Author & Genre
Is the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" fiction or nonfiction?
fiction
Who is the main character of the story?
the narrator
Where does the story take place?
the old man's house (more specifically the old man's bedroom)
TRUE or FALSE: The narrator thinks he is very clever and calculated.
True
What does the following passage mainly suggest about the narrator?
"True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?"
(HINT: How does the narrator perceive himself?)
The narrator believes he is sane. He does not understand his own madness and insanity.
Who wrote "The Tell-Tale Heart"?
Edgar Allan Poe
"The Tell-Tale Heart" was written in _____ point of view.
a) first person b) third person
first person
When does the story take place?
Why does the narrator decide to kill the old man?
The narrator is haunted by the appearance of the old man's pale blue eye.
What does the following passage mainly suggest about the narrator?
“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.”
The narrator decides to kill the old man because he is haunted by the old man's pale blue eye.
"The Tell-Tale Heart" was published in _____.
a) 1843 b) 1943 c) 2023
1843
Who does the narrator care for?
the old man
Where does the narrator hide the old man's body?
under the floorboards in the old man's bedroom
Why does it take eight nights for the narrator to murder the old man?
(HINT: What vexes the narrator?)
The narrator believes he cannot commit murder unless he sees the old man's eye. During the first seven nights, the old man's eye was closed. When the old man awakes on the eighth night, the narrator shines his light on the old man's eye and kills him.
Who does "Death" in the following passage most likely refer to?
"All in vain; because Death, in approaching him, had stalked with his black shadow before him and enveloped the victim."
(HINT: Who is stalking the old man?)
the narrator
What is the genre of the "The Tell-Tale Heart"?
a) gothic fiction b) realistic fiction c) science fiction
gothic fiction
Who knocked on the street door at 4 in the morning?
the police
Where does the narrator have the audacity to place his chair when talking to the police?
directly over the spot beneath the floorboards where the narrator has hidden the old man's body
What does the sound of the old man's heart most closely symbolize?
the narrator's guilt
What does the following passage suggest about the narrator?
"In the enthusiasm of my confidence, 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."
(HINT: Why is the narrator so confident?)
The narrator believes that he committed the perfect murder.
Why was Edgar Allan Poe known for his "tortured artist" persona?
Throughout his life, Edgar Allan Poe experienced significant loss. He also struggled with alcoholism and poverty.
Who reported hearing "a shriek" to the police?
a neighbor
How does the setting of the story contribute to the conflict and the narrator's madness?
The setting contributes to the narrator's paranoia and psychological breakdown because the narrator is alone with the old man in a quiet, dark house late at night. This heightens the narrator's hyper-focus on the old man's pale blue eye.
Explain one internal conflict in the "The Tell-Tale Heart."
(HINT: What does the narrator struggle with?)
Sanity vs. Madness - The narrator spends the whole story shouting that he is calm and clever, but his words and actions prove that he is losing his grip on reality.
Guilt and the Beating Heart - The narrator begins to hear a low, dull, quick sound, which he believes to be the old man's heart. Even though he tries to remain calm, he eventually confesses to the crime because of his own guilt and madness.
What does the following passage mainly suggest about the narrator?
“Dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of this hideous heart!”
(HINT: Why does the narrator confess to murdering the old man?)
The narrator confesses to murdering the old man because he is tormented by the deafening sound of his own guilty conscience.