Question

True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous i had been and am; but why will you say that i am mad? the disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them. above all was the sense of hearing acute. i heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. i heard many things in hell. how, then, am i mad? hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly i can tell you the whole story. –"the tell-tale heart," edgar allan poe how can a reader tell that the passage’s narrator is unreliable? the narrator claims that he is very intelligent, but he is clearly very young and naive. the narrator insists that he can speak calmly, but his manner of speaking suggests that he is not at all calm. the narrator says that he is a good listener, but he refuses to listen to anyone else’s version of the story.

Answer 1

The narrator in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' is unreliable due to contradictory statements and erratic behavior.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage from Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart' indicates that the narrator is unreliable through his contradictory statements and erratic behavior. While he claims to be intelligent and calm, his actions and words suggest otherwise. For example, he insists on his acute sense of hearing, but also refuses to listen to anyone else's version of the story. These inconsistencies and irrational behavior are indicators of an unreliable narrator.