The Tell-Tale Heart and the Black Cat

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------------------------------------------------- Written Assignment 1 – Comparison of two Poe short stories The “Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat” are two short stories written by the author Edgar Allan Poe respectively in 1843 and 1845. The two short stories which are characterized by a gothic and mysterious atmosphere has a very similar plot setting, but how do you differ the reason for killing an old innocent man(TTH), and a sudden hanging of the cat that you used to love(BC)? Poe gives a unique opportunity to analyze the way of human behavior through his short stories, where you as a reader have to study the minds of insane individuals who claim to be sane. The atmosphere of Poe’s two shorty stories indicates a lot of fear, which makes the tension rise as the timeline develops. This is seen in both stories, even though we have one big difference regarding the order of the events; in the “Tell-Tale Heart” our starting point is in a prison or in a mental health center most likely, where the protagonist recounts the preceding actions, which has led him to the place he is now. This means that we know the whole plot of the story. This flashback-like telling technique makes the reader focus more on aspects we normally consider less important; why does the heartbeat get louder and louder? “[…] the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder - louder - louder!”(P. 158 l. 9-10). These dark and odd aspects are quite important in the “Tell-Tale Heart”, not only because they make the story more exciting and thrilling by the anaphors for instance, but also because it leads us toward a more “right” comprehension of the protagonists` behavior; how and why is he driven to his state of mind? Poe’s way of writing makes the tension rise a lot towards the end. It almost feels like the text is speeding up for the reader because of the action-packed
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