The Tell-Tale Heart

By Ed

gar A

llan

Poe

Edgar Allan Poe(1809-1849)

Edgar Allan Poe is known for writing about mysterious forces, wicked crimes and death. Unfortunately, his life was as sad as those of most of his characters. His mother died when he was two, and he was disowned by his foster father. Poe himself died young (40 years old), but left behind classic works of horror and the first modern detective stories.

Although Poe spent much of his career creating poems, he is perhaps best known today for his tales of terror. Like other authors of Gothic literature, Poe often created an atmosphere, or mood, of chilling uncertainty in his fictional work.

Comparing two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’

Comparison of two things where one is substituted for another

Author’s use of repeating words or phrases for emphasis

LITERARY

INELEMENTS

METAPHOR

SIMILE

TELL TALEREPETITION

PERSONIFICATION

Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects

BEFOREREADING

Peruse the title and pictures in the story. Make a about the plot.predictionWith its suspense, twists, and chills, reading The Tell-Tale Heart is like watching a scary movie. What do you think makes a story really entertaining and effective at thrilling the audience?

Vocabularyto know

Violence, sometimes ending in murderCrazyTortureShocking

UselessGloomy or sadFloor boardsTo imagine

To trouble or worry

To be free fromListening

AskingTo prevent harm

hear

keni

ng

mad

hideousagonyplanks

vexfoul play

mournful

vain

rid

prec

autio

ns

fancy

inqu

irin

g

The Tell-Tale Heart was first published in Pioneer magazine in 1843.

STORYBACKGROUND

The plot of the story focuses on mysterious happenings or terrible outcomes. The characters are often mad, or crazy, in addition to being frightened to death.

Read The Tell-Tale Heart to:

Find out how repetition helps the reader identify and understand the theme of the story.

Find out how Poe uses similes and metaphors to help establish the mood of the story.

ReadingAfter

Poe does not give names to the characters in The Tell-Tale Heart. Why do you think this is? How might the story be different if the characters had names?

Throughout the story, the narrator accuses the audience of thinking that he is mad. Is he mad? Why or why not? Explain your opinion with specific examples from the story to support your answer.

The Tell-Tale HeartExtra Credit

Write a fictional police report of the crime from the point of view of the officers that arrived at the house. In your one page report, remember to include the who, what, where, when, and why. (20 pts)

Imagine you are a lawyer serving on this case. Choose the side of either the defense or the prosecution and make your case in a brochure for the narrator’s sanity at the time of the crime. (25 pts)

Draw and color a sketch of the scene where the narrator is having a conversation with the officers in the room where the crime was committed. (15 pts)