Read the passage: you fancy me mad. madmen know nothing. but you should have seen me. you should have seen how wisely i proceeded--with what caution--with what foresight--with what dissemination i went to work! how does the writer's use of mad and madmen arouse fear in the reader? it makes the reader wonder whether the speaker means crazy or angry. the reader recognizes that the speaker is an extremely rational thinker. the reader knows that madmen are unpredictable and difficult to control. the reader knows that the speaker is the only sane person in the story. 20 points

"You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with what foresight—with what dissemination I went to work!" —Edgar Allen Poe (from The Tell-tale Heart)

In this poem, the speaker tells the reader that he is sane shortly before describing himself as a "madman." The irony of this is frightening in the sense that the reader understands that the story has occurred, and they must sit hopelessly awaiting the end. That reader understands that a man who insists on being sane, yet has done such a terrible thing, cannot be so. The speaker is clearly insane, so the reader, being sane (hopefully) is fearful because of this fact.

The reader knows that madmen are unpredictable and difficult to control.

Hope this helps!

A) while standing in line