This topic contains a solution. Click here to go to the answer

Author Question: Point to details in the story that identify its speaker as an unreliablenarrator. What will be an ... (Read 1150 times)

OSWALD

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 580
Point to details in the story that identify its speaker as an unreliablenarrator.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

From what point of view is Poes story told? Why is this point of view particularly effective for The Tell-Tale Heart?
 
  What will be an ideal response?



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
Marked as best answer by a Subject Expert

nital

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 320
Answer to Question 1


  • The teller of Poes tale is a classic unreliable narrator. He is not deliberately trying to mislead his audience; he is delusional, and the reader can easily find the many places in the story where the narrators telling reveals his mistaken perceptions. His presentation is also deeply ironic: the insistence on his sanity puts his madness on display. The first paragraph alone, brief as it is, should provide fertile ground for students sent to find evidence of his severe disturbance. This passage should clinch the point all by itself: I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. From there, you can lead the class into a discussion of the subsequent manifestations of his madnesshis perception of the old mans eye as a thing in itself, independent of its admittedly benevolent possessor; his extreme attention to details and matters that others could find insignificant; his fixation on a single objective for an insanely long period of time; his need to flaunt his brilliance, even if only to himself, by inviting the police into the house; and so on.



Answer to Question 2


  • The story has a first-person narrator, the man who lives with and murders the inoffensive old man. Edgar Allan Poe paid very careful attention to the technical details of his stories. He knew that craft led to effects, so he planned every detail of his stories from theme to character to point of view. As Daniel Hoffman shows in his highly personal and deeply stimulating Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe (1973), The Tell-Tale Heart wouldnt be half as effective without the madman himself as its narrator. Indeed, its climax would not occur without that point-of-view choice. An omniscient narrator in this case might reveal the mysteries that give the story its power (the idea that the dead man is in fact the narrators father, as Hoffman suggests; the paranoia of the narrator would also be moot for an omniscient voice). Demonstrations of the narrators imbalance come at the very beginning of the story, and they provide the context in which we will evaluate everything else that he says and does.





OSWALD

  • Member
  • Posts: 580
Reply 2 on: Jul 20, 2018
Great answer, keep it coming :)


bassamabas

  • Member
  • Posts: 294
Reply 3 on: Yesterday
Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it

 

Did you know?

Approximately 15–25% of recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage. However, many miscarriages often occur before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

Did you know?

For about 100 years, scientists thought that peptic ulcers were caused by stress, spicy food, and alcohol. Later, researchers added stomach acid to the list of causes and began treating ulcers with antacids. Now it is known that peptic ulcers are predominantly caused by Helicobacter pylori, a spiral-shaped bacterium that normally exist in the stomach.

Did you know?

The average adult has about 21 square feet of skin.

Did you know?

People often find it difficult to accept the idea that bacteria can be beneficial and improve health. Lactic acid bacteria are good, and when eaten, these bacteria improve health and increase longevity. These bacteria included in foods such as yogurt.

Did you know?

Signs of depression include feeling sad most of the time for 2 weeks or longer; loss of interest in things normally enjoyed; lack of energy; sleep and appetite disturbances; weight changes; feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or worthlessness; an inability to make decisions; and thoughts of death and suicide.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library