Edgar Allen Poe Narrators

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The Pit and The Pendulum and The Tell Tale Heart are both short stories written by Edgar Allen Poe. He writes dark and dreary stories; usually about death. Two of my favorites by him are The Pit and The Pendulum and The Tell Tale Heart. The Pit and The Pendulum’s narrator is a reliable source. The Tell Tale Heart’s narrator is not a reliable source. A reliable source is a sane person who knows what they are talking about. They aren’t crazy and they actually have a clue what is going on around them. The Pit and the Pendulum’s Narrator is a reliable source. Even though he is sick on his death bed he knows what he is talking about. He is still sane even though he is about to die; he hasn’t gone crazy. He’s just telling us what is going to happen to us in life, he sees the negative side but he is very reliable. He knows and understands what is going on around him and he is able to make rational decisions that won’t hurt anybody. He seems like a negative person, but that is probably because he is dying and could be scared. He starts his story by saying, “I was sick - sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses were leaving me.” By saying he is sick unto death means that he knows exactly what is going on around him even though he is sick. Not sick in a crazy sense but probably on his death bed. The Tell Tale Heart’s Narrator is not a reliable source. He is crazy trying to pass off as sane. He murdered someone and went mad with guilt. He has nothing going for him and he ends up turning himself in because he doesn’t like what he did. He started to hear things and went crazy. He doesn’t want to believe that he is crazy so he hopes that turning himself in will make the voices go away. He doesn’t really have a good grasp on anything that is happening around him. He is paranoid and gets
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