The Tell-Tale Heart story:

The Suspicious Person

There would always be difficult to make a movie right the same as a written story. This is because there is too much detailed that happened on a written story that would take several hours to watch the movie. People might only sit for a movie that can last at least 2 hours. So that is why on movies we only see the general things that the book provides. An example can be the story of “The Tell Heart Tale” which is a very interesting story to read because what happened to the main character you would not see it in these days but in the past you could have seen that many people would have killed others because of anxiety. I say that these things could have just happened in the past because people might have been different in the way that people would have acted nervous because of terror like what happened to the narrator on the story that says:

“Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief --oh, no! --it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me.” (Allan Poe)

If we compare this part from the story we can see that in the movie the narrator thing was not feeling terror by anything, the narrator seem to look very calm waiting for the owner to sleep and ready to kill him.

The movie I have watch, which is “Tell Heart Tale” it is not too much detailed like how the written story describes it but it has the same general information that happens on book. Like the narrator is nervous about the white eye, which the owner can’t see, that the narrator comes every midnight to the room on check on how he is. Going more into detail we also can see that in the book it says that the neighbors heard that there was someone shouting so they called the police. On the movie it happens the same thing, which the police came in and start looking for investigations. So giving a brief description on comparing the scene and the story is that both have the same similar parts which appear on the book and on the scene. Like how the police discover that the narrator has kill someone was by just asking question right in that moment the narrator got freeze and started putting nervous because he still could hear the beat from the heart which every time was getting higher. 

In my opinion I can say that the narrator did not a good job as he should, I say that I don’t like how he acted because for me it doesn’t look that he has the passion as the narrator from the book explain exactly what was happening in each moment. I say that I can compare that in the movie the person playing the narrator seem always calm in which in the book the narrator was seem for me that he looks always nervous of terror every time he was going to check the owner.  I did imagine that the movie was going to be like it but I didn’t like it much because for me it was kind of slow there were parts in which it seem nothing serious was happening and also there was a mistaken that in the movie there were just two officers and in the story the narrator says : 

“There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the premises.” ( Allan Poe) 

I did like the story and I would recommend it to other people. I think the movie has a couple of errors but overall the context of the movie is very good. But I think I would prefer to recommend more the story because it has more details on it than in the movie.

 

The story was written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1843

http://mariamjaustine.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/edgar-allan-poe-the-tell-tale-heart-2.jpg   

Anticipation, Fear, and Death: A Critique of "The Tell-Tale Heart"

Madeline Nagel

Gothic Literature

Blog 4, Option #5

10/16/13

In his short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”, Edgar Allen Poe takes the reader inside the mind of a man, whom some would argue as crazy, and his quest to kill the old man who lives with him. I was honestly a little disturbed while reading this story, for although it isn’t lengthy, Poe is able to quickly create a sense of suspense, fear, and death through the personification of the old man’s “vulture eye” (Poe). Even though I was somewhat frightened while reading this story, I would rate it a 4 out of 5: Poe creates a story that quickly captivates the reader’s attention and effectively employs gothic tropes. However, he does make the narrator rather difficult to trust or believe because of his mental state.

Poe’s short story successfully utilizes several gothic tropes in order to contribute to the story’s overall gothic nature. As we have seen in several other previous texts including Poe’s “The Black Cat”, the unreliable narrator is once again one of the dominant tropes of this story. In the beginning, the narrator claims to have a disease that “sharpened his senses” (Poe), which was the reason he killed this old man. He attempts to justify himself and his actions throughout the story, blaming it on this “dreadfully nervous” (Poe) disease. The narrator says the old man has never caused him trouble, it was only his eye: 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!” (Poe). This statement in and of itself is enough reason to question the narrator’s reliability and mental state. He claims to love and then kills. One could argue that revenge is what also drives the narrator’s actions, as he attempts to destroy this eye that has disturbed him so. 

 Additionally, I was impressed by how Poe was able to incorporate the sublime into this story by personifying the old man’s eye. When one thinks of a human eye, one does not immediately picture something frightening or intimidating. However, the narrator describes how the old man “had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold” (Poe). By utilizing this trope, Poe is able to exert a more powerful effect on the reader, ultimately creating a disturbing image. One could also argue that the narrator does not view this old man as a whole being; his eye is evil and he wants it dead, thus the eye and man are two separate beings. This eye also contributes to the sense of mystery and dread that the reader experiences throughout the story. It is very eerie, yet engaging, causing one to anticipate what will happen.

Poe’s way of describing sound in the climax of the story contributes to the anticipation the readers have built, and is ultimately a vehicle for revealing the overall mood of this short story. The narrator starts to repeat words and phrases as the noise of the beating heart steadily escalates: “It grew louder --louder --louder!...I felt that I must scream or die! and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!” (Poe). I think Poe did an excellent job of utilizing specific motifs, personifying objects, and creating graphic images in order to effectively convey mystery, anticipation, and dread throughout this story. As a reader, I was able to vividly image what was happening in the story, because Poe so effectively employed these gothic tropes. This semester has really expanded my genre of reading…I typically do not first reach for the gothic, disturbing stories; however, it is interesting to see how authors are able to incorporate different elements to reveal their mood and intentions. I definitely enjoy Edgar Allen Poe out of all the authors we have been studying this semester! I would recommend this story to others, and I hope to read more of his works in the future!

Poe, Edgar Allen. “The Tell-Tale Heart”. (PDF doc) 

Replacement

Menglu Cai

Blog #4

Option  5

10/15/2013

Intro to Fiction 045

“Replacement” by Lisa Tuttle can be both good and bad. It talks about Stuart Holder finds a lot women has the  creature which he find it scary. From a gothic literature perspective, it is not scary at all.  This is why it is not good.  Unless people who has the same experience as Stuart does, it is really hard for people to think about the creature to be scary, because we know it is not real.  In the story, it describes the creature as : “ the size of a cat, naked looking, with leathery, hairless skin and thin, spiky libs that seemed too frail to support the bulbous, ill-proportioned body…(Tuttle 460)” From my personal perspective, the creature is ugly indeed and sympathy rather than scary. It is the creature that I would as far as I could, instead of stepping on and try to kill it. From this point, I cannot find any common.

                  From the description of the creature, it is really easy for people to think of it as a pet or a baby. When Stuart’s wife-Jenny describes: then I realized how helpless it was. It needed me. It can’t help how it looks. Anyway doesn’t it kind of remind you of the Psammead(Tuttle 464).” Lisa Tuttle was trying to create the uncanny tropes from this. A thing looks or feels familiar with, but not exactly the same.  The creature drinks her blood likes a vampire, but none of the pet and baby does. It is not a good guide for people to feel how scare it is.  In gothic literature, scar is something you know but different. For example, in “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson, it is scary somehow because it is a uncanny scene for the kids. The kids are supposed to be pure and innocent. But in the story, Merricat killed her family when she was 12, and she didn’t feel guilty about it. The description about a kid-Merricat is different from what we know. Then we can think about how scary it is if a kid goes evil. However, in “Replacement” , it is hard to find that clue to guide you to believe and fail in love with this story.

                  On the other hand, the theme for this story is good. It talks about the women’s independence, which makes the men-Stuart nervous. Different than in old times, women, nowadays, is really independent. They become the breadwinner for the family. Women play a large role in the society. They are not the subordinates of the men anymore. Rather, they are the men’s good assistants. For example, Hillary Clinton plays a large role for his husband Bill Clifton when he was a president. She provided strong supported for him. However, Hilary, herself is also quite a figure in her whole political life. There are times, men always think women should be at home and take care the family. However, it is not the case right now. That is why Stuart gets uncomfortable when his wife does not drive him to work. Men sometimes take the women’s kindness as granted. When men loss the women’s care, they miss them.

                  I cannot say “Replacement” is a fun to read, but the theme it presents is important. I do not understand the scare brought by the creature, because since the beginning, it is hard for me to believe that it is real, or really get into the story. However, the information about women’s independence from men is very important.

 

Tuttle, Lisa. “Replacement”.  American Gothic Tales. Ed. Joyce Carol Oates. New York: Plume, 1996. 460-474. Print.  

Comparing "The Tell-Tale Heart"

Jordan Miller

Option 1            

             In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allen Poe describes a twisted and intriguing narrator.  This short story has been recreated into several short films, including one we watched in class created by Stephanie Sinclaire.  Although Sinclaire creatively reconstructs this short story into a film, there are inconsistencies that exist between the film and the short story.

            The film begins differently than the short story, with the narrator standing in a jail cell.  As his hands and feet are shackled to the cell, he begins by claiming, “I can’t recall how the idea entered my mind” (The Tell-Tale Heart).  This is different than that of the short story; however, the jail scene in the film serves as a perfect transition into the rest of Sinclaire’s portrayal of Poe’s story.  From the jail cell, the next scene immediately shows the old man with the vulture eye.  The eye looks almost exactly as the narrator in the short story describes it; however, it does not appear to be “pale blue” (Poe 1).  Instead, the man’s eye is appears completely white.  Despite this difference in portrayal, the narrator’s use of various direct quotes from the story serves the film in a positive way.  For example, he explains, “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him” (Poe 1).  From here, the film progresses rather quickly, unlike the short story.  This is evident in the way the narrator in the short story explains creeping into the old man’s room, compared to the way it was portrayed in the film.

            In the story, the narrator describes the seven nights that led up to the eighth night of the killing in a detailed manner.  On the eighth night, the narrator states that he “finally felt the extent of [his] own powers” (Poe 1).  The process of entering the old man’s room seemed to be tedious; as the narrator in the story states, “for a whole hour I did not move a muscle” (Poe 1).  However, in the film the narrator abruptly walks inside and stands over the old man.  This is one specific part that I feel hinders the film.  If this scene in the film were more similar to the story, the suspense would have had more time to build and the story would have been more exciting. 

            Another difference between the story and the film is how the narrator uses of the lantern.  In the story, the narrator explains how he “resolved to open a little—a very, very little crevice in the lantern” that “fell upon the vulture’s eye” (Poe 2).  In the film, the narrator holds the lantern close to the old man’s face; he does not seem to dwell on the old man’s eye as much as the narrator does in the story.  Another difference between the film and the story is how the narrator kills the old man, and how he disposes of the body. 

In the story, the narrator makes it clear that he “pulled the heavy bed over [the old man]” to end his life (Poe 2).  After this, the narrator “placed [his] hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes.  There was no pulsation. He was stone dead…[and] would trouble me no more” (Poe 2).  In the film, the narrator simply jumps on top of the old man and strangles him to death with his hands.  Instead of feeling the man’s heart afterward, the film shows the narrator disposing of the man’s body.  In the story, the narrator “dismembered the corpse” (Poe 2).  But in the movie, the narrator buried the body in one piece.  These scenes comprise significant differences between the story and the film.    

The importance of these changes between the film and the story is that the film lacks complete development.  If the plot of the film were more developed, and if it had followed the story, it would have been more interesting and accurate. 

           

Poe, Edgar A. “The Tell-Tale Heart.” 1843. 1-3. Print.

The Tell-Tale Heart. Dir. Stephanie Sinclaire. Dragonfly Films Ltd and Silk Road Productions,

2004. Film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpEIMERxgi4

We Have Always Lived In The Castle Soundtrack

Blog Option #2

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a novel written by Shirley Jackson that tells the story of the Blackwood family. Merricat, who tells the story, is the troubled younger sister of Constance, who was accused of murdering several of her family members by poisoning them. We later find out that it was in face Merricat who poisoned the family members. Their lives after the murders are very sheltered and closed off to the outside world and I have created a playlist of songs that I think are relevant to their lives and some of the ways the characters feel in the story.

1.       Goo Goo Dolls- Iris

Some of the lyrics to this song are “…and I don’t want the world to see me, ‘cause I don’t think that they’d understand.” I feel like this may describe the way that Constance feels because for some part of the story she is afraid to be around others from the outside world since they think she is a murderer and they would all be cruel to her.

2.       Bette Midler- I Put A Spell On You

“I put a spell on you and now you're gone. (gone gone gone so long!)” In the story, Merricat isn’t very fond of their cousin Charles who comes to visit because he likes to pick on her and her uncle Julian. A few different times in the story she comes up with different little spells that she thinks will get rid of Charles so I felt like this song reflects some of Merricats actions in the novel.

3.       Bloodhound Gang- The Roof Is On Fire

The main lyrics in the chorus of this song are “The roof the roof the roof is on fire…” I feel like this song fits really well because it reminds me of the scene where cousin Charles pipe catches the house on fire and some of the house, including the roof burns.

4.       Adele- Set Fire To The Rain

“'Cause there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew, all the things you'd say, they were never true, never true…” although this is a song about love, it makes me think about cousin Charles and Constance’s relationship because Constance starts to develop a close relationship with Charles but then once the fire starts, we see Charles’ real motives for coming to visit when he tries to get money from the family. Once Constance realizes that, she no longer likes Charles and their relationship is basically over after that.

5.       Linkin Park- Somewhere I Belong

The lyrics “Looking everywhere only to find, that it’s not the way I had imagined it all in my mind (so what am I), what do I have but negativity? ’cause I can’t justify the way, everyone is looking at me…” describe in my opinion the way that Constance feels because of how everyone treats her in the town. Everyone talks about her because they think she is a murderer so she feels alone and isolated from everyone besides her family.  

Jackson, Shirley. We Have Always Lived In The Castle. New York: Viking, 1962. 100. Print.

quiet soundtrack

"The Reach" Soundtrack 

“The Reach,” a short story by Stephen King, is a fascinating story of an old woman braving the deathly cold weathers to follow her deceased husband, perhaps into the afterlife. If I were to create a soundtrack to this short story, it would be composed of songs from three of my favorite artists: The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, and Of Monsters and Men.

The following are my choices for an exquisite and beautiful soundtrack that I feel follows well with the themes throughout the short story.

1.     The Lumineers – Stubborn Love

Stubborn Love is a beautiful rendition of the strength of love and the fight sometimes necessary at times. I feel this can relate to the fight that Stella Flandders puts up in order to pursue the calling of her deceased husband. Additionally, the lines of cold weather play perfectly well with the weather themes running throughout the short story.

2.     The Lumineers – Slow It Down

Slow It Down is one my favorite songs and I think in a way, we can see Stella’s perseverance in the lyrics of this song. I feel like this song would be perfectly played as she is leaving the house, bundled up in her many layers, and moving on into the winter cold.

3.     Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks

Little Talks, although a much faster beat, touches on those topics of death and what is to come after, which is a maim theme throughout the short story. One of the most moving lines for me is “soon it will be over and buried with our past, we used to play outside when we were young and full of life, and full of love…though the truth may vary, this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore.” Although the death of Stella Flandders was a sad death, I think it could also be rejoiced, and her life should be celebrated – complimented well with this song.

4.     Mumford  & Sons  - Awake My Soul

“In these bodies we will live and in these bodies we will die,

and where you invest your love, you invest your life….awake my soul.”

The romantic lines in this song I feel perfectly show the struggle of Stella through the woods, searching for her husband…"Do You Love?"

5.     Mumford & Sons – After the Storm

Just as the storm takes hold of Stella,  After the Storm shows the victory that can come after the storm, after the struggle.

“And there will come a time you’ll see, with no more tears,

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see what you find there,

With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.”

I love the way this song depicts the victory that can follow a struggle, complimenting the scene of Stella, sitting peacefully looking over the water, with her late husband’s hat – content and still. 

King, Stephen. “The Reach.” American Gothic Tales. Ed. Joyce Carol Oates. New York: The Penguin Group. 378-389. Print.