Discuss who could be the villain (antagonist) in Tell-Tale Heart? Consider your many options for the villain and discuss your rationale for your final choice.
What is the narrators motivation in reciting the crime? Consider the details he provides as he recites the crime from the beginning to the end.
What is the ultimate irony in Tell-Tale Heart and how does it relate to the title of the story?
What is the narrators motivation in reciting the crime? Consider the details he provides as he recites the crime from the beginning to the end.
What is the ultimate irony in Tell-Tale Heart and how does it relate to the title of the story?
lcskellysusanneliterature
1. I think the antangonist in Tell Tale Heart could be a "once friend" the old man must've known before because in the second paragraph," I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was hsi eye! yes, it was this!" Usually friends often fall apart easily and in the past would show affections towards each other. (not my final answer, Athena Baker.)
ReplyDelete2. The narrator's motivation in reciting the crime could be the anxiety and nervousness he felt when he found out that the old man's heart was still beating even though he was dead." Any thing was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer..."Villians! I shrieked, "...it is the beating of his hideous heart!" (Athena Baker. Not final answer.)
3. The ultimate irony in the story is although the antagonist killed the protagonist, it turns out that in a way the protagonist was still alive since even though in reality when a person dies, his or her heart beat shouldn't be worked or heard of, in the story, the heart was still beating loudly(therefore relating to the title of the story.) " No doubt I now grew very pale...Yet the sound increased-and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound-much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton...'dissemble no more!I admit the deed!...-it is the beating of his hideous heart!"(last two paragraphs.)(Athena Baker.)(not final answer.)
1) I think that there were actually two antagonists in, "Tell-Tale Heart." They were the eye and the heart beat of the old man. The eye was the antagonist in the beginning because the protagonist was taunted by this evil eye. Just to look at the evil eye made the protagonist uncomfortable and feel tortured. "Whenever it feel upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees-very gradually- I made up my mind to take the life of the old man." (TTH, para. 2). While the protagonist is killing the old man by smothering him with a mattress, all he can hear is the heartbeat of the old man slowly getting slower until it stops completely as for the old man is dead. Since the protagonist cut up the man and put him under the the floorboards the protagonist isn't able to see the old man's eye; he is taunted by the old man's heartbeat when the police come in. The heart beat is (which is strictly in his head) getting so loud and fast that he succumbs to the noise and tells the police of exactly what he did. "Villains!' I shrieked, 'dissemble no more! I admit to the deed!- tear up the planks! - here, here!- it is the beating of his hideous heart!" (TTH pg.3) (Avery Dargie)
ReplyDelete2) The narrator's motivation in reciting the crime is that he feels that he has done something that should be considered an act that would deserve a prize or a trophy for how well he executed the plan. "But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded-" (TTH pg. 1) The protagonist/narrator was so proud of his killing of the old man that he wanted to tell everyone that he was able to do this and if it hadn't have been for the heartbeat he would have succeeded in getting away with the murder. "Ha!- would a madman have been so wise as this?" (TTH pg. 1) THe narrator was sadistic, in a way, because he killed the man and was so happy about the way he had done it that he smiled when the police arrived from getting news that their was a scream in that house. "I smiled, - for what had i to fear?" (TTH page.4) (Avery Dargie)
ReplyDelete3) The ultimate irony in Tell-Tale Heart is that this man who is clearly mad , yet is so happy to kill the old man reveals his crime due to his own guilt. It relates the the story title because he tells the tale of the heartbeat while trying to make him seem like a man who is not mad, but who is in fact a genius for being able to kill this man so easily and hide away his deed forever. But when the cops come, he slowly hears the heartbeat of the old man grow louder and louder until he succumbs to the guilt and tells of what he did. "Villains!' I shrieked, 'dissemble no more! I admit to the deed!- tear up the planks! - here, here!- it is the beating of his hideous heart!" (TTH pg.3) (Avery Dargie)
ReplyDeleteA short video of the Tell-Tale Heart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4s9V8aQu4c (Avery Dargie)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. I think the antagonist in "Tell Tale Heart" is the old man's heart(or at least the beating of the protagonist's own heart when he felt as though he needed to confess his crime) because it was the beating of the heart which freaked out the protagonist(who happens to be the narrator) and made him run into big trouble. “No doubt I now grew very pale; but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased...' Villains!' I shrieked, ' dissemble no more! I admit the deed! tear up the planks!-here, here!-it is the beating of his hideous heart!' " (page 124, paragraphs three to four.) I accidently confused the protagonist(the narrator who murdered the old man) as the antagonist because usually when I think of villain, I think of someone who kills and commits dangerous crimes for no reason(well actually in the story, it said the protagonist was afraid of the man's "evil eye.") As for the eye, yes it was mentioned in the story, however I didn't really see how evil this evil eye was. (Athena Baker.)
ReplyDelete2. (same answer)
3. The irony in the story is although the Protagonist kept explaining in the story that he is not crazy, in actuality he commits a crime and loses his own sanity when he thought he heard the old man's heart beating loud and proud(that is the connection with the title of the story, "Tell Tale Heart.") “I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed-I raved-I swore...It grew louder-louder-louder! And still the men chattered...They heard!-they suspected!-they knew!-they were making a mockery of my horror!"(page 124, paragraph three.) As for the last response, that was again another misinterpretation of the story since at first I thought the story was about some crazy guy who murderers an old man for no good reason and then gets all crazy with the guilt building up inside him (the Protagonist I mean.) Also the story didn't really gave me a clear picture of the characters in the story at first (with the exceptions of the old man and the police.) (Athena Baker.)
1. I now believe that the antagonist in the story was the eye of the old man because it reveals the inner feelings and desires of the protagonist. It also was the cause as to what made the protagonist freak out and get himself into trouble in the first place. " I loved the old man. He had never wronged me...I think it was his eye!yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture...Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold..."(page 121, paragraph 2.) As for my last comment, the reason it is not the heart is because even though the heart was mentioned more near the end, it could have been possible that it was just the protagonist's imagination from the guilt he felt. " It(the heart) grew quicker and quicker, and lauder and lauder every instant...The old man's terror must have been extreme...I have told you that I am nervous:so am I."(page 123, paragraph two.) (Athena Baker.)
ReplyDeleteIt depends how you look at it, if the protagonist is the narrator, then the evil eye would be the villain, however if the old man is the protagonist, the narrator is the villain. In my opinion, the villain is the evil eye because it torments the protagonist throughout the story and in the end the eye "wins" by making the narrator turn himself in. It also displays the narrator's repressed feelings, which is that he is crazy.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that his guilt takes over him when he turns him self in, another thought is that he was hearing his own heart beat and not the old man's. He felt as if the old man was still alive and that he didn't actually rid himself of the evil eye forever .
The irony is that the Narrator continually says that he is not crazy throughout the story, but in the end he kind of reveals to himself and the reader that he is in fact crazy. Since the heart is what makes him turn himself in, it can be said that the heart is telling on him or giving him away, I think this is the reason for the title.
(Cypress Austin)
1. I meant to say "his" instead of "hsi" when I was explaining about my quote/response to the question.
ReplyDelete2. Yes it was the anxiety and nervousness the protagonist felt which lead him into reciting his crime. However it was not really the beating of the old man's heart which the Protagonist was hearing, but the protagonist's own heart beat which he heard while he was feeling anxiety. "Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart (the old man's heart) must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me-the sound would be heard by a neighbor! The old man's hour had come!" (page 123, paragraph two.)
3. Same response. (Athena Baker.)
2. It was 'inner guilt' builted up inside the protagonist which made him have the anxiety and nervousness. Therefore making him wanting to recite his crime. "The officers were satisified. My 'manner' had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted familar things. But, ere long, I felt myself gettign pale and wished them gone. My head ached ached, and I fancied a inging in my ears...Yet the sound increased-and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound-much such a soudn as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton...'it is the beating of his hidious heart!'"(page 124, paragraphs seventeen-eighteen.)
ReplyDelete3. The irony in this story is still how the protagonist is trying to prove himself not crazy(even though in actuality he starts loosing his own sanity.)However, what actually helped to create that irony is that fact when he tried to describe what happened in the story and what he actually "heard" later on(the assumed beating of the old man's heart which could've been the protagonist's own heart instead.)"True!-nervous-very,very dreadfully nervous I had been and am;but why 'will' you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses-not destroyed-not dulled them...I gasped for breath-and yet the officers heard it not. I talked mroe quickly-more vehemently...Oh God! what 'could I do? I foamed-I raved-I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting,and grated it upon the boards..."(pages 121-124, paragraphs one-seventeen.) The reason this relates to the title, " The Tell Tale Heart" because the protagonist himself is trying to "tell a tale" on how he thought he heard the old man's heart beating. Also the irony itself could've shown how the protagonist's heart had changed from being fearful and insane to feeling guilt and insanity still. "I loved the old man. H had never wronged me...I think it was his eye!yes, it was this!One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture-a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold...The officers were satisfied. My 'manner' had convinced them...But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone...I gasped for breath..."(pages 121-124, paragraphs one to eighteen.)
(SECOND TIME)
ReplyDelete1. It depends how you look at it, if the protagonist is the narrator, then the evil eye would be the villain, however if the old man is the protagonist, the narrator is the villain. In my opinion, the villain is the evil eye because it torments the protagonist throughout the story and in the end the eye "wins" by making the narrator turn him self in. “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this!...... Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold”(paragraph 2). The eye also displays the narrator's repressed feelings, which is that he is crazy. In the beginning the protagonist says things like “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.”(paragraph 1) Showing that he really thinks that he is not crazy or that he is fighting the fact that he is crazy. At the end of the story, he keeps repeating how the old man’s heart is still beating, even though he chopped him up and hid him under the floorboards, showing that he is crazy.
2. It seems that his guilt takes over him when he turns him self in, another thought is that he was hearing his own heart beat and not the old man's. I think that he also felt that the eye could see through him; it was the only thing that knew he was really crazy and that’s why he wanted to rid himself of it. When he heard the heart beat, it showed that the old man wasn’t dead, thus he didn’t really rid himself of the eye forever and if the eye was a symbol for his craziness, then he didn’t rid himself of his craziness either.
3. The irony is that the narrator is trying to prove that he is not crazy, continually repeating to himself that he is not, but in the end he reveals to himself and the reader that he is in fact crazy. Also that the entire story he is trying to rid himself of the eye, but in his mind he didn’t, because the old man’s heart was still beating. Since the heart is what makes him turn himself in, it can be said that the heart is telling on him or giving him away, I think this is the reason for the title.
(FINAL)
ReplyDelete1. It depends how you look at it, if the protagonist is the narrator, then the evil eye would be the villain, however if the old man is the protagonist, the narrator is the villain. In my opinion, the villain is the evil eye because it torments the protagonist throughout the story and in the end the eye "wins" by making the narrator turn him self in (some examples of components of gothic literature). “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this!...... Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold”(paragraph 2). The eye also displays the narrator's repressed feelings, which is that he is crazy. In the beginning the protagonist says things like “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.”(Paragraph 1) Showing that he really thinks that he is not crazy or that he is fighting the fact that he is crazy. At the end of the story, he keeps repeating how the old man’s heart is still beating, even though he chopped him up and hid him under the floorboards, showing that he is crazy. Another option is that the villain is the police, because the protagonist literally calls them “villains” in the text. It seems as though he thinks the police knows that he killed the old man and that’s why they stick around for such a long time.
2. It seems that his guilt takes over him when he turns him self in, another thought is that he was hearing his own heart beat and not the old man's. I think that he also felt that the eye could see through him; it was the only thing that knew he was really crazy and that’s why he wanted to rid himself of it. When he heard the heart beat, it showed that the old man wasn’t dead, thus he didn’t really rid himself of the eye forever and if the eye was a symbol for his craziness, then he didn’t rid himself of his craziness either. The police could also be a reason he confesses. “They heard! they suspected! they KNEW! they were making a mockery of my horror! this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now again hark! louder! louder! louder! LOUDER! "Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed!”(Paragraphs 17 & 18). Another reason he could have confessed was that he believed that the old man was still alive because his hear was beating and he wanted to escape it, even if it meant going to jail or an asylum.
3. The irony is that the narrator is trying to prove that he is not crazy, continually repeating that he is not, but in the end he reveals to himself and the reader that he is in fact crazy. Also that the entire story he is trying to rid himself of the eye, but in his mind he didn’t because the man’s heart was still beating. Since the heart is what makes him turn himself in, it can be said that the heart is telling on him or giving him away, I think this is the reason for the title. (same)
1. It depends how you look at it, if the protagonist is the narrator, then the evil eye would be the villain, however if the old man is the protagonist, the narrator is the villain. In my opinion, the villain is the evil eye because it torments the protagonist throughout the story and in the end the eye "wins" by making the narrator turn him self in (some examples of components of gothic literature). “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this!...... Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold”(paragraph 2). The eye also displays the narrator's repressed feelings, which is that he is crazy. In the beginning the protagonist says things like “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.”(Paragraph 1) Showing that he really thinks that he is not crazy or that he is fighting the fact that he is crazy. At the end of the story, he keeps repeating how the old man’s heart is still beating, even though he chopped him up and hid him under the floorboards, showing that he is crazy. Another option is that the villain is the police, because the protagonist literally calls them “villains” in the text. It seems as though he thinks the police knows that he killed the old man and that’s why they stick around for such a long time.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that his guilt takes over him when he turns him self in, another thought is that he was hearing his own heart beat and not the old man's. I think that he also felt that the eye could see through him; it was the only thing that knew he was really crazy and that’s why he wanted to rid himself of it. When he heard the heart beat, it showed that the old man wasn’t dead, thus he didn’t really rid himself of the eye forever and if the eye was a symbol for his craziness, then he didn’t rid himself of his craziness either. The police could also be a reason he confesses. “They heard! they suspected! they KNEW! they were making a mockery of my horror! this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now again hark! louder! louder! louder! LOUDER! "Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed!”(Paragraphs 17 & 18). Another reason he could have confessed was that he believed that the old man was still alive because his hear was beating and he wanted to escape it, even if it meant going to jail or an asylum.
3. (same)
FINAL
ReplyDelete1. It depends how you look at it, if the protagonist is the narrator, then the evil eye would be the villain, however if the old man is the protagonist, the narrator is the villain. In my opinion, the villain is the evil eye because it torments the protagonist throughout the story and in the end the eye "wins" by making the narrator turn him self in (some examples of components of gothic literature). “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this!...... Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold”(paragraph 2). The eye also displays the narrator's repressed feelings, which is that he is crazy. In the beginning the protagonist says things like “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.”(Paragraph 1) Showing that he really thinks that he is not crazy or that he is fighting the fact that he is crazy. At the end of the story, he keeps repeating how the old man’s heart is still beating, even though he chopped him up and hid him under the floorboards, showing that he is crazy. Another option is that the villain is the police, because the protagonist literally calls them “villains” in the text. It seems as though he thinks the police knows that he killed the old man and that’s why they stick around for such a long time.
(FINAL)
ReplyDelete2. It seems that his guilt takes over him when he turns him self in, another thought is that he was hearing his own heart beat and not the old man's. I think that he also felt that the eye could see through him; it was the only thing that knew he was really crazy and that’s why he wanted to rid himself of it. When he heard the heart beat, it showed that the old man wasn’t dead, thus he didn’t really rid himself of the eye forever and if the eye was a symbol for his craziness, then he didn’t rid himself of his craziness either. The police could also be a reason he confesses. “They heard! they suspected! they KNEW! they were making a mockery of my horror! this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now again hark! louder! louder! louder! LOUDER! "Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed!”(Paragraphs 17 & 18). Another reason he could have confessed was that he believed that the old man was still alive because his hear was beating and he wanted to escape it, even if it meant going to jail or an asylum.
3. SAME