have chosen to compare the 19th

century novel 'The Tell-Tale Heart' written in 18__ by Edgar Allan Poe

and the 20th century novel 'The Fruit At The Bottom Of The Bowl' by

Ray Bradbury written in 19__. I have also chosen the story 'Tony

Kytes, The Arch Deceiver' written in ____ by Thomas Hardy, to find the

contrasts between all tree stories as it doesn't share all the same

themes. 'The Tale-Tale Heart' is a Brilliant Horror, which leaves the

reader both in suspense and feeling veracious. This short story takes

us on a journey through the mind of a first time killer (Unnamed), as

we watch his conscience tear his mind state apart. 'The Fruit At The

Bottom Of The Bowl' is another great story, which I have chosen for

comparing because it is very similar to 'The Tale-Tale Heart' in the

sense that they both explore the theme of 'madness'. 'The Fruit At The

Bottom Of The Bowl' is also about a murderer (named William Acton) who

has been committed a murder on allegations that his wife is going to

run away with the victim (D. Huxley), and the word 'murder' could be

argued as another one of the key themes of both stories. Ray Bradbury

gives us insight on the extents the killer goes through to leave no

trace of his presence while his conscience takes control. Despite

being murderers, both killers are portrayed as perfectly sane before

the killing and then after this evil deed is committed the descent

into madness. I believe the most obvious similarity between both texts

is both of the murderers conscience. From reading both texts I would

have no doubts in arguing that both killers consciences are a form of

insanity. As we watch this insane bearing mind player eat at the

malefactors, its after affects leave both of them in a state of

'obsession'. I say this because the murderer from 'The Tale-Tale

Heart' is a man, who becomes obsessed with the sound of his victim's

still-beating heart. Edgar Allan Poe uses this obsession for the main

build up at the end, when the murderers insanity gets more and more

intense. The killer from 'The Fruit At The Bottom Of The Bowl' has the

same problem, but with clearing his fingerprints from anything he

might have touched. Ray Bradbury uses flashback to remind Acton of

things he may have touched and to feed his obsession. During the

flashbacks Ray Bradbury doesn't describe the murder in graphic detail

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