Tale Tell Heart Insanity Analysis

Words: 563
Pages: 3

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am here today to say that my client from the "Tale Tell Heart" is not guilty by reason of insanity. First of all, my client clearly could not tell fantasy from reality. In paragraph 11 when he says, "I paced the floor to and from with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men—but the noise steadily increased.... It grew louder—louder— louder!" This proves that he is insane. The whole time throughout the story my client says that he hears the old man’s heartbeat, but in reality he is really just to listening his own. This is happening because he is anxious. The old man’s eye is what makes him anxious. This shows that he clearly could not tell fantasy from reality because he convinced himself that he was listening the old man’s heartbeat. …show more content…
In paragraph 17 he says, “Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die!...” Also in paragraph 18 he says, ““Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed!— tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!” These two pieces of evidence show that he could not control his behavior because once he convinced himself that the officers were “mocking” him, he lost it and told them everything about the murder. He felt guilty and could not bear that feeling. The final clue that I have to prove that my client is not guilty due to insanity is that he could not tell right from wrong. In paragraph 3 he says, "And this I did for seven long nights—every night just at midnight—but I found the eye always closed;...." Also in paragraph 11 it says, "The old man's hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the