“The transformation of a psychological obsession into an aesthetic principle earned Poe his reputation as the leading innovator of 19th-century short fiction” (May). The macabre writing style used by Edgar Allen Poe connects it and raises the social question of the motivation for murder in our jury trials. It is a widespread process of determining a case in all countries of 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 hypothesis of insanity. “The Cask of Amontillado,” also by Edgar Allen Poe, deals with murder based on revenge. In today's society, the reasons for premeditated murder are very varied and can be classified into different categories. The initiative of premeditated homicide made in these two stories brings punishment and insanity as a defense motivation for murders in our society. “The Tell Tale Heart,” is about a young man who kills an old man, mutilates him, and hides the pieces. into the floor 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 pleads that his motive was not based on insanity. Although the young man pleads sane, the reader would consider him insane. In today's society, many people plead insanity and find themselves not guilty by reason of insanity. This is a common motivator when people cannot tell right from wrong. According to Zachary D. Torry and Stephen B. Billoick, clinical professor and chief resident both in the Department of Psychiatry, this type of defense has perplexed legal and mental health professionals for centuries. ...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. Literary Resource Center. Internet. November 16, 2011. Samuels, Anthony O'Drscoll, Colmán Allnutt, Stephen. “When Killing Is Not Murder: Psychiatric and Psychological Defenses to Murder When the Insanity Defense Is Not Applicable.” Australasian Psychiatry 15.6 (2007): 474-479. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Internet. November 21, 2011. Stoner, Andrew E. Notorious 92: Indiana's Most Heinous Murders in All 92 Counties. Indiana: Rooftop Publishing, 2007. Print.Torry, Zachary D. Billick, Stephen B. “Striding Universe: Understanding Legal Madness and Psychosis.” » Psychiatric Quarterly 81.3 (2010): 253-262. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Internet. November 21. 2011.