Crazy Narrator
What type of narrator is the insane man
(Reliable or unreliable and WHY)
Unreliable narrator because he has a mental disease
He admits he is mad, and that he can hear things in heaven and in hell
Describe what an internal conflict is, and give an example
Internal conflict takes place in a characters mind
Examples: Mental illness, feelings of guilt, anxiety, depression, memory loss, etc.
What is the definition of dramatic irony?
The reader or audience is aware of something that other characters are not aware of
Exposition: In the exposition, we are often introduced to the characters and setting.
Describe the characters and setting for TTH in the beginning of the story
Characters: Crazy narrator and old man
Setting: Old man's house (bedroom), around midnight-4am
Give an example of foreshadowing in TTH: Where Edgar Allan Poe provides a HINT or CLUE about what will happen later in the story
(Hint: Something that ticks)
Foreshadowing: There came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.
Later: Narrator pulls bedding over old man, and his heartbeat was muffled
What Point of View (POV) is TTH told in? How do we know?
First person POV; we know because the narrator uses I and is a character in the story
Is the external conflict (character vs character) between the narrator and the old man TWO SIDED or ONE SIDED?
ONE SIDED- The old man is unaware of the narrator's hatred towards his eye, and has no harmful feelings towards the narrator
What is the definition of verbal irony
When you say the opposite of what you mean (sarcasm)
Rising Action: The events leading up to the climax. A building of interest or suspense; complications arise.
What are 2 things the crazy narrator does leading up to the climax?
1. Decides to kill the old man for his "vulture" eye
2. Stalked the old man in his room every night for 7 nights
3. On the 8th night, he entered his room, and the old man awoke
What element of fiction is this:
For it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye
(Hint: Evil Eye is capitalized, giving a trait)
Personification: Giving a human trait (being evil) to a nonhuman object (eye)
What disease does the old man have in his eye
Cataracts
External conflict: A problem or struggle between a character and an outside force
5 types:
Character vs Character
Character vs Nature
Character vs Society
Character vs Technology
Character vs Fate
What is the definition of situational irony
Something happens that we would not expect to happen
Example: A fire station burns down, a police officer gets arrested, etc.
Climax:
1. What is the definition of the climax of a story?
2. What is the climax of TTH?
1. Climax= Turning point of the story, the main character comes face to face with a conflict. It is the most INTENSE moment of the story.
2. Climax= Narrator suffocates the old man to death with his bedding.
What element of fiction is this:
All in vain, because Death, in approaching him, had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim
Personification: Giving a human quality or attribute (stalking) to an abstract idea (death)
(Think of his actions)
Describe what type of external conflict is present in Tell Tale Heart
External Conflict: Character vs Character
(man vs man)- Crazy narrator vs Old man
What type of irony is this:
A single tin ray fell upon the vulture eye. The narrator himself is actually the vulture
Situational Irony
Falling Action: Action that follows the climax and ultimately leads to the resolution.
Describe 3 things the narrator does after killing the old man, but before the resolution.
Falling Action:
1. Narrator dismembers the old mans body
2. Narrator hides his body under the floorboards
3. 3 police offficers arrive
4. Narrator thinks he begins to hear the old mans heartbeat
Describe an example of VERBAL irony at the end of TTH: Where the narrator says something and means the opposite
Verbal Irony: The narrator says villains to the police officers, but he is the actual villain
Describe what the narrator did with the old mans body, where he hid it, and why there was no blood left
1. Dismembered the body
2. Hid it under the planks or floorboards
3. Washed in a tub- no blood on the floor
Describe what type of internal conflict is present in Tell Tale Heart
Internal Conflict: Character vs Self
Crazy narrator is battling a mental illness (admits he is mad), might be schizophrenic or sadistic, he also does not sleep
What type of irony is this + explain:
His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers)
Situational Irony: The robber of life is already INSIDE the house
Resolution: Conclusion of the story, loose ends are usually tied up
What happens in the resolution of TTH
Resolution:
1. Narrator admits to his murder
2. Tells the police officers to tear up the floorboards
3. Shows them where the body is laid
Describe the biggest example of DRAMATIC irony in TTH:
(What is something the reader knows that the characters do not)
Dramatic Irony: We know the narrator wants to kill the old man for his vulture eye, but the old man is unaware of this