Edgar Allan Poe Is Insane

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Pages: 3

Edgar Allan Poe is known for writing very dark and horrid stories. Tales of murder, ravens, cats, the list goes on. His short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” is a story about an old man and his caretaker, which is told from his perspective. His caretaker rants on how he is disturbed by the old man’s pale blue eye. He then explains, how he plans how resolving this issue. Eventually, he tells the reader on how successfully he executed his murder. But all comes to an end when he finally confesses to the police. Furthermore, it is debatable whether the narrator is sane or not. I believe, there is enough evidence to prove that he is insane.
First things first, he wanted to kill the old man due to his pale blue eye. And yet, he also mentions how
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In his defense, he is not a madman but a calculated killer. Although, this can be equally backed up. I say he’s insane. He also takes pride in his work. Evidence to support my claim is, “But why will, you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses-hot destroyed-not dulled them...How, then am I mad? Hearken! And observe how healthily-how calmly I can tell you the whole story.” (pg.1) This quote illustrates how the narrator thinks of himself. The second piece of evidence to support my claim is, “Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded with what caution-with what foresight-with what dissimulation I went to work.” (pg.2) This quote illustrates the narrator's opinion on how he is executing the old man. In conclusion, the old man is insane. He wanted to kill the old man because of his vulture-like eye. He also claimed he could hear the old man’s heart, even after being long dead. And most importantly, he is in denial of being crazy and is proud of himself. Based off these reasons, the narrator is quite unstable and doesn’t seem to know how to solve problems appropriately. Neither is he capable of lying, with the exception of