Question 2: Edgar Allan Poe lived a very different childhood then most. "Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to parents who were itinerant actors" (Par. 2). After his mother died and his father left him, Poe was adopted by a family in Richmond. The influence and the lifestyle change that Poe encountered, changed his life over the course of time with intense experiences and a lot of death. When Poe was adopted he virtually lost his siblings and the lifestyle he had so far been raised in. Poe never experienced a true father son relationship and was forced to find happiness other places. Poe married his cousin whom which he loved very much. She died of tuberculosis and Poe faced dark life until his death at the age of 40.
In Tell Tale-Heart, Poe brings out the skeletons in his closet. He makes the reader feel what he had become acclimated to, death. The main theme is death, Poe was surrounded by it and he illustrates that in this piece. Poe experienced all kinds of death growing up, and even in adult hood, it is shown throughout Tell Tale-Heart. My perception of this piece is that Poe has found a way to tell his audience that death is a normal part of life. As the author, he makes the reader feel like it is ok to die, death is a part of life. I believe that Poe is the only author that can make murder comforting. Poe's life was filed with death, and in Tell Tale-Heart, Poe makes that clear.
Question 4: I chose the critical article Tell Tale-Heart. After reading this article my whole perspective on the story changed. The sexual references used in the article I tend to disagree with. This sexually charged language continues as the narrator describes the ritual that preceded the murder: "And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head [ ... ] I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in!" (303). The author is trying to connect the old man and the narrator sexual, and there is no evidence to support this insinuation. Yes the narrator alludes to loving the old man, but there is nothing to "sexually" back that up. As for what the narrator is feeling I agree. The anger and distance the narrator feels towards the old man is built up. I also disagree with the author that the narrator in fact is bipolar and can't control some of the emotions that are felt. Bipolar is a condition of which there is no control, and to me it seemed very pre meditated and thought out to be done with a bipolar condition. There are some things I agree with in this article and some things I disagree with, but overall it is a very insightful piece that I enjoyed reading.
For Question #2, I also think that the lack of a true father figure who would show love and establish a relationship with him contributed to his overall feeling of dispair. I think that most all of the male characters in his stories and poems are negative role models, which gives one insight to what his thoughts are about his own experiences with his step father.
ReplyDeleteFor Question #4, I agree with you on the first point you made about the sexual references, which are alleged by the author. I do not see any evidence that this is a sexual reference, other than the words themselves could be taken out of context to establish this way of thinking. However, I must say that I can see how one could formulate this theory based on the complexities of Poe's story, since there are probably many factors that contribute, some of which may never be discovered.