PLOT & SEQUENCE
For seven nights, what does the narrator do at approximately midnight?
He secretly opens the old man’s door and watches him while he sleeps.
Who tells the story: the old man, a police officer, or the narrator himself?
The narrator himself.
What physical feature of the old man does the narrator repeatedly describe?
His eye.
If you have SUFFICIENT time to finish an assignment, you have ______ time.
Enough time.
Past or present tense?
Hint: The narrator explains something that he has already done.
Past tense.
Why doesn’t the narrator kill the old man during the first seven nights?
The old man’s eye is closed, and the narrator says it is the eye—not the old man himself—that bothers him.
Is the story told mainly in first person or third person?
First person.
The narrator compares the old man’s eye to the eye of what bird?
A vulture.
Someone with ACUTE hearing can notice extremely quiet sounds. What does acute mean?
Sharp / highly sensitive.
What TWO things should you look for when you encounter an unfamiliar word in a sentence?
Context clues around the word and what meaning would make sense in the sentence.
After killing the old man, where does the narrator hide his body?
Under the floorboards/planks.
The narrator says he loves the old man and that the old man has never wronged him. So why does he say he wants to kill him?
Because of the old man’s eye, which he compares to a vulture’s eye.
Which detail best proves that the narrator carefully planned the crime rather than acting suddenly?
He watches the old man at midnight for seven nights / enters extremely slowly and carefully / plans the murder in advance.
A person uses SAGACITY when they think carefully and make a smart decision. What does sagacity mean?
Wisdom, cleverness, or good judgment.
Which statement is better supported by the story?
A. The narrator kills the old man because he wants his money.
B. The narrator kills the old man because he is obsessed with his eye.
B. The narrator specifically says he does not want the old man’s money and focuses on the eye.
Put these events in order:
The narrator confesses • The narrator spies on the old man • The narrator hears the heart • The narrator murders the old man
Spies on the old man → murders the old man → hears the pounding heart → confesses to the police.
True or False: The narrator behaves cruelly toward the old man every day before the murder.
False. He deliberately acts kindly toward him while secretly planning the murder.
What detail shows that the narrator initially feels confident the police will NOT discover the murder?
He calmly welcomes them, shows them around, talks confidently, and even places his chair directly above where the body is hidden.
Someone makes a PROFOUND observation that shows deep understanding. What does profound mean?
Deep, insightful, or showing deep understanding/intelligence.
A student says: “The narrator confesses because the police discover the body.”
What is wrong with this explanation?
The police do not discover the body. The narrator confesses because he believes he hears the heart beating louder and can no longer tolerate it.
The police are sitting calmly and do not appear suspicious. What happens that ultimately causes the narrator to reveal the body?
He believes he hears the old man’s heart beating louder and louder until he cannot stand it and confesses.
The narrator repeatedly insists that he is NOT mad. Give one piece of evidence from his own story that could make a reader question whether he is trustworthy.
Accept supported answers, such as: he claims extraordinarily sensitive hearing; obsesses over the old man’s eye; secretly watches him night after night; murders and dismembers him; believes he hears the dead man’s heart; or behaves increasingly irrationally before confessing.
At the end, Poe repeatedly describes the sound as becoming “louder”. What does this detail help us understand about the narrator?
His distress/panic is increasing, and he believes the sound is becoming unbearable, eventually causing him to confess.
The narrator has the AUDACITY to sit directly above the hidden body while talking to the police. What does audacity mean?
Boldness, nerve, or daring confidence.
Explain this contradiction:
The narrator believes his careful planning proves that he is sane—but his story may actually make the reader think the opposite. Why?
His careful planning does not erase the irrational nature of his actions. His obsession, murder, strange behavior, and insistence that he is sane give readers reasons to question his reliability.