I Became Insane, With Long Intervals Of Horrible Sanity Essay

I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity. ― Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe is an American poet well-known for his eerie and gothic based themes. In fact, his tales of mystery and horror were the first to give rise to detective stories. In his short story, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† (1843), Poe invites us to experience a sinister and mystifying murder through the mind of the murderer, the narrator himself. This self-narrated tale takes place in a house that the narrator shares with an old man. The story’s focal characters are the narrator and the old man, both of whom are left nameless. It is probable that the narrator is telling the story from either prison or an insane asylum. He tries to justify his sanity; however, his actions prove otherwise. This tale revolves around the narrator s passion to kill the old man because of his â€Å"evil eye† and the obsessed mind of the narrator who hears the beating of the dead man’s heart—solely within his own tortured imagination which causes the reader to question if the narrator is mentally sane or not. By analyzing how Poe’s early life influenced his work, I will demonstrate how Poe’s story engages readers with two widely occurring, but rarely explored elements of human experiences: a guilty conscience and the descent into madness. He takes his inner emotions to the extreme through his work and portrays the message that a guilty conscience will drive you insane. I will be analyzing how Poe’s early influences affect theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s I Became Insane, With Long Intervals Of Horrible Sanity 1497 Words   |  6 PagesAs stated by Edgar Allen Poe, a prominent gothic author, â€Å"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity† (Poe). Gothic authors were known for writing about insanity, but also becoming insane themselves. Poe was one of the authors that were known for becoming insane after writing about it for so long. Gothic period authors use terror and horror throughout nove ls, as well. Gothic literature was written in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. American Gothicism adapted the writingRead MorePoe Essay809 Words   |  4 PagesEdgar Allan Poe said â€Å"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.† Throughout his short stories; â€Å"The Black Cat† and â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, Poe sets up his characters to subconsciously reveal their insanity. Often using syntax clues and patterns, Poe shows the madness of the narrators of his short stories. The constant theme of denial of insanity further convinces the reader of the character’s psychosis. Characters themselves often prove they are not in touch with reality through theirRead MoreEssay On The Tell Tale Heart815 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity†. A quote from one of Edgar Allan Poe’s more famous stories The Tell Tale Heart. Edgar Allan Poe’s writing is still famous to t his day. Not only his writing but his life. He is known for having a difficult life and writing about it in a not so obvious way. Through all his poems and short stories there are little hints everywhere that relate to his life. Depression, insanity and Tuberculosis were all common topics from Poe’s writing that relatedRead MoreThe Tell-Tale Heart Confession593 Words   |  2 Pageshis deceased corrs. The narrator confessed his crime for three reasons which were: he was insane, he could not deal with the heartbeat, and he wanted to noise to go away. The first reason for the narrators confession was insane. Edgar Allan Poe quotes â€Å"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity†(Poe). Poe means by this quote that things that he saw in the world while he was not crazy mad him insane. After the police came into the the narrators master’s, the narrator began chatting withRead MoreThe Shining, By Stephen King And Directed By Stanley Kubrick1299 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"I became insane, with the long intervals of horrible sanity†, Edgar Allan Poe. Madness is characterized by â€Å"the state of being mentally ill†, otherwise known as insanity. Twisted Fate, written by Norah Olson, and the book/movie The Shining, written by Stephen King and directed by Stanley Kubrick, are both examples of how the main characters fall into madness. The word sane is derived from sanus, which is a Latin adjective, meaning healthy. Therefore, insane would be classified as not healthy. ThereRead MoreThe Influence of Alcohol and Drugs in Edgar Allen Poe Life Essay991 Words   |  4 PagesThe influence of alcohol and drugs in Edgar Allan Poe’s life â€Å"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dreamed before† (Edgar Allan Poe). Darkness and sadness are strong characteristics of Edgar Allan Poe’s writing. The tragedies during his life, such as the death of his biological and adoptive moms, followed by the death of his young wife Virginia were important factors which formed his gothic style. Poe is known forRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s Life Filled With Sorrow And Pain892 Words   |  4 PagesFrances Allan, although never actually adopted him. John Allan moved his family to Britain in 1815 where Poe attended grammar (elementary) school in Irvine Scotland. He then attended boarding school until 1817(Wiki). After school, Poe proposed and became engaged to his fiancà © Sarah Royster. He then decided to attend the University of Virginia. Poe began gambling and acquired great debt. He fell out of touch with Sarah and this spurred on his addiction more. Eventually Poe ran out of money. He askedRead MoreUniversity Of Virginia Dismissal Essay1212 Words   |  5 Pagesthese debts–debts caused by his lack of generosity! I was forced to borrow money from merchants to pay for my schooling! I was left with no other choice but to gamble in order to pay it back! I had no other means to pay it back. He refuses to help me pay back this debt because I had gambled, but it was he who caused me to go such great lengths! He will not allow me to continue studying here. I will return to Richmond, what I will be doing there, I do not know. -Edgar https://www.shmoop.com/poe/timelineRead MoreThe Dark Side of Writing: Edagar Allan Poe and Stephen King Essay1478 Words   |  6 Pages Which Virginia at first was Edgar’s delivery woman of letters to love interests but then Virginia became Edgar’s love interest. According to Poe Museum’s website, Poe took Virginia and Aunt Maria Clemm to Richmond, Virginia, Edgar Allan Poe’s childhood hometown. This is where Poe decided to marry Virginia when she was only thirteen years old and Poe was twenty seven. Sadly, Poe did not have a long relationship with Virginia. Virginia was only twenty five years old. When Virginia died, Poe was veryRead More Journal Analyzing the Byronic Hero and Lord Byron’s Writing Styles3002 Words   |  13 Pageswith less of gloom†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Byron,C.H.211). He also represses his passions creating an unrequited obsession when, â€Å"He bids to sober joy that here sojourns: nought interrupts the riot, though in lieu of true devotion monkish incense burns†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"had buried long his hopes, no more to rise: pleasure’s pall’d victim! Life-abhorring gloom.†(Byron,C.H. 193) In these remarks, the Hero prefers to bask in sorrow for a love lost or never attained than to pursue the object of his desire. The Byronic Hero prides