About the Author
Who is the author of "The Tell Tale Heart"?
Edgar Allan Poe
What type of literature is "The Tell-Tale Heart"?
Gothic literature
How does the narrator describe himself at the beginning of the story?
What does "acute" mean?
Acute means sensitive.
What type of setting does gothic literature take place in?
Creepy, or mysterious places
What is Edgar Allan Poe the father of?
The Father or American Gothic Literature
Why does the narrator decide to kill the old man?
Because he believes his eye looks like a vulture's eye and it's evil.
How might you describe the narrator's behavior of spying on the old man each night?
He suffers from obsession
What does "gesticulations" mean?
Energetic arm, or hand movements.
What does "profound" mean?
Profound means great, or deep
Why did Poe struggle as a writer?
Because of his gambling addiction that left him broke.
How many nights does the narrator watch the old man before killing him?
7 nights (on night 8, he kills him)
How might you describe the narrator's attitude when he talks with the police?
He is overconfident
What does "derision" mean?
Derision means contempt, or ridicule.
What does the old man's eye symbolize?
The eye symbolizes the narrator's insanity, as well as his fears.
What are topics that Edgar Allan Poe mostly wrote about?
Madness, grief, guilt, death
What does the narrator do with the body after he kills the old man?
Cuts up his body and stuffs it underneath the floorboards
What ultimately leads the narrator to confess his crime?
His own guilt
What does "dissimulation" mean?
Dissimulation means to hide one's true feelings, or purposes
List 3 words to describe the mood of the story.
(answer up to Miss W's discretion)
What is one tragedy that Poe faced in his lifetime?
Possible answers:
-his parents died at a young age
-the love of his life left him for another man
-he had a gambling addiction
-his wife died of tuberculosis
What causes the narrator to confess to the crime?
The sound of the beating heart drives him to confess
Is the narrator a protagonist, or an antagonist?
He is technically the protagonist (main character), but he behaves like his own antagonist since he creates the conflict himself.
What does "sagacity" mean?
Sagacity means to have high intelligence, or sound judgment.
Use the following vocabulary word in a sentence, in relation to its definition: profound
(Answer up to Miss W's discretion)
Definition: great, or deep