Question

Select the correct answer. Which theme is conveyed in this excerpt from "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe? 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. 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.

Answer 1

The theme conveyed is the interplay between madness and heightened senses in "The Tell-Tale Heart," showcasing the unreliability and intense anxiety of the narrator.

Step-by-step explanation:

The theme conveyed in the excerpt from "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe is that of madness intertwined with over-acuteness of the senses. The narrator vehemently denies being mad while paradoxically exhibiting symptoms of acute anxiety and madness, such as heightened sensory perceptions, obsessive thoughts, and illogical rationalizations for committing murder. This theme reflects Poe's exploration of the human psyche and the fine line between sanity and insanity as the narrator's reliability is undermined by their own admissions and the intense emotions conveyed in the text.