Discussion about Tell-Tale Heart Symbolism and irony are used perfectly in the tale to elaborate the theme of mortality or murder and sanity. Irony features in the scene where the narrator repeats severally that he is not insane. He argues that he is sane since he can recount all the things he has done in the past. He narrates how he killed an old man with a lot of care and proper planning and basis his argument of sanity on the narration. His sanity is, however, compromised by the fact that he started hearing the heart of a dead man beat.
The narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” is totally unreliable. We are questioning his sanity from the very beginning of the story. He goes out of his way to make us believe he is not mad while he is telling the story, and tells us about going out of his way to make sure others believe in his sanity. Another thing he does to make us question his sanity and reliability is that he claims to hear things a normal person would not be able to hear. And he kills an old man for no other reason than because his eye makes “his blood run cold”.
“I shall make a proclamation, speaking as one who has no connection with this affair, nor with the murderer”(Sophocles 14). The perceived meaning of this is that to Oedipus, he has no relativity to the death of Laius or to his murderer, but the unperceived meaning is that Oedipus does have all the connection there is to have with both because he is the murderer of Laius. “Insult me, go on-but that, you will find, is what makes me great”(Sophocles 30). The intended meaning is that Oedipus doesn’t care if Tiresias insults him because he believe he has already saved Thebes and believes he will rid the city of Laius’ killer, but the unintended meaning is that the insults are actually the truth of Oedipus, that they are the answers which he is looking for which ultimately dooms Thebes because Oedipus doesn’t realize he is Laius’ murderer. “If it turns out that he tells the same story as you-then I, at least, will be cleared of responsibility”(Sophocles 58).
The narrator communicates to the reader how he thinks he is sane by justifying his actions. But don’t all insane or crazy people try to justify their reactions to a particular situation. Even though he wants too and eventually does kill the old man because of his crazy eye, he wants the reader to
Chaucer saw this in people and knew that a person couldn’t be classified as good or evil because we are a mixture of both. He presented this very strongly in the way that he presented his pilgrims. He showed, for many of the pilgrims, that they had good intentions, such as the Pardoner. At the same time, he wasn’t afraid to show their evil side. The Pardoner is a prime example of his presentation of humans because he showed that he had good intentions, to help people and to pardon their sins, but he also had his evil side, which was to tell people that they have sinned simply to earn himself a few extra coins.
I think it’s also interesting that Torres knew that the barber might kill him, but he still went to see if he would or not kill him. What surprised me about this story is that Torres knew all along that the barber might kill him. And he basically could have, or had sacrificed his life by going to the barber and having a razor right on his neck. I was also surprised that the barber didn’t go through with killing Torres. Because he kept going back and forth about killing him, and he kept on stating reasons why he should and shouldn’t kill him.
With ethical judgement, the narrator must be held accountable for he is not insane, but instead a severely morally corrupted murderer. As the policemen become comfortable in his home, the narrator begins to feel extremely pale, his head begins to ache and he hears the sound of the old man’s (arguably) heart beat. The beating heart becomes so loud and paranoid that the narrator confesses “tear up the planks! – Here, here! – it is the beating of his hideous heart” confirming his impounding guilt and the probability of his committing the murder “at the elbow” of the policemen is highly
He considers that, even if Duncan’s murder could be completed without any negative consequences, like getting caught, he still would have to live with guilt. He states why he should not kill Duncan; "First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, / Who should against his murderer shut the door, / Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan / Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnation of his taking off." (1.7.14-21) Macbeth proves very uncertain in his thoughts and did not have any legitimate reasons for killing King Duncan and obtaining the throne except for his own ambition and greed to become king. With the witches’ prophecies mulling over in his mind, and knowing that he was not the successor of the throne, he knew he had to take matters into his own hands.
Mr. Richard Eugene Hickock is the other main character in this novel. He is the one who plans the robbing of the Clutter’s and says that they cannot leave any witnesses. One of the conflicts that he faces is that he starts to waver when it comes to carrying out the plan to actually kill the Clutter’s and he leaves it all to Smith and becomes a bystander to the murders. His strengths are that he is smooth-talking, always plans on making a buck, and that he is very self-assured. His weaknesses are that he has insecurities like he cannot support his first wife and children, that he has a sexual interest in young women including Nancy Clutter, and that he has not been able to achieve financial stability.
Brutus is trying to convince himself that he would be right to join the conspiracy. Brutus states that the only way to stop Caesar is by killing him. ‘It must be by his death.’ This shows that Brutus is trying to show himself that there is no other choice than to kill Caesar. He is trying to convince himself that is helpless and has no other option. This also reveals another side of Brutus.