Read the excerpt from "The Tell-Tale Heart" below. Using complete sentences, describe how Edgar Allan Poe begins to establish a
mood of terror that will continue throughout the story. In your response, use phrases and words from the excerpt to support your opinion. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back-but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.
There are several elements that Poe uses in this excerpt in order to create a mood of terror throughout the story. Poe employs long and careful descriptions when talking about the actions of the character. He tells us that the door was opened little by little and that the sleeping man moved slightly. Another strategy that Poe employs is that he describes the scene as one "black as pitch," making the reader wonder what hides in the darkness. Finally, Poe creates suspense by describing the tension that the protagonist feels, suggesting that a surprise might come soon.
