Edgar Allan Poe: Tell Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe

The Tell Tale Heart

Tell Tale Heart

• Originally published 1843

• Genre: short story/horror

• Topics: violence and murder, but mainly insanity

• Use the text to read along with the audio; be prepared to answer questions along the way

CCSS.RL.7.6

• Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text

• First person narrator describes himself and his feelings

• Narrator's repeated denial of insanity shows readers that he's NOT as stable as he claims

CCSS.RL.7.2

• Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

• Theme: the lesson we should learn

• Summary: recap of what happened in the story

Multiple Choice

How does the author develop the point of view of the narrator?

• by describing the personality of the narrator before the story begins

• by having the narrator remind us that he lives on the nicer side of town

• by having the narrator constantly tell his audience he's not crazy

Multiple Select

Which of the following quotes demonstrate the author's attempt to develop the narrator's personality (to show that he's not quite sane)?

• How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

• And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him ...

• You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded ...

• His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for the shutters were close fastened through fear of robbers)...

• Ha!—would a madman have been so wise as this?

Multiple Select

Which of the following are TRUE about the story so far?

• The narrator is clearly suffering a mental breakdown but insists he's calmly and rationally telling us a story about something that happened to him.

• The story he tells starts with the narrator's hatred for an old man's eye and the narrator deciding to kill the old man.

• The narrator creeps into the old man's room every night for a week; he simply looks at the old man while he sleeps.

• The narrator tells all his friends about how he spies on the old man each night without ever being caught.

• On the 8th night, the old man wakes up while the narrator's in his room and yells "who's there?"

Poll

Make a prediction: Do you think the narrator will kill the old man now or later?

• Now!

• In the morning

• He won't end up killing him

• I'm not paying attention

Multiple Select

Which of the following are true about the story so far?

• The narrator sneaks out of the room so the old man never finds out he was there.

• The narrator waits silently while the old man lies in bed fearing for his life.

• When the narrator lets a bit of his light shine onto the old man, all he sees is the eye he hates so much.

• The narrator stabs the old man to kill him and get rid of the eye forever.

• The narrator drags the bed on top of the man to kill him and get rid of the eye forever.

Poll

Why is the old man's heartbeat given so much attention in this story?

• Everyone's heart beats.

• The heartbeat will be important later in the story.

• The heartbeat is so loud it might make the narrator get caught.

Multiple Select

Which of the following are true about this story?

• The narrator immediately expressed regret for what he's done and turns himself in to the police.

• The narrator takes the old man's body apart, being very quiet and clean, and hides it under the floorboards.

• The narrator returns to his house and has friends over for tea and biscuits to show he's not worried at all.

• When the police arrive, the narrator lies about the shriek reported and the old man's absence.

• While chatting with the police, the narrator starts to feel sick and hears a heartbeat growing louder.

Multiple Choice

How does the story end?

• The narrator politely asks the officers to leave and is never caught for killing the old man.

• The police officers start to suspect that the narrator killed the old man and arrest him.

• The narrator is driven crazy by the heartbeat he thinks he hears, and tells the police that he killed the old man.

Multiple Choice

What is a possible theme of this text?

• Keeping secrets is fun.

• Never commit murder because the police are bound to find out.

• Honesty can relieve you of your guilt and help you feel better.

Open Ended

Summarize the plot of "Tell Tale Heart."

Poll

How did you like this story?

• Loved it.

• It was alright.

• Hated it.

• Too confusing

• Too violent/scary.