2.4: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"

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Directions

Here, you will find the "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, a Video Lecture on the text, and a Video Lecture

The essay is is a ..docx file. I recommend either saving to your drive for future use. Otherwise, you will not have the file to look at later. Either way, you should taking notes on the digital copy on your computer, or taking notes on the story on a separate piece of paper.

Author's Bio:

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Within a year, his alcoholic father deserted his mother and three infant children. When his mother died of tuberculosis in Richmond, Virginia, three-year-old Edgar was adopted by John Allan and his wife. Allan, a prosperous businessperson, spent time in England, where Poe began his education at private schools.

Back in the United States, Allan forced Poe to leave the University of Virginia in 1826 when Poe incurred gambling debts he could not pay. He served in the U.S. Army from 1827 to 1829, eventually attaining the rank of sergeant major. Poe next attended West Point, hoping for further military advancement.

Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Allan died of tuberculosis. Poe angrily confronted his foster father about his extramarital affairs; for this candour, he was disowned. Believing that Allan would never reinstate him as heir, Poe deliberately violated rules to provoke his dismissal from the Academy. In 1835, Poe began his career as editor, columnist, and reviewer, earning a living he could not make as a writer of stories and poems. That same year, he married his thirteen-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm, and lived with her and her mother during a period marked by illness and poverty. Virginia died of tuberculosis in 1847. Poe died, delirious, under mysterious circumstances, in 1849.

He perfected the Gothic horror story with “The Fall of the House of Usher” and originated the modern detective story in “The Gold-Bug” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”

While reading the story, keep these questions/ideas in mind:

While reading this story, please pay close attention to the author's use of mystery or enigma.
Do you see enigma being used?
What kinds of enigma are being used?
Does it enhance/detract from your enjoyment of the text?
What about the story do you like?
What about the story do you dislike?

Essay Topic

As a reminder, your essay topic is: "Does the use of enigma enhance or detract from your enjoyment of a text?"

“The Tell-Tale Heart” By Edgar Allan Poe .docx

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Lecture-Rhetoric- "The Tell-Tale Heart" 00:04:39