“The transformation of a psychological obsession into an aesthetic principle earned Poe a reputation as the leading innovator of 19th-century short fiction” (May). The gruesome writing style used by Edgar Allen Poe connects this and raises the social issue of motivation for murder in our jury trials. This is a widespread process of solving a case in every country in the world. Motivation can be explained as the general desire to do something. “The Tell Tale Heart,” by Edgar Allen Poe, deals with murder based on the assumption of madness. “The Cask of Amontillado,” also by Edgar Allen Poe, is about revenge-based murders. In today's society, the reasons for premeditated murder are very varied and can be classified into several categories. The initiative of premeditated murder carried out in these two stories brings punishment and insanity as the defense motivation for murders in our society. “The Tell Tale Heart,” is about a young man who kills an old gentleman, mutilates him, and hides the pieces. in the floorboard because of the old man's eyes. This young man watched the old man sleep night after night, waiting for the right moment to strike. At the end of the story, when he admits to killing the man, he states that his motive was not based on madness. Although the young man claims to be sane, the reader would consider him crazy. In today's society many people invoke the insanity defense to not be guilty by reason of insanity. This is a common reason why people can't tell right from wrong. According to Zachary D. Torry and Stephen B. Billoick, clinical professor and head of the department of psychiatry, this type of defense has perplexed legal and mental health professionals for centuries...... middle of paper... .. .s On File News Services, February 17, 2009. Web. November 28, 2011 May, Charles E. "The Tell-Tale Heart: Overview." Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Network. 16 November 2011. Samuels, Anthony O'Drscoll, Colmán Allnutt, Stephen. “When Killing Is Not Murder: Psychiatric and Psychological Defenses to Murder When the Insanity Defense Does Not Apply.” Australian Psychiatry 15.6 (2007): 474-479. Collection of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences. Network. November 21, 2011. Stoner, Andrew E. Notorious 92: Indiana's Most Gruesome Murders in All 92 Counties. Indiana: Rooftop Publishing, 2007. Print.Torry, Zachary D. Billick, Stephen B. “Overlapping Universe: Understanding Legal Insanity and Psychosis.” Psychiatric Quarterly 81.3 (2010): 253-262. Collection of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences. Network. November 21. 2011.