Literary Terms
Is the following quote an example of Irony, Hyperbole, or Theme?
"I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth."
Hyperbole
why did the narrator speak joyfully to the old man every morning before he killed him?
So the old man wouldn't suspect anything
Where does the narrator place his chair when he sits down to chat with the Police?
Right over the spot where he hid the old mans body.
when the narrator killed the old man, who did the narrator fear would hear the old man's heartbeat?
a neighbor
Is the narrator a madman?
True, the public says he is
What is an example of Symbolism in The Tell Tale Heart?
The Eye: Symbolizes dread, disease, and perceived Evil.
The Beating Heart: Symbolizes the narrator's guilty conscience.
At what time does the narrator sneak into the old man's room?
Midnight
The narrator uses this object to see in the dark bedroom
A lantern that's mostly closed
What about the man was the narrator afraid of? (Why did he kill him?)
His "vulture eye"
throughout the whole story what is something the narrator tries to convince the reader he's not?
Mad/insane
Is the following quote an example of Irony, Hyperbole, or Theme?
"I loved the old man."
Irony
When was the exact time the narrator finished hiding the body?
4AM
the narrator to try and prove he wasn't crazy said he stood still for how long?
Why did the narrator admit to the crime of killing the man at the end of the story?
He could still hear the mans heartbeat even after death
Why does the narrator think that he is not a madman?
He claims he had a perfect plan and carried it out without a problem.
Is guilt and innocence a theme in The Tell Tale Heart?
Yes, in the end it can be interpreted that the main character hearing the old man's heartbeat is his guilty conscious reminding him of his deed.
why did the narrator sit still in the dark when the old man woke up?
so he wouldn't give away where he was
On the eighth night, does the narrator recall the sound the old man made as 'a groan of mortal terror' or a 'gasp of absolute horror'?
The narrator describes it as a 'groan of mortal terror'.
What WASN'T the man scared of?
Being caught by the police.
To try and prove he wasn't crazy, the narrator said he moved at what speed?
Slower than the ticks on the clock.
Why is The Tell Tale Heart (as a whole) ironic?
The narrators efforts to prove his sanity and cover up his crime actually expose his madness and ultimately lead to his confession.
Why does the main character wait so long to kill the old man?
He only had the courage to kill the man if the eye was open, because he wanted to kill the eye, and not the man.
What is the protagonist's name?
The name is not mentioned in the story, just that the main character and narrator are the same person.
What does the Old Man fear?
He fears the dark and unknown, as we learned when the narrator wakes the Old Man and he stays awake for a long time.
Why is the topic of the main character being a madman so important?
It is so important because throughout the whole story the narrator tries to convince the reader that he is not a madman, but in the end this causes him to hallucinate the mans heart beating and get him caught by the cops.