Read this pericope (<--- look this word up!) from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843).
As you read, think about the narrator's mood. How do you react to the reading? How does it make you feel? What words or images does it bring to mind? Then identify one or two tone words that most accurately depict this piece (here are some tone words: http://valenciacollege.edu/east/academicsuccess/eap/documents/tonewords.pdf).
After you identify the tone, tell me specifically what diction and imagery (quote evidence from the text... no need to cite) enforces this tone. BE SPECIFIC. The passage makes you feel the way you feel for a reason. Identify those reasons.
Your post should be 100-200 words.
"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! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it --oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly --very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this, And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously --cautiously (for the hinges creaked) --I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights --every night just at midnight --but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept."
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This post has a distinctly disturbing tone. It makes you cringe or shudder. In this passage from Edgar Allen Poe's A Tell Tale Heart, we see inside the mind of a psychopath. What makes this passage so disturbing is that this is not a casually insane madman. He does not randomly carry out his evil. Instead, Poe makes it very clear that every aspect of this man's plan is carefully thought out and executed. The author uses specific diction to drive this point home. The man proceeds "wisely" with great "caution" and "foresight". He does not burst into the room screaming, but opens the door "very, very slowly" and opens his lantern "oh so cautiously". Even the advanced word selecton adds to the sense that is not an ignorant madman randomly carrying out acts of violence. He uses words like "vexed", "profound", and "dissimulation", as well as complex sentence structure to show that this is a well-educated psychopath rather than ignorant murderer. These aspects help create the chilling tone that made Poe famous.
ReplyDeleteI feel paranoid. It makes me think that monsters are watching me at night while I sleep just waiting to get me. The tone of this passage from Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” is disturbed and ominous. It sucks the reader in to the mind of a deranged psychopath and leaves you with chills. “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing.” Right after reading these words, anyone would be a little worried. Not only is it terrifying to read the depiction of someone watching someone sleep before they kill them, but more suspense is added when it is at midnight. Overall, it is really just disturbing.
ReplyDeleteIn the passage from Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Tell Tale Heart”, there is a terrifying and scary tone. Although the narrator is an insane psychopath, it is clear that he is not completely mindless for he did his actions “cunningly” and did not make known to anyone of his presents at the man bedside. This passage literally made me get the chills when I read it because sometimes I get the feeling that someone is watching me, so I was able to fully connect to what was happening. There is a very vivid picture that the imagery has formed in my head. I can see a man with sneaking up to a bedroom door where his victim silently sleeps as the man himself is watching and plotting against him. The diction also causes a sense of this terror, because of the words “madman” and “seven long night”, which tells us that he has been plotting this murder for a long time. This passage as the ability to almost make someone not want to go to sleep at night because of the fear that is imposes on the reader.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I`ve heard this passage before... can`t remember where. Anyways, this passage is very unique in its combination of subject matter and diction. Poe uses very normal diction, almost as though he were describing the recipe to chocalate cake. In other words, if you disregarded the subject matter, you could read it in a proper way with a snobby English accent and it would sound fitting. HOWEVER, we know without a shadow of a doubt that the narrator is insane. Poe simply describes a situation only accplicable to a madman. So, by the subject matter itself we understand the narrator. A normal person would describe a recipe this carefully: "Bake it 'slowly... very, slowly' and pour it 'so cautiously'." But it would make for an extreme Psychopath to describe a murder that way. And so, in this unique combination of seemingly unpairable characteristics: descriptive, plain diction, and a horrifying subject matter, Poe is able to create a very, very distinct tone. If there was a single word that meant nervously horrified, the tone would be THAT word.First of all, the syntax opening this paragraph clues us in to the nervousness. The narrator speaks quick, short, and very simple sentances. He doesnt want to advance straight into the description... he`s nervous. He dances around a bit with his words and waits until he feels somewhat comfortable to continue- "But you should have seen me". And, as i mentioned before, I don`t believe diction works to give the tone of horror, however i believe its combination with the subject matter does. This nervous man speaks so freely about how he stalked his prey through the night. That`s horrific.
ReplyDeleteThis passage is super duper creepy. I would hope that if some crazy person was in my house watching me that something would shoot off warning bells in my head. All I can think about while I read this passage is the movie When a Stranger Calls. That movie gives me the chills! I think what’s so disturbing about this passage, is that the madman is so calculating and patient with what he is attempting to do. The sentence “It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. “, really jumps out at me. He waited a whole hour. I don’t know about you but even waiting at the doctor’s office for 20 minutes is annoying, much less waiting a whole hour to just watch someone sleep. This madman is so patient, he comments on how he moves “very, very slowly” and “oh, so cautiously”. This type of diction gives a disturbing and ominous tone to the whole passage.
ReplyDeleteI found this passage to be very interesting. It was odd and strange. This passage is somewhat perplexing. When I read it, my reaction was one that wasn’t too surprised because I knew that Poe was a pretty emo, “I hate my life” kinda dude. After reading this passage, it made me feel curious and interested in finding out what happened before this passage and what happens after. No definite image comes to mind, I just see black, darkness with an almost New Orleans, candle lit, haunted swamp, bayou kind of vibe and image. One tone word that comes to mind is unemotional. I don’t know how to explain that one exactly, just seems to fit the tone of the narrator. Two tone words I detected are unemotional, and matter-of-fact. The passage starts off with, “Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.” One picture it paints in my head is when on some of those crime shows, how when the police catch the murderer and the murderer just tells the police all of his atrocities with a big, proud smile on his face. The emotional is unemotional to the fact that they killed someone, and explains it as if it was just matter-of-fact. That’s how I see this passage taking off. A more obvious tone word is somber. Somber pretty much covers the rest of the passage. “And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it --oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head.” Everything that happened in this passage, happened in the cover of darkness. That alone sends off a very somber tone. Add in the reasons why the dude was creeping around and how he says it so easily and nonchalantly like a “how to” list can be somewhat unnerving. Kind of like the steps on how to shrink a decapitated head you can find online (...long story). Anyways, I enjoyed this passage. Oh, and incorporating music today in our English class was really cool and we should do that more!
ReplyDeleteThis passage is quite disturbing. Although Poe uses simple diction to tell his creepy story, it still gives you goosebumps. He makes the horrible situation very easy to comprehend. It's even creepier when you notice how much time and effort this psychopath put into stalking this poor, old man. The sentence "I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him." Really? Yes, so incredibly gracious to this old mad. The killer is completely fine with murdering the man and even enjoys telling the story. It's a rather fearful, horrific tone. This passage also has a suspenseful tone because you don't really know when the old man will die.
ReplyDeleteHaha every time I read this, I can only picture Nathan doing his oral interp, good times. But the two words that immediately jump out to me after reading this passage are meticulous and demented. The very fact that this man is so meticulous and...almost gentle when he spies on the victim only proves the very depths of his mental insanity. For example, the narrator states, "I moved it slowly-very, very slowly, so that i might not disturb the old man's sleep." Now, this man has already made up his mind to kill the victim. Why is he so concerned about waking this man? The narrator would have a much simpler time just jumping in the room and murdering the victim, but instead, the narrator hints that he thrives on the meticulous job he has done. Insanity is not to be taken lightly in this passage. Honestly, this passage never ceases to send chills down my spine, simply because this murder was so carefully planned. It sounds like an episode of Criminal Minds! The tone word demented was chosen because of the fact that the narrator jokes and talks with his victim the next morning after spying on him all night. He states, "And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night." If that is not demented, then I don't know what is! This type of story makes me not want to go to sleep at night.
ReplyDeleteClearly the tone of the passage is frenzied and panicked and arguably this is due to the insane nature of the story’s narrator. Personally, the passage is frightening and dark. I felt disturbed and “on-edge”. The idea of someone watching you is never comforting to say the least. Also this whole concept of the narrator being impressed with his actions and the overall satisfaction with the success of his endeavors endorses the eerie and chilling plot further. This statement made by the narrator warrants my claim: “You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with what foresight…” This brings to mind images of serial murders and psychopaths from horror movies. There is also a sense of pride in the tone overall. Simply the narrator is saying he did his job perfectly and flawlessly, and we the reader should be as impressed as he is with his actions. In all honest it also reminded me of Nate, who scared everyone last year with this piece in debate!
ReplyDeleteThis pericope (section or extract from a book) from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” takes you inside the mind of a truly insane individual. The dude is totally bonkers. The narrator is the madman himself, and as the narrator he describes all of the processes that he went through stalking his victim before actually committing murder. The two main tone words that depict this section are “calm” and “content”. Eagerness was the main tone that jumped out at me aside from his insanity. He wanted to give every little detail of his actions. For example, “And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously --cautiously (for the hinges creaked) --I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye.”
ReplyDeleteThe overall tone of this passage is dark and a bit psychotic. I mean, really? He is after this man--no, not the man: but his eye. He creeps on this old man for seven nights, at midnight. He shines the lantern just on the eye... that gives me chills. I get this image of a creepy man hunched over with his head inside of the cracked door--he has a slight smile on his face, with a hint of excitement. This man believes that he is just about to finally end his fears of the "evil eye". It's a dark and gloomy passage: one that creates a sense of insecurity in the reader. I feel as if I should sleep with one eye open tonight--oh the irony of that phrase that pretains to this passage. Overall, this passage gives off a tone of insanity and anxiety. Phrases such as, "caustiously-oh so cautiously...cautiously." give off the feeling of anxiety. He is careful and patient, and yet the reader feels the chills of excitement that he feels. "I thrust my head in..." Clearly he is anxious, excited, ready to kill. He is a predator looking upon his prey--and this is where the insanity comes in. "For it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye." Ok. So apparently an eye can vex a human being. He has clearly lost his mind.
ReplyDeleteThis passage has a distinct tone of self adoration. The narrator speaks calmly about his cunning prowess. The narrator uses good imagery when explaining his entrance into the old mans room, "it took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening". The passage gives me a desire to do something very clever, just not as serious as killing somebody for their evil eyeball. It also leaves us with a bit of a cliff-hanger which is slightly aggravating and leaves me curious to find out what the eye does and if the narrator ever gets it. I want to read more.
ReplyDeleteRepetition of words gives the narrator a tone of darkness with a hint of insanity in "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. As the story begins the narrator goes on to say,"...with what caution --with what foresight --with what dissimulation..." and as the reader continues, he can tell that there is also a sense of nervousness and anxiety tearing away at the narrator as if he was hiding something that he did not want to be told. When I read this short story, the only things that come to mind are dark thoughts and words. Some descriptive words for this passage would have to be disturbing, nightmarish, direful, and a bit macabre. Edgar Allan Poe was a genius when it comes to writing but he was without a doubt disturbed.
ReplyDelete(p.s. you should have Nate Blamic do his interpretive reading of this)
As I read I was getting the intense feeling of paranoia as I sat in my dark room. This is a passage filled with the ramblings along with the very meticulous planning involved in this mans murder. The very specific diction that Poe uses is what makes this particular mad man so bothersome. The two words that I chose that I thought fit perfectly were cold and disturbed. This man is clearly disturbed and is very carefully planing his evil act. Words like "caution", "wisely ", and "foresight" all are words that exemplify the very strange and eire feelings experienced in Poe's writing.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this, I picked up an eerie tone. The murderer planned out this act and thought it through. "Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this..." My answer is absolutely yes. "Madman" is a strong word. Several people in history considered mad are actually some of the most brilliant people. I could picture the door just creaking open, making that really annoying creaky sound. This even makes me feel slightly uncomfortable. I've read this before and it disturbed me the first time as well. Now personally, I've never fallen asleep in school because I don't want people looking at me (or playing pranks on me) while I sleep. It creeps me out. Thanks Poe. You really made that feeling better...
ReplyDeleteThis passage is from Edgar Allen Poe's " The Raven." I only know this because of Nathan's oral Interp last year. This part of the story is quite creepy and grotesque. I was not too surprised when I read it because I had heard it before. However, the first time I heard I was a bit dumbfounded . This section of the story made me feel very dreary and somber, (and surprised) . The author uses much repetition in the work to emphasize the insane nature of the man. "I put in a dark lantern all closed, all closed." and "But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely..." all demonstrate a unique nature about the madman. Words that come to mind after reading the passage are dreary, dismal, grotesque, morbid, and deathly. To me, the tome is definitely morbid and dark. Images such as "a dark lantern ", "a vulture eye", "his Evil Eye", and creaking hinges all aid in creating this dark and murderous tone in "The Raven."
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