What does personification do in these lines from "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe?

All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel-although he neither saw nor heard-to feel the presence of my head within the room.

It describes death as a sentry.

It connects time and death.

It creates a sense of horror.

It emphasizes tension.

Question

Addisyn Huber

English

24 May, 05:39

What does personification do in these lines from "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe?

All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel-although he neither saw nor heard-to feel the presence of my head within the room.

It describes death as a sentry.

It connects time and death.

It creates a sense of horror.

It emphasizes tension.

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Answers (1)

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Davion Velez · Answer 1

It emphasizes tension

In the passage, Death was personified to show how the old man seems to have perceived his impending death despite not having seen nor heard the presence of the murderer in the room. Death had the characteristics of having the ability to stalk, to have a shadow and to envelop its victim. All of which are humanistic attributes that death in its real sense could not possibly enact. It creates the tension on the murder that is about to happen and the thoughts of the murderer on his victim.