Freudian Analysis of Edgar Allen Poes a Tell Tale Heart...

Erika Barnett Professor Curley Daring the Nightmare 13 October 2010 A Freudian Analysis of â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† By Edgar Allen Poe As an esteemed psychologist analyzing this accused murderer, I have found a few key pieces of evidence that ultimately lead me to the decision that the murderer is in fact mad and I recommend psychological rehabilitation as well as jail sentence as a proper penalty for the crime committed. Although, he claims he can recount the night of the murder â€Å"healthily and calmly† it is not proof enough to disregard his insanity. The murderer insists that he â€Å"loved the old man† which I believe is undoubtedly true. As far as my knowledge goes he was stuck in a paradox of love and hate. With that said I know that†¦show more content†¦The murderer’s heightened sensitivity to sound is yet another piece of evidence that proves his insanity. He says, â€Å"Above all the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.† What that means to him, we may not know, but to a listener he is just proving himself crazy. He first encounters the loud sound of the old man’s beating heart while he is still alive in his bed on the night of the murder, â€Å"I knew that sound well too. It was the beating of the old man’s heart. It increased my fury as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.† Not only is this testimony of paranoia, it also disproves his original claim he is not insane, because a sound that c an’t be heard from a distance at all was driving his rage to attack the old man. Then again at the end of his story, he claims he heard the sound of the beating heart and it drove him to admit to the crime, while the police were investigating the old man’s house. â€Å"The ringing became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness – until, at length, I found that the noise was NOT within my ears.† This is a clear display of the murderer’s extreme guilt and paranoia. Not only do I firmly believe this murderer should be sentenced to many years jail for the crime he committed, it is in his best interest to regain his sanity if possible through some psychological therapy