THE ROLE OF REPETITION IN BUILDING TENSION (IN THE EXAMPLES OF "THE TELL-TALE HEART" BY EDGAR ALLAN POE)

In The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe employs repetition as a central narrative device to intensify the psychological tension and horror within the story. The narrator’s repeated insistence on his sanity, despite clear signs of delusion and instability, immediately creates an unsettling atmosphere. His obsession with the old man's eye, described as "vulture-like," becomes a focal point of his madness, and the repetition of this description emphasizes the depth of his fixation. The most crucial use of repetition, however, occurs with the heart's beating sound, which becomes progressively louder as the narrator’s guilt and anxiety grow. This incessant sound, symbolizing his growing paranoia and overwhelming sense of guilt, mirrors the narrator’s internal collapse