Question

2.3.3 quiz: understand gothic elements in literature
question 8 of 10
read this excerpt from the tell-tale heart:
the old man was dead. i removed the bed and examined the corpse. yes, he was stone, stone dead. i placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. there was no pulsation. he was stone dead. his eye would trouble me no more.
why does poe repeat words and phrases in this excerpt?
a. to create a sense of doom
b. to establish conclusively that the old man is dead
c. to emphasize the characters lack of emotion
d. to focus on the sensory imagery of the actions

Explanation:

The repeated phrases like "stone, stone dead", "stone dead" emphasize the finality of the old man's death. It's not about doom (no indication of impending bad events beyond the death), the character shows emotion (the relief of the eye not troubling him), and sensory imagery (like touch - hand on heart) is a detail but the main focus of repetition is confirming death.

Answer:

B. To establish conclusively that the old man is dead