“The Tell Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” written by Edgar Allan Poe are dark tales related to murder, revenge and mystery . Poe writes both stories in the Gothic style to address ideas of realism. One might ask whether the killings and punishments were justifiable in both tales? One might also ask whether Poe accurately represented realism in each story? Realism, defined as a technique in literature that accurately represents everyday life, is questioned in Poe's works: "The Tell Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado". The comprehensive analysis of Poe's work clearly portrays realism. Poe uses literary devices such as irony, motifs, allegory, imagery, tone, foreshadowing, and symbolism to represent realism in his works, “The Tell Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” Paradoxes, or contradictory phrases or ideas, arise in love and hate in "The Tell Tale Heart." The narrator who keeps an eye on the old man is paranoid due to the man's physical disability. On some level the narrator loves the man, but he also hates him. The sense of hatred describes Poe's use of realism. Realism is defined as a way of dealing with matters of everyday life or in which the ordinary or familiar are presented in a supposed reflection as they really are. Poe also uses irony as a literary device and representation of realism in this work. For example, the dramatic irony of the story is the narrator's insistent claims about his sanity, but his actions demonstrate that he is not. In the first lines of the story, the narrator tries to convince the audience that he is sane by saying: “TRUE! nervous, very, terribly nervous I had been and am; but why will you say I'm crazy? The illness had sharpened my senses, not destroyed, not... middle of paper... the realism that Poe includes in every story. Poe clearly defines realism in each of these stories. Both “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell Tale Heart” include literary devices that demonstrate Poe's use of realism in his works. Some of these literary devices are irony, motifs, allegories, imagery, tone, and symbolism. Realism is known as a realistic depiction of everyday life or typical or ordinary events. Poe demonstrates his works of realism in his in-depth description of the planned murders and the reasons that lead each character to the murder. Poe slowly lines up the premeditated events and the main characters who commit these heinous crimes. Realism plays a role in the overall plot, setting, and themes of these stories. Given these ideas, this is why I believe realism was used to convey the meanings of “The Tell Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado”..”