Read the passage from "The Tell-Tale Heart."

But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eye. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man's terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment:—do you mark me well? I have told you that I am nervous:—so I am. And now, at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst.

How does the sentence structure help readers understand what is happening in this passage?

The Tell-Tale Heart

Responses

The long, complex sentences describe that the narrator is thoughtful.
The long, complex sentences describe that the narrator is thoughtful.

The short, choppy sentences reveal that the narrator is going crazy.
The short, choppy sentences reveal that the narrator is going crazy.

The short, choppy sentences reveal how observant the narrator is.
The short, choppy sentences reveal how observant the narrator is.

The long, complex sentences describe how confident the narrator is.

1 answer

The short, choppy sentences reveal that the narrator is going crazy. This structure helps convey the increasing intensity and panic that the narrator is experiencing as he listens to the sound of the old man's heart growing louder and louder. The fragmented sentences create a sense of unease and agitation, reflecting the narrator's mental state.