Perhaps the most recognizable aspect of Poe's work is that of fear.
             Michael Burduck states that Poe explores areas of "pain, decay, and terror"
             to entertain his readers and "enlighten the dark tunnels of human life"
             (Burduck 102). He also states, "Poe prefers to scare his audience from
             within" (105). Tales must also "spellbind and capture the audience's
             complete attention" (105). Additionally, the theme of death occurs just
             as much in Poe's writing as fear. In fact, J. Gerald Kennedy notes that
             with Poe, we find a writer "whose entire oeuvre is marked by a compulsive
             interest in the dimensionality of death" (Kennedy 92). Two stories that
             fulfill this requirement are "The Tell-tale Heart" and "The Fall of the
             Both stories fill us with fear because they illustrate the sometimes-
             hideous nature of man. We become terrified in "The Tell-Tale Heart"
             because we see a devious madman who is crazy enough to kill an old man
             because of his so-called evil eye. "The Fall of the House of Usher" is
             frightening because we witness how quickly one can become consumed with
             Madness is also a recurring theme in Poe's tales. In "The Tell-Tale
             Heart," the narrator tells us at the beginning of the story that he is not
             a madman. He takes pride in his accomplishments and declares that a madman
             would have never been able to devise such a scheme. We quickly question
             his statement when he tells us that he was "never kinder to the old man
             than during the whole week before I killed him" (Poe The Tell-Tale Heart
             189). However, by the end of the story, the narrator cannot escape the
             terrible sound of the beating heart. He becomes nervous and begins to pace
             as the noise increases. He begins to question his own sanity when he
             wonders if the officers do not hear the sound.
             In "The Fall of the House of Usher," the narrator seems to be perfectly
             sane at the beginning of the story. "The Fall of th...