Exploring Foreshadowing and Flashback in "The Tell-Tale Heart"
Does “The Tell-Tale Heart” contain any examples of parallel episodes, foreshadowing, or flashback?
The entire story of "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a flashback.
Explanation:
The Tell-Tale Heart is a story which speaks about guilt and innocence. The theme of the story mostly revolves around these two themes only. In the story, the fast beating heart of the narrator is the symbol that reminds the narrator of guilt and how he was not innocent and the bad deed that he has done in his life.
The entire story is a flashback and consists of events that have happened in the past with the narrator.
Question:
“The Tell-Tale Heart” contains foreshadowing and flashback. Can you provide examples of both from the story?
Answer:
“The Tell-Tale Heart” contains foreshadowing and flashback. Foreshadowing means hinting at an event that will happen later in the story. The following excerpt from Poe’s story suggests that the narrator will kill the old man later on in the story:
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. 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! He had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell 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, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
“The Tell-Tale Heart” also uses flashback. In a flashback, a character recalls and retells a past event in detail. The following example from Poe’s story signals to readers that the narrator is about to retell a past event:
How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.
Explanation:
Exact PLATO answer so put it in your own words