
How does the narrator sustain the feelings of dread?
What does the opening of the story tell us about the madness of the narrator?
What is the objective of the Tell Tale Heart?
How long is the free trial for eNotes?
What is a certified educator?
Who was renowned for throwing every technique in his writing repertoire at it?
See 1 more
About this website

What is a single effect in a story?
A common theory widely taught in creative writing classes is Edgar Allen Poe's idea of the single effect, which argues that short stories should build towards producing one pre-conceived emotional effect in the reader.
What is the unity of effect in The Tell-Tale Heart?
Poe believed that all good literature must create a unity of effect on the reader and this effect must reveal truth or evoke emotions. “The Tell-Tale Heart” exemplifies Poe's ability to expose the dark side of humankind and is a harbinger of novels and films dealing with psychological realism.
What is the effect of irony on the reader in The Tell-Tale Heart?
Dramatic Irony creates suspense by the readering knowing more about the situation than one of the characters does. So, in this case we known the narrator is planning to kill the old man but he does not know. This is how the “Tell Tale Heart” uses dramatic irony.
What effect does the narration have on the story Tell Tale Heart?
In “The Tell-Tale Heart” Poe uses first person point of view to create suspense and tension, while letting the reader try to discover the thoughts of the narrator. Throughout the story, Poe is careful about how he portrays his words.
What is Poe's unity of effect?
The essay states Poe's conviction that a work of fiction should be written only after the author has decided how it is to end and which emotional response, or "effect", he wishes to create, commonly known as the "unity of effect".
What is the main conflict in The Tell-Tale Heart?
The major conflict in the story is that the narrator kills the old man simply because he dislikes the look of his eye. This conflict is a person vs. self conflict because the antagonist (the old man) hasn't done anything on purpose to upset the narrator. The conflict is all in the narrator's head.
What is the main effect of irony?
What is the main effect of irony on the reader? It evokes feelings of superiority in the reader because the reader knows he or she would never act so foolish.
What is the effect of irony in a poem?
As a literary device, irony implies a distance between what is said and what is meant. Based on the context, the reader is able to see the implied meaning in spite of the contradiction.
What is the irony in the short story The Tell-Tale Heart?
An example of situational irony is in The Tell-Tale Heart is when the caregiver confessed to murdering the old man, despite all of the work he put forth to hide the body. Another example of situational irony is the person who killed the old man is his caregiver, who was there to make he sure he stays well and safe.
What mental illness does the narrator in Tell Tale Heart have?
Throughout the narrative, the narrator struggles to reassure that there is nothing wrong with him and that he is completely normal. Exploring the themes of madness, guilt, and a false sense of reality, Poe's narrator suffers from a sense of false narrative, a trait characteristic of schizophrenia.
What is the message in Tell Tale Heart?
Guilt: “The Tell-Tale Heart” is conventionally read as a moralizing story about guilt and innocence. Critics have interpreted the sound of the beating heart as the narrator's guilty conscious reminding him of his deed.
Why is the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart not insane?
The narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” was sane because he could distinguish fantasy from reality, he could feel guilt, and he was thinking logically.
What is Poe's theory of the unity of effect and how does it work in The Cask of Amontillado?
Poe's primary concern was “unity of effect,” which means that every element of a story should help create a single emotional impact. The website uses the tale, “The Cask of Amontillado” to illustrate this. The tone, for one, is the same from start to finish.
What are the requirements to achieve the unity of effect in prose tale?
This unity requires a homogeneous intertwinement of the single effects, which can only be attained, if during the creative process the artist always keeps in mind the intended impression upon the reader.
What literary elements are used in The Tell-Tale Heart?
In ''The Tell-Tale Heart,'' Edgar Allan Poe uses various literary devices, such as symbolism, simile, point of view, and imagery to create a specific effect in his writing. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent other objects or ideas.
What is the significance of the beating heart throughout the story?
What best describes the significance of the beating heart throughout the story? It represents the narrator's guilt and worsening sanity, for the beating heart serves as a reminder of his crime.
How does the narrator sustain the feelings of dread?
The feelings of dread are sustained as the narrator extends his confession of how he looked in on the old man night after night until he murdered him. The disposal of the body and the extended conversation with the police also work to worsen the feelings of dread until the story's abrupt conclusion.
What does the opening of the story tell us about the madness of the narrator?
The opening of the story quickly establishes the madness of the narrator. His extreme agitation makes the reader fear that he has done something horrible that has had a destabilizing effect on him. From his first avowal, "I did not hate the old man," readers begin to understand that the old man had become the narrator's victim.
What is the objective of the Tell Tale Heart?
In the short story 'The Tell Tale Heart' by Edgar Allen Poe, the author has one objective in mind - to quickly grab the attention of the reader, scare and intrigue the reader's curiosity,and hold it there til the end. You might want to explore the idea of the effect of suspense. This is where the author suggests an idea or possibility (usually a scary or creepy one!) to a reader by building upon the intrigue little bit by little bit, layer on layer.
How long is the free trial for eNotes?
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.
What is a certified educator?
Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team.
Who was renowned for throwing every technique in his writing repertoire at it?
You should find lots - Poe was renowned for throwing every technique in his writing repertoire at it!
What is the meaning of the Tell Tale Heart?
Through the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”, Poe illustrates the coexistence of love and hate, and reality and perception. Poe uses symbolism as well as irony to entice the reader towards the relation between emotion and reality. The use of symbolism and contradiction exemplifies these reoccurring ideas throughout the story. Edgar Allen Poe successfully uses a delusional man to narrate the story through a first-person narrative, to convey the relationship between the emotions of love, hate, perception, and reality.
Why does the narrator converse with himself?
This also explains why the narrator converses with himself. From his dialogues, the reader can identify that a person’s perception can greatly affect his beliefs , and possibility create his own reality . In the story, the narrator believes himself to be sane, despite billing a person, for no reasons.
How does the narrator sustain the feelings of dread?
The feelings of dread are sustained as the narrator extends his confession of how he looked in on the old man night after night until he murdered him. The disposal of the body and the extended conversation with the police also work to worsen the feelings of dread until the story's abrupt conclusion.
What does the opening of the story tell us about the madness of the narrator?
The opening of the story quickly establishes the madness of the narrator. His extreme agitation makes the reader fear that he has done something horrible that has had a destabilizing effect on him. From his first avowal, "I did not hate the old man," readers begin to understand that the old man had become the narrator's victim.
What is the objective of the Tell Tale Heart?
In the short story 'The Tell Tale Heart' by Edgar Allen Poe, the author has one objective in mind - to quickly grab the attention of the reader, scare and intrigue the reader's curiosity,and hold it there til the end. You might want to explore the idea of the effect of suspense. This is where the author suggests an idea or possibility (usually a scary or creepy one!) to a reader by building upon the intrigue little bit by little bit, layer on layer.
How long is the free trial for eNotes?
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.
What is a certified educator?
Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team.
Who was renowned for throwing every technique in his writing repertoire at it?
You should find lots - Poe was renowned for throwing every technique in his writing repertoire at it!
