Making Inference 1
Reading between the lines
What is an inference?
What can you infer about a character who spends most of their time alone and avoids talking to others?
The character might be shy, introverted, or feeling isolated.
To examine something in detail to understand it better or to break it down into its parts.
What is Analyze?
Why does the narrator decide to kill the old man?
The narrator is disturbed by the old man’s vulture-like eye.
What does the narrator claim to hear at the end of the story?
The narrator claims to hear the old man’s heart beating.
True or False: Inferences are always stated directly in the text.
False
If a character is described as having clenched fists and a red face, what emotion can you infer they are feeling?
The character is likely angry or frustrated.
Clearly stated and leaving no room for confusion or doubt.
What does the word "Explicit" mean?
How many nights does the narrator watch the old man sleep before killing him?
Seven Nights
Who is the main character in the story?
The unnamed narrator.
If a character is described as shivering and wrapping their arms around themselves, what can you infer about the weather?
The weather is cold.
A character hesitates before opening a letter and then sighs deeply after reading it. What can you infer about the letter’s content?
The letter likely contained bad or disappointing news.
Specific details or quotes from a text used to support a claim or argument.
What is Textual Evidence?
How does the narrator kill the old man?
The narrator smothers him with the bed.
What theme is illustrated by the narrator’s insistence that he is not mad?
The theme of madness and the unreliable narrator.
Which of these is NOT needed to make an inference: evidence, personal experience, or imagination?
Imagination
If the story describes the sky turning dark and animals scurrying for cover, what can you infer about what might happen soon?
A storm or some other natural disaster might be approaching.
The perspective from which a story is told, such as first-person, second-person, or third-person.
What is Point of View (POV)?
Where does the narrator hide the old man’s body?
He dismembers the body and hides it under the floorboards.
What does the beating heart symbolize in the story?
Hint: How did it make the narrator feel that led him to confess?
The narrator’s guilt and fear.
If a character refuses to eat and says they aren’t hungry, but their stomach is growling, what can you infer?
The character might be upset or worried about something.
If a character’s car won’t start and they begin to walk down a dark road, what might you infer about the possible conflict in the story?
The character may encounter danger or face a difficult situation on their walk.
The person or voice that tells the story to the reader.
What is Narrator?
What point of view is The Tell-Tale Heart told from?
First-person point of view.
How does the narrator’s mental state affect if his point of view is trustworthy?
The narrator’s unstable mental state makes him unreliable, and readers must question the truth of his account.