the tell tale heart questions and answers the tell tale heart summary: the narrator of the story is...

The Tell The Tell Tale HeartTale HeartQuestions and Questions and

AnswersAnswers

The Tell Tale The Tell Tale HeartHeartSummary:Summary:

The narrator of the story is a The narrator of the story is a renter who gets a little excited renter who gets a little excited because his land lord has one because his land lord has one dead eye - so he kills him and dead eye - so he kills him and conceals him under the floor conceals him under the floor boards of his room. The police boards of his room. The police come looking for the old guy come looking for the old guy and have a pleasant and have a pleasant conversation with the narrator conversation with the narrator in his room. The narrator in his room. The narrator however hears the beating of however hears the beating of his victim’s heart and becomes his victim’s heart and becomes more and more distressed until more and more distressed until he flies into a fit, tears up the he flies into a fit, tears up the floor boards and tears the heart floor boards and tears the heart out of the corpse to show the out of the corpse to show the police officers to prove to them police officers to prove to them that it really is making a noise.that it really is making a noise.

1) What does the story's 1) What does the story's titletitle mean?mean?

The story's title refers to the beating heart that The story's title refers to the beating heart that eventually eventually

drives the narrator to confess his crime. The reader drives the narrator to confess his crime. The reader is led is led

to believe it is the beating of the old man's heart he to believe it is the beating of the old man's heart he hears, hears,

an impossibility, considering the old man has been an impossibility, considering the old man has been murdered murdered

and dismembered, leaving three possibilities: and dismembered, leaving three possibilities: (1) (1) the narrator is insane; the narrator is insane; (2) (2) the narrator feels guilt the narrator feels guilt

over the crime and hears his own heart; over the crime and hears his own heart; (3) (3) both.both.

2) The narrator claims he is not 2) The narrator claims he is not mad. What evidence do we mad. What evidence do we have that he is?have that he is?

(1) (1) He murders an old man because of his He murders an old man because of his ""vulture eyevulture eye"; ";

(2) (2) He hears sounds from hell; He hears sounds from hell;

(3) (3) He dismembers the dead man's corpse; He dismembers the dead man's corpse;

(4) (4) He hears the beating of a dead man's heart; He hears the beating of a dead man's heart;

(5) (5) He is paranoid; He is paranoid;

(6) (6) He is "He is "nervous--very, very dreadfully nervous--very, very dreadfully nervousnervous."."

3) What does the narrator do 3) What does the narrator do with the dead man's body?with the dead man's body?

The narrator dismembers the body and The narrator dismembers the body and carefully places it carefully places it

under a few floor boards in the old man's under a few floor boards in the old man's room. He'sroom. He's

confident that his crime will not be confident that his crime will not be discovered, even discovered, even

inviting the investigator to sit on a chair inviting the investigator to sit on a chair directly above the directly above the

dead body.dead body.

4) Why does the narrator 4) Why does the narrator want to kill the old want to kill the old man?man?

"Object there was none. Passion there "Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved was none. I loved

the old man. He had never wronged the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me. He had never given

me insult. For his gold I had no desire. me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his I think it was his

eyeeye! yes, it was this!"! yes, it was this!" (172). (172).

5) The narrator visits the old man's 5) The narrator visits the old man's bedroom every night for seven bedroom every night for seven nights before killing him on the nights before killing him on the eighth night. What finally causes eighth night. What finally causes him to commit the act?him to commit the act?

He hears the old man's heart. The narrator saysHe hears the old man's heart. The narrator says, ", "It was It was the beating the beating

of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drumdrum

stimulates the soldier into rage...the hellish tattoo of the heart stimulates the soldier into rage...the hellish tattoo of the heart increased.increased.

It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant...I thought instant...I thought

the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me—the the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me—the sound would sound would

be heard by a neighbor! The old man's hour had come!" (174-be heard by a neighbor! The old man's hour had come!" (174-5).5).

6) What sort of disease does 6) What sort of disease does the narrator claim to have the narrator claim to have and what has it done and what has it done for the for the narrator's senses? narrator's senses?

The narrator claims to have a The narrator claims to have a disease that makes his senses disease that makes his senses really powerful.really powerful.

It has sharpened them. It has sharpened them. "The madness "The madness had sharpened my senses, not had sharpened my senses, not destroyed, not dulled them. Above all destroyed, not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute..."was the sense of hearing acute..."

7) What is the narrator's 7) What is the narrator's strongest sense and what strongest sense and what does it allow him to do? does it allow him to do?

The narrator's strongest sense is his sense of

hearing, and it allows him to hear everything

that is going on everywhere, including "earth,"

"heaven," and especially "hell."

8) What argument does 8) What argument does the narrator present as the narrator present as to why he is not insane?to why he is not insane?

The narrator claims that insane people have no

knowledge or skill, but he has planned everything

out very carefully.

9) What was the reason why 9) What was the reason why the narrator killed the old the narrator killed the old man? man?

"I think it was his eye--yes it was this! One of

his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale

blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it ran

upon me my blood ran cold...."

10) During the week before 10) During the week before the narrator killed the old the narrator killed the old man, how did he act man, how did he act towards him? towards him?

He was very kind: "I was never kinder to the old

man than during the whole week before I killed

him."

11) How long did it take the 11) How long did it take the narrator to place his head narrator to place his head into the door so that he into the door so that he could see the old man? could see the old man?

An hour: "It took me an hour to place my whole

head within the opening so far that I could see

him as he lay upon his bed."

12) For how many nights did the 12) For how many nights did the narrator look in upon the old narrator look in upon the old man? man?

Eight nights: "...and I did this for seven long

nights--every night just at midnight-every night

just at twelve...Upon the eighth night I was

more than usually cautious in opening the door."

13) Why couldn't the narrator 13) Why couldn't the narrator kill the old man on the first kill the old man on the first night? night?

The eye was closed: "...but I found the eye

always closed; and so it was impossible to do the

work; for it was not the old man who vexed me,

but his Evil Eye."

14) What did the narrator do by 14) What did the narrator do by accident which awakened the old accident which awakened the old man? man?

His thumb slipped on the lantern. The narrator quietly laughed at the thought that the old

man didn't have any idea about what he was up to, but this did not wake the old man up. It was when the narrator's thumb slipped on the tin fastening of the lantern that he woke the old man up.

15) What causes the narrator 15) What causes the narrator to finally jump on the old to finally jump on the old man?man?

He can hear the old man's heart beating, and at

some point he feels it is so loud that is may

wake someone up, so he jumps on the man to

stop the noise.

16) What did the old man 16) What did the old man cry out when awakened? cry out when awakened?

"Who's there?" "I kept quite still and said

nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a

muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him

lie down."

17) What was the low, dull, 17) What was the low, dull, quick sound that the narrator quick sound that the narrator heard? heard?

The old man's heartbeat: "I knew THAT sound

well too. It was the beating of the old man's

heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a

drum stimulates the soldier into courage."

18) The beating grew louder--18) The beating grew louder--what was the new anxiety what was the new anxiety that seized the narrator at that seized the narrator at this point? this point?

The sound being heard by neighbors: "...the old

man's hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw

open the lantern and leaped into the room."

19) After the old man 19) After the old man was dead, what was the was dead, what was the first thing the narrator first thing the narrator did to conceal the did to conceal the body? body?

He dismembered it: "I cut off the head and the

arms and the legs."

20) What was the next 20) What was the next thing he did to thing he did to conceal the body? conceal the body?

He buried it beneath the floor.

21) Why were the police 21) Why were the police sent to the house? sent to the house?

A neighbour had heard the old man shriek and

suspected foul play. The police were called to

investigate it.

22) What was it that made the narrator 22) What was it that made the narrator confess to the crime? confess to the crime?

The old man's heartbeat. It can be theorized that the guilt of the narrator was ultimately what made the

narrator confess. The narrator hears a sound and swears that

the sound was NOT his own. He insists that the heartbeat belonged to the old man, and could not figure out why

the police officers couldn't hear it as well. We know that

the heartbeat was the narrator’s, but we are viewing this

from the standpoint of the narrator, not our own rational

minds.

23) How does Poe create 23) How does Poe create tensiontension and and suspensesuspense in the story? in the story?

He describes second by second the process that

the narrator went through for seven nights and

the night of the killing. Also, the state of the narrator’s mind leaves the reader to wonder what

is going to happen, is he going to get caught,

and how.

Pacing - the narrator describes the murder over several pages.Foreshadowing - "I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him." (172). Dangerous Action - the narrator invites the police officer to sit directly above the dead body.

24) What ‘24) What ‘wise’wise’ actions of the actions of the narrator ensured that no one narrator ensured that no one would detect anything was would detect anything was wrong?wrong?

He dismembered the body in some sort of tub to

catch the blood. He buried the body parts in the

floor boards, so they wouldn’t be found. He carefully replaced the floorboards so no one

would notice.

25) What are some examples of 25) What are some examples of imageryimagery used by Poe in the story? used by Poe in the story? (How Poe allows the reader to (How Poe allows the reader to either see, hear, smell, taste, or either see, hear, smell, taste, or touch/feel something)touch/feel something)

“He groans a groan of mortal terror.”

“…came to my ears a low, dull, quick, sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.”

“…all a dull blue with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones…”

26) Find additional examples 26) Find additional examples of of figurativefigurative languagelanguage in the in the story. (story. (SimileSimile, , AlliterationAlliteration, , RepetitionRepetition))

Alliteration: “He groans a groan of mortal terror”

Repetition: “… much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton”

27) The two controlling 27) The two controlling symbolssymbols in the in the story are the story are the eyeeye and the and the heartheart. What . What might these two might these two symbolssymbols represent? represent?

The old man's eye is "pale blue, with a film over it,“ indicating a lack of visual clarity and reliability. In

this sense the eye symbolizes the narrator in so much

that all the information we receive comes through his

distorted mind, much in the same way everything the old

man sees is filtered through his distorted eye.

Furthermore, the story is told through the narrator’s

perspective, who claims his actions are on account of the

distorted eye, which suggests the point of view is literally

and symbolically filtered through the old man’s eye.

Traditionally the heart symbolizes the emotional centre of the individual. In The Tell Tale Heart, it symbolizes the narrators guilt.

28) 28) PlotPlot: Create a : Create a timelinetimeline of events as they occur in of events as they occur in the story.the story.

• The police come to question the narrator • The narrator kills the old man • The narrator speaks extra kindly to the old man • The narrator becomes obsessed with the old man’s eye • The narrator tears up the floorboards and admits to killing the old

man • The narrator buries the old man in the floorboards • The narrator brags about his sagacity in planning • The narrator’s thumb slips on the lantern’s latch • The narrator hears the beating of a heart (will be on the timeline

twice) • A neighbor reports hearing a shriek

A Tell Tale Heart

Notes

Title

It means "giving information (often which a person would not wish to be known)” Example: the telltale signs of guilt.

Plot

Classic example of Freitag’s Pyramid

Point of view

-Gothic horror story, told in 1st person point of view, dramatic monologue: from the perspective of a man who has committed a crime.-This story would be completely different if told from 3rd person point of view or from the point of view of one of the police officers.

Narrator

-The biggest effect of Poe's decision to let his readers into the mind of the killer in his story is that it creates a nervous, creepy mood.

Title

It means "giving information (often which a person would not wish to be known)” Example: the telltale signs of guilt.