Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"

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Everyone is hiding a little insanity. Although people may not want to admit it, the mind is a very powerful and convincing tool. There have even been numerous books and documentaries stating the power of thought on a person’s lifestyle. By depicting the narrator’s continuous attempts to persuade the reader of his sanity, describing his motive and actions throughout the story, and using the inner conflict of insanity within the narrator, Edgar Allan Poe is able to demonstrate the incredible power of the human mind using the narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Poe begins the story catching the reader’s attention, as the narrator shouts, “TRUE!” and quickly engages the reader into conversation. Despite the first words of the narrator being a red flag that something is not completely right, the narrator goes further into convincing the reader of his sanity. The narrator describes how his nervousness has sharpened the senses, and he describes being able to hear thing not of this earth. He accuses the reader of thinking of him as mad, but goes on to say that no mad man would have been able to do what he had done. The narrator instructs the reader to listen to his story and it will prove he is not insane. At this point, the reader can pretty much assume the narrator is crazy. The narrator is way too overbearing in his attempt to convince the reader of his sanity. It is almost like someone who has told a lie and is trying to convince others that it is the truth. The narrator’s pride and glory of his sanity argument is the way in which he handled things with the room mate he supposedly loved. He reveals that the roommate had an evil eye, like that of a vulture, and his “blood ran cold” whenever it looked upon him. It is very noticeable at this point in the story that the narrator is definitely suffering from some sort of mental illness. Despite plotting and
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