Tell Tale Heart Vs Cask Of Amontillado
In this paper, the writer will briefly discuss two critics’ analyses of two texts written by Edgar Allan Poe. These texts are Tell-Tale Heart and the Cask of Amontillado. The writer will introduce the reader to Poe and provide a brief biography. The writer will then summarize the two critical analyses written by critics of these texts. Finally, the writer will state why it does and does not agree with points that the critics had discussed.
Edgar Allen Poe was an American author and poet who was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809. [1] Poe was born to two parents who were both actors. When he was but three years old, his mother had passed away. Soon after this tragic event, Poe’s father had become an alcoholic and had abandoned his child. …show more content…
Also stated by them both is that Poe uses this narration as a method to introduce us to the horrible motivations that the two narrators have. It not only helps introduce us to their motivations, but also lets us get to understand their character as well as makes the stories seem more dramatic. The author also helps us understand the characters’ character by not explicitly stating the cause of their desire for revenge or by telling the reader of a reason that is not even valid. In Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator ironically does the opposite of what he is trying to do while explaining the whole plot of his murder, prove that he was not insane. Poe had the narrator’s lack of mental stability manifest itself in his characters by stating that <<>> In the Cask of Amontillado, the narrator defines revenge as punishment with impunity, which foreshadows what will happen to Montresor. The reader knows that Montresor is insane because of his cold and calculating nature, without remorse, which perfectly fits the definition of a sociopath. The irony of Montresor’s conversation to Fortunato during that walk leaves Fortunato stunned and so shocked that he does not even try to fight Montresor while he chains him up to the …show more content…
I believe clear evidence was written by Poe in respect to the attitude the narrator had in Tell-Tale Heart. The narrator seems to have no problem murdering a man over his “Evil-eye” and rationalize it to the point of having no remorse. Furthermore, he ends up hearing the heartbeat of the man that he had murdered in the presence of the police. He exacerbates the belief that he is insane by believing that he is normal. It is, however, true that many sane people could seek revenge to the point of killing someone like we’ve seen in the Cask of Amontillado. The critic of Tell-Tale Heart believes that the narrator was motivated by paranoia. “Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees --very gradually --I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.” The writer believes that the narrator felt threatened and discomforted by feeling the old man’s eye upon him. Consequently, I believe that his insanity as well as this fear had likely motivated him to kill the old man. I believe that the critic of Cask of Amontillado was also correct when he believes that the narrator is not reliable. There is clear evidence that the narrator is insane which can easily been seen if you take into account the symptoms of psychopathy or narcissism, which should be manifest regardless of modern mental health practice. Some of the most pronounced symptoms that can be
Edgar Allen Poe was an American author and poet who was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809. [1] Poe was born to two parents who were both actors. When he was but three years old, his mother had passed away. Soon after this tragic event, Poe’s father had become an alcoholic and had abandoned his child. …show more content…
Also stated by them both is that Poe uses this narration as a method to introduce us to the horrible motivations that the two narrators have. It not only helps introduce us to their motivations, but also lets us get to understand their character as well as makes the stories seem more dramatic. The author also helps us understand the characters’ character by not explicitly stating the cause of their desire for revenge or by telling the reader of a reason that is not even valid. In Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator ironically does the opposite of what he is trying to do while explaining the whole plot of his murder, prove that he was not insane. Poe had the narrator’s lack of mental stability manifest itself in his characters by stating that <<>> In the Cask of Amontillado, the narrator defines revenge as punishment with impunity, which foreshadows what will happen to Montresor. The reader knows that Montresor is insane because of his cold and calculating nature, without remorse, which perfectly fits the definition of a sociopath. The irony of Montresor’s conversation to Fortunato during that walk leaves Fortunato stunned and so shocked that he does not even try to fight Montresor while he chains him up to the …show more content…
I believe clear evidence was written by Poe in respect to the attitude the narrator had in Tell-Tale Heart. The narrator seems to have no problem murdering a man over his “Evil-eye” and rationalize it to the point of having no remorse. Furthermore, he ends up hearing the heartbeat of the man that he had murdered in the presence of the police. He exacerbates the belief that he is insane by believing that he is normal. It is, however, true that many sane people could seek revenge to the point of killing someone like we’ve seen in the Cask of Amontillado. The critic of Tell-Tale Heart believes that the narrator was motivated by paranoia. “Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees --very gradually --I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.” The writer believes that the narrator felt threatened and discomforted by feeling the old man’s eye upon him. Consequently, I believe that his insanity as well as this fear had likely motivated him to kill the old man. I believe that the critic of Cask of Amontillado was also correct when he believes that the narrator is not reliable. There is clear evidence that the narrator is insane which can easily been seen if you take into account the symptoms of psychopathy or narcissism, which should be manifest regardless of modern mental health practice. Some of the most pronounced symptoms that can be