Symbolism in The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe Essay

Symbolism in The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe - Essay Example As he tells his frequently bizarre and frightening tales, Poe presents his readers with symbol-rich imagery and descriptions based on binary oppositions to help build the suspense and horror of his tale. As Mowery explains, binary oppositions are things such as hot and cold, male and female, dark and light. â€Å"It is in the subtle shifts in our expectations of the character that tension and conflict are developed† (1997). This concept is frequently illustrated in terms of the madness that comes upon characters as they experience deep feelings that had potential to overwhelm. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† Edgar Allan Poe uses madness and symbolism to convey love and hate. Poe employs two primary objects in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† to illustrate the cause of his narrator’s madness. The old man’s eye is the first of these symbols to appear within the text of the story. As the narrator attempts to explain why he felt led to murder, he says, 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 for ever. (156). Basic medical knowledge to the modern reader quickly identifies this condition as symptoms of a cataract, a film that gradually creeps over the eye of an elderly person, eventually rendering him or her blind while also changing the color of the eye to a pale bluish color. It is this encroachment that seems to so bother the narrator, â€Å"it was not the old man who vexed

Methodology Chapter in a dissertaion about Teaching English (TESOL) Research Paper

Methodology Chapter in a dissertaion about Teaching English (TESOL) for a British University - Research Paper Example Another method that has been used in a similar study in the past is Comparative Research. This is where a study is done through two or more situations that go hand in hand are compared either as they were in the past or as they are in the present so as to draw a conclusion regarding a given subject matter (Linder, 2004:14). In this respect, the use of ICT in education has been compared between different nations so as to come up with a suitable way of how to implement it in a given nation. This is effective in providing possible challenges and suitable modes of how to deal with them, but it fails in providing a custom made solution of dealing with specific challenges that are faced with the nation in question as no two nations are precisely the same. Another method that has been used in a similar study in the past is Descriptive research. In this method of research, data regarding the subject matter of the study is collected through observations. This method has been suitable in provi ding tailor-made solutions for the specific area of study as observation is a mode of collecting first-hand information about the study area with no contamination from any intermediate receptors of the data (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005:8). The method has however failed to detect possible challenges that might occur which historical information is suitable in revealing. The use of Correlation Research is another method that has been used in a similar study in the past. In this method of research, the study collects information regarding the subject matter and tries to establish the presence of any correlation or relationship between two phenomena in the subject and predicts the manner in which each of the phenomenon would change with a certain change in the other phenomenon (Ryan, 2000:9). This method of research has been effective in providing information regarding the various variables in the subject matter and the way in which they relate to each other. It is however not suitable in detailing how variables can stand independently to solve certain challenges. Another method that has been used in a similar study in the past is Experimental Research. In this method of research various elements of the subject of debate are put in controlled conditions and monitored with certain pre-determined degrees of changes to establish the manner in which they react. This method has been effective in given information regarding small controlled groups of the population under investigation which are taken as a sample group of the entire study group (Blurton, 1999:7). It is however subjected to experimental errors which might lead to the drawing of wrong conclusions regarding the entire target population. Evaluation Research is yet another method that has been used in a similar study in the past. In this method of research, the study investigates the manner in which population groups in say a social setting make good of the situations in which they find themselves in and hence live in harmony. It this subject matter the method of research has been used to investigate the manner in which various societies have made of ICT in their education systems (Becta, 2008:14). It hence comes up with a clear picture of the level of effectiveness or lack of it in the use of ICT in education in a given setting. This method however is not effective in coming up with