How does the use of the first-person point of view in Poe's story intensify the strange or unsettling emotional atmosphere?

• A. It uses multiple narrators to offer different perspectives, which lessens the weird mood.
• B. It allows readers to directly experience the narrator's thoughts and feelings, making the mood more personal and eerie.
• C. It focuses mainly on external descriptions, distancing readers from the narrator's emotions.
• D. It provides an objective account of events, reducing emotional intensity.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the role of narrative point of view in literature, especially the first-person perspective, which means the story is told directly from the narrator's own experience using 'I' or 'we'.
2. Step 2: Recognize that the first-person point of view allows readers to access the narrator's inner thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, creating a more intimate connection between the reader and the narrator.
3. Step 3: Consider how this intimacy can intensify emotional responses, especially in genres like horror or psychological thriller, by making the strange or unsettling events feel more immediate and personal.
4. Step 4: Contrast this with other narrative perspectives, such as third-person or multiple narrators, which can create distance or offer more objective viewpoints, potentially reducing emotional intensity.
5. Step 5: Conclude that in Poe's story, the first-person point of view intensifies the eerie atmosphere by immersing readers directly in the narrator's subjective experience, heightening the sense of unease and emotional involvement.