The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe, is a short story about a man who kills an older man because of his "Evil Eye", then brags about his 'sanity'. He says he is completely sane because of his careful actions and thorough disposal of the body; this could definitely spark controversy. Was he legitimately insane? Sane? Was he hallucinating the whole thing? Is it a dream?
It's interesting how the narrator says that the old man has never wronged him before the story takes place. This poses the question: "Is it really that necessary to kill someone because of their eye?" (Well, things that annoy you enough COULD make you want to do something about it...) But I'm not saying that killing him was the right thing to do. Also, the killer waits eight days until he takes action, signifying that he might have had some form of conscience, but when the old man wakes up and our killer sees the eye, it puts him over the top and he loses control.
Ok, so in the text Mr. McCarthy gave us, the part where the storyteller dismembers the body is cut out. This is HUGE because it tells us a whole bunch about him, that he would take his time out to cut off the head and limbs of the old man.
The next morning, the killer "hears" (or hallucinates) a beating heart, forcing him to confess to the police (I think out of guilt).
According to wikipedia.com and other superstitions, death watch beetles bang their heads against a wall to make a sound similar to a heartbeat when death is near.
"I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening;—just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall."
May 14, 2011
May 2, 2011
A Possiblly Disappointing Story
A mild September wind blew over Chicago. The air was cool and crisp. The afternoon sun's life was dwindling. Four sixteen year-olds wandered through the Marquette Park playground looking for anything to occupy their time.
"So... whaddya guys wanna do?" questioned Sam. He was tall, peachy in complexion, and had deep blue eyes.
"I don't know, something. If you haven't noticed, tomorrow's the last day of summer vacation." snapped Lewis, an African American with caramel skin. He was stocky in figure from two years of playing football.
"I can't believe it's almost the last day already." Lyle said. "It went by WAY too fast. It's ridiculous."
The fourth teenager, Rainn, was Lyle's twin sister. They looked similar; both were slender in figure and bore emerald eyes, and both acted similar; Lyle was a boy version of Rainn and Rainn was a girl version of Lyle.
As the rest of the sun hid behind the horizon, and the streetlights began to light up, the gang of teenagers spotted a woman quickly walking down the sidewalk. She looked as if she were out of breath. At the corner from which she came, a suspicious man now revealed himself from behind the building. He appeared to be chasing her...
The teenagers knew the man was up to no good. As the four students continued to watch the stranger, he moved in closer on the woman. Common sense told Sam to call the police. *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* Busy. He tried again. *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* Busy again.
“Typical Chicago…” he thought. “Nothing,” he said aloud.
“What should we do? Just forget it or… what?” asked Rainn.
“Nah, can’t let that happen” Lewis said, sounding heroic. “Let’s go see what he’s up to. Rainn, you go talk to the lady. We’ll confront this creep… He walked off towards the man and the lady, and the rest of us reluctantly followed.
Rainn approached the woman cautiously. “Ma’am? Are you alright?”
“Just gotta get away…” she mumbled.
“Is he causing you trouble?”
Her answer stunned Rainn and even made her laugh.
Meanwhile, the guys closed in on the ‘creep’ and Sam asked,
“Sir?” Ignore. “Sir!” he tried again.
“What? What do you want, kid?”
“May I ask what you are doing?”
“Tryin’ to catch this lady…” he said.
“And why?”
“Gotta ask her a question.”
“Something’s wrong,” Lyle told his friends. It was the twin telepathy thing. Having been walking backwards, he turned around and saw his twin sister flailing both of her arms at him, as if it was some kind of signal.
“Keep an eye on this guy,” he said as he changed direction. He ran up to talk to converse with his sister.
Moments later, he, Rainn and the woman returned. Lyle bore a stupid look on his face and asked the man,
“Uh… hehe… so what was the question you were gonna ask?”
“I was going to ask… ” he started with a deep, gruff voice. “Would you like to buy some cookies to help my daughter’s school pay for new sports equipment?” His voice lightened up to relieve the tension. He pulled out a booklet with all kinds of delicious goodies on it. Sam and Lewis stood with jaws on the floor.
“I told you we shouldn’t have done anything,” bragged Rainn.
“Yeah… see, sir, we thought you were gonna do something bad to this woman.” Lewis said, regretfully.
“Oh, I would never!” he exclaimed. “So, ma’am,” he continued, “would you like to buy something?” he questioned.
“No, thank you.” she said politely.
“Thank you for your time.” the man responded. The complete strangers walked opposite ways.
“Well, this has been an absolute misfire.” Sam commented.
“Well, at least the police didn’t answer…” Lyle said as the last streetlight illuminated on the busy Chicago street.
"So... whaddya guys wanna do?" questioned Sam. He was tall, peachy in complexion, and had deep blue eyes.
"I don't know, something. If you haven't noticed, tomorrow's the last day of summer vacation." snapped Lewis, an African American with caramel skin. He was stocky in figure from two years of playing football.
"I can't believe it's almost the last day already." Lyle said. "It went by WAY too fast. It's ridiculous."
The fourth teenager, Rainn, was Lyle's twin sister. They looked similar; both were slender in figure and bore emerald eyes, and both acted similar; Lyle was a boy version of Rainn and Rainn was a girl version of Lyle.
As the rest of the sun hid behind the horizon, and the streetlights began to light up, the gang of teenagers spotted a woman quickly walking down the sidewalk. She looked as if she were out of breath. At the corner from which she came, a suspicious man now revealed himself from behind the building. He appeared to be chasing her...
The teenagers knew the man was up to no good. As the four students continued to watch the stranger, he moved in closer on the woman. Common sense told Sam to call the police. *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* Busy. He tried again. *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* Busy again.
“Typical Chicago…” he thought. “Nothing,” he said aloud.
“What should we do? Just forget it or… what?” asked Rainn.
“Nah, can’t let that happen” Lewis said, sounding heroic. “Let’s go see what he’s up to. Rainn, you go talk to the lady. We’ll confront this creep… He walked off towards the man and the lady, and the rest of us reluctantly followed.
Rainn approached the woman cautiously. “Ma’am? Are you alright?”
“Just gotta get away…” she mumbled.
“Is he causing you trouble?”
Her answer stunned Rainn and even made her laugh.
Meanwhile, the guys closed in on the ‘creep’ and Sam asked,
“Sir?” Ignore. “Sir!” he tried again.
“What? What do you want, kid?”
“May I ask what you are doing?”
“Tryin’ to catch this lady…” he said.
“And why?”
“Gotta ask her a question.”
“Something’s wrong,” Lyle told his friends. It was the twin telepathy thing. Having been walking backwards, he turned around and saw his twin sister flailing both of her arms at him, as if it was some kind of signal.
“Keep an eye on this guy,” he said as he changed direction. He ran up to talk to converse with his sister.
Moments later, he, Rainn and the woman returned. Lyle bore a stupid look on his face and asked the man,
“Uh… hehe… so what was the question you were gonna ask?”
“I was going to ask… ” he started with a deep, gruff voice. “Would you like to buy some cookies to help my daughter’s school pay for new sports equipment?” His voice lightened up to relieve the tension. He pulled out a booklet with all kinds of delicious goodies on it. Sam and Lewis stood with jaws on the floor.
“I told you we shouldn’t have done anything,” bragged Rainn.
“Yeah… see, sir, we thought you were gonna do something bad to this woman.” Lewis said, regretfully.
“Oh, I would never!” he exclaimed. “So, ma’am,” he continued, “would you like to buy something?” he questioned.
“No, thank you.” she said politely.
“Thank you for your time.” the man responded. The complete strangers walked opposite ways.
“Well, this has been an absolute misfire.” Sam commented.
“Well, at least the police didn’t answer…” Lyle said as the last streetlight illuminated on the busy Chicago street.
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