The Tell Tale Heart Close Read

"The Tell Tale Heart"

by Edgar Allan Poe

Close Read & Analysis

Lesson objective: Students will analyze and identify how particular lines of dialogue in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart reveal aspects of an unreliable narrator and propel the plot of the short story.

Poll

How reliable (sane) would you consider the narrator of "The Tell Tale Heart" to be?

• Very reliable, I would trust him to watch my dog.

• Reasonably reliable, I believe he is speaking the truth.

• Unreliable, he seems to be obsessed with strange things.

• Absolutely unreliable, he is entirely unhinged from reality.

A classic unreliable narrator.

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart" features one of literature's most enduring examples of an unreliable narrator. Told from a first person perspective, the narrator tells the story of a murder he committed through his own twisted and distorted viewpoint. The reader must determine what is objectively true, and what is the fabrication of a deranged mind.

Draw

Read paragraphs 1-2 and annotate any important details.

Draw

Read paragraph 3 and annotate any important details.

Multiple Choice

According to the narrator, which of the following best explains why he decides to kill the old man?

• The old man had wronged him too many times.

• He is haunted by the appearance of one of the man’s eyes.

• He is insane and has no awareness of his actions.

• He wants to steal the old man’s fortune.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following from the text best supports the answer to previous question?

• “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.”

• “It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but, once conceived, it haunted me day and night.”

• “Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever.”

• “Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.”

Open Ended

Summarize this paragraph in at least 2 sentences. Make sure to include how the narrator's behavior has changed from the previous paragraphs.

Open Ended

Read carefully the narrator's account of the moments before his ambush of the old man. How might his perception be different from reality?

Multiple Choice

Which of the following words best replaces sagacity in the passage below?

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch’s minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers—of my sagacity.

• cleverness

• determination

• righteousness

• stupidity

Multiple Choice

What is most likely the author’s purpose in capitalizing the word “Death” in paragraph 7?

… He had been saying to himself—"It is nothing but the wind in the chimney—it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or, "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp." Yes, he has been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions; but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him, had stalked with his black shadow before him and enveloped the victim.

• The author is emphasizing just how near the old man’s death is.

• The author is emphasizing the finality of the old man losing his life.

• The author is speaking metaphorically, comparing Death to a shadow.

• The author is speaking about the narrator as a representation of death.

Draw

What finally provokes the narrator into action? Highlight the textual evidence that supports your answer.

Open Ended

How does the following quote demonstrate a difference in the narrator's perception and the reality of the situation.

"If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions . . . I took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings."

Open Ended

What is the state of mind of the narrator during this scene?

I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here

to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.

Draw

The narrator's behavior is becoming more erratic. Highlight examples of how the internal state of the narrator's mind clashes with external reality of the scene.

Open Ended

In 3-5 sentences, explain why the narrator feels compelled to confess their crime after ostensibly getting away with it.