the tell tale heart guided objective summary/comprehension guide answers

The Tell-Tale Heart

37 pages • 1 hour read

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Summary and Study Guide

Summary: “the tell-tale heart”.

“The Tell-Tale Heart” is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s best-known short stories, first published in The Pioneer in January 1843. The work is written in the Gothic horror style from the second-person point of view . It has been adapted multiple times for various media, starting with a 1928 movie of the same name.

Originally, the story included an epigraph with a stanza from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1838 poem “A Psalm of Life,” subtitled “What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist”:

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Art is long, and Time is fleeting,

   And our hearts, though stout and brave,

Still, like muffled drums, are beating

   Funeral marches to the grave.

The epigraph was removed from later editions due to Poe’s repeated accusations of plagiarism against Longfellow.

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The unnamed narrator begins by addressing an unknown interlocutor directly, confessing to the murder of an old man in whose house the narrator used to live. The narrator’s age and gender, and their relationship to the victim, are unclear. The confession is meant to convince the unknown interlocutor of the criminal’s sanity, but it has the opposite effect. The narrator confesses to feeling compelled to commit murder by the old man’s single “pale blue eye,” the eye of a “vulture” with a white film over it (Paragraph 2). The murderer calls it an “Evil Eye” and is obsessed with getting rid of it (Paragraph 4), despite claiming they loved the old man , who never mistreated them.

Before committing the murder, seven nights in a row, at midnight, the narrator cautiously and slowly opens the door to the man’s bedroom and shines a single ray of light on his sleeping eye, which remains closed each night. Since the narrator hates the eye, not the man, they keep postponing the terrible deed.

On the eighth night, the narrator’s actions wake the old man up. The murderer does not withdraw, as it is completely dark in the room and they remain invisible. The old man asks who is there, but the narrator remains silent, enjoying a sense of power over the other man. The two men remain in a stalemate for an hour, the narrator waiting and reveling in their knowledge, the old man trying but failing to calm himself. Upon hearing a sound like a groan of fear, the narrator imagines with relish how the old man experiences his fear.

Finally, the murderer opens the lantern so a very small ray of light illuminates the open evil eye. The narrator believes that at this moment the old man’s heartbeat becomes audible, like the ticking of a watch “enveloped in cotton” (Paragraph 11). The murderer continues waiting, shining the light onto the eye, while the heartbeat grows progressively louder. Afraid that the neighbors might hear the noise, the narrator suddenly opens the lantern all the way and jumps into the room. The old man shouts in terror. The criminal drags him to the floor and covers him with the bed. The heart keeps beating erratically for a while, but eventually stops, and the narrator uncovers the body. The old man is “stone dead,” and his eye will no longer trouble the murderer (Paragraph 12).

The narrator recounts dismembering the body, cutting off the head and extremities first. They hide the body parts under the floor planks. There is no evidence left, since all the blood has been caught in the tub. At that moment, there is a knock on the door.

Three policemen have come to inquire about a shout a neighbor heard during the night. The narrator is calm, as there is nothing to fear. They invite the policemen to come in and search the premises, including the old man’s bedroom. The narrator even brings in chairs and bids the men to sit and rest. The murderer places their own chair on top of the planks hiding the body parts. Seemingly satisfied that everything is in order, the officers begin chatting. The narrator suddenly starts feeling unwell, suffering a headache and ringing ears. The murderer starts talking, trying to get rid of the unpleasant sensation, but the ringing continues. Eventually the narrator realizes it sounds like the ticking of a watch covered in cotton.

The narrator tries to mask the noise by talking loudly and rapidly, getting up and gesticulating. They pace, while raving, going as far as taking the chair and grating it over the floorboards. The policemen continue smiling and talking. The narrator believes that they, too, hear the noise and know about the crime, and are simply feigning ignorance. This leads to the murderer losing their cool and confessing, telling the policemen to tear up the planks where the old man’s heart is still beating.

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"The Tell-Tale Heart" Study Questions with Answers

• Trent Lorcher
• Categories : Literature study guides and chapter summaries
• Tags : Homework help & study guides

Study Questions

In case you haven’t already read the famous short story, you can find the full text of “The Tell-Tale Heart” here .

Question : What does the story’s title mean?

Answer : The story’s title refers to the beating heart that eventually drives the narrator to confess his crime. The reader is led to believe it is the beating of the old man’s heart he hears, an impossibility, considering the old man has been murdered and dismembered, leaving three possibilities: (1) the narrator is insane; (2) the narrator feels guilt over the crime and hears his own heart; (3) both.

Question : The narrator claims he is not mad. What evidence do we have that he is?

Answer : (1) He murders an old man because of his “vulture eye”; (2) He hears sounds from hell; (3) He dismembers the dead man’s corpse; (4) He hears the beating of a dead man’s heart; (5) He is paranoid; (6) He is “nervous–very, very dreadfully nervous.”

Question : What does the narrator do with the dead man’s body?

Answer : The narrator dismembers the body and carefully places it under a few floor boards in the old man’s room. He’s confident that his crime will not be discovered, even inviting the investigator to sit on a chair directly above the dead body.

Question : Why does the narrator want to kill the old man?

Answer : I’ll let him tell you: “Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this!” (172). Okay.

Question : The narrator visits the old man’s bedroom every night for seven nights before killing him on the eighth night. What finally causes him to commit the act?

Answer : He hears the old man’s heart. The narrator says, “It was the beating of the old man’s heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into rage…the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant…I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me–the sound would be heard by a neighbor! The old man’s hour had come!” (174-5). Okay.

Question : The two controlling symbols in the story are the eye and the heart. What might these two symbols represent?

Answer : The old man’s eye is “pale blue, with a film over it,” indicating a lack of visual clarity and reliability. In this sense the eye symbolizes the narrator insomuch that all the information we receive comes through his distorted mind, much in the same way everything the old man sees is filtered through his distorted eye. Furthermore, the story is told through the narrator’s perspective, who claims his actions are on account of the distorted eye, which suggests the point of view is literally and symbolically filtered through the old man’s eye. Traditionally the heart symbolizes the emotional center of the individual. In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” it symbolizes the narrator’s guilt.

Question : Give examples of how Poe creates suspense in the story?

Answer : (1) Foreshadowing - “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.” (172). Pacing - the narrator describes the murder over several pages; (3) Dangerous Action - the narrator invites the police officer to sit directly above the dead body.

• Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Tell-Tale Heart.” The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales . New York: Signet, 1998. 172-177.

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Edgar allan poe, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe — Short Story Literary Analysis

Description

This  reading guide for “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe  includes an anticipation guide for students to complete before reading, comprehension/recall questions for during reading, and literary analysis, text-dependent questions for after reading.

Students will analyze:

• point of view
• unreliable narrator
• author’s language

Answer key included as well as an EDITABLE copy for teachers.

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"the tell-tale heart", written by edgar allan poe.

This is one of Poe's more accessible works. When I teach this text, I tend to play up the insanity of the narrator. It makes for a pretty good hook. This is also a good text to study when discussing the reliability of the narrator. Warning: This text contains a murder and may be unsuitable for some audiences. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 5-9.

Readability Score for "The Tell-Tale Heart"

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“The Tell-Tale Heart” Lesson Plans, Summary, and Analysis

The following manuscript was discovered in the files of Usher High School.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain.  I loved the old man.  He had never wronged me.  He had always given me great lesson plans for “The Tell-Tale Heart” and other short stories .  For his “Tell-Tale Heart” lesson plans or “Tell-Tale Heart” summary I had no desire.  I think it was his eye!  Yes, it was this!  He had the eye of a bird, a vulture — a pale blue eye, with a film over it.  Whenever it fell on me, my blood ran cold; and so — very slowly — I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and free myself of the eye forever and now that I think about it, I will steal the old vulture-eye’s “Tell-Tale Heart” lesson plans.

The manuscript suddenly ends but attached to it were these “Tell-Tale Heart” lesson plans, summary, and analysis.

Summary of “The Tell Tale Heart”

Don’t get buried under floor boards of stress trying to come up with a great “Tell-Tale Heart” unit plan . This one has common-core aligned lesson plans, graphic organizers with answer keys, common core aligned essay rubrics, a quiz, everything you see on this page, and my charm and wit. This unit is made by real teachers, not a bunch of publishing company suits sitting in a hotel room pretending to be teachers.

He then mentions why he kills this old man. It’s not because he wants the old man’s money or because he dislikes the old man. It’s because of the old man’s eye.

The narrator peers into the old man’s room for seven consecutive nights but is unable to complete the murder because the old man’s eye is shut. On the eighth night, the eye is open. Adding to the horror of the narrator is the beating of the old man’s heart, which seems abnormally loud. The narrator, unable to hold off any longer smothers the man and kills him.

The narrator insists he’s not mad.

He then relates how he cuts off the man’s head, arms, and legs. He hides the body under the floor boards.

The police arrive. The man calmly sets up chairs directly over the dead body under the floor boards. He sits calmly and the police are satisfied with the narrator’s responses. But the police won’t leave.

The man hears the beating of the man’s heart and starts to pace. Unable to take it any longer, he confesses to the crime.

If you’re looking to do a Poe Unit but don’t want the suspense of wondering if your lesson plans are Poe-worthy, then check out the Poe bundle , which contains complete teaching units for “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” We also threw in a non-Poe unit plan that captures the essence of Poe, “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs. You get all 5 units for just $12.95.

“Tell-Tale Heart” Analysis

Here are some items you may wish to discuss as you read or after you read “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

• Edgar Allan Poe is a master of suspense . Discuss how he uses foreshadowing, pacing, and dangerous action to create suspense.
• The narrator is clearly insane, yet claims he isn’t.
• Sensory Details and Imagery . The description of the eye is chilling, but it’s the sound imagery that sets this classic apart.
• Sound Devices . Poe uses repetition and other sound devices masterfully to create a suspenseful mood.
• The man’s heart and the man’s eye are obvious symbols . Can you identify others?
• Point of View . The narrator is obviously unreliable. How would the story be different with a reliable narrator?

Lesson Ideas

• Point of View Lesson Plan. It’s the insane narrator that makes this tale so chilling…well that and the whole murdering the old man while he sleeps, cutting him up, hiding him under the floor boards, and hearing his heart beat while the police are sitting over the dead man. Imagine the story from a different point of view. You can rewrite the opening from a third-person point of view. It’ll probably sound different and boring.
• Imagery and Sound Devices Lesson. Imagery is often associated with sight. Limiting the study of imagery to sight eliminates four entire senses. Poe, in addition to being a master of suspense, is a master of sound devices. It’s time for a chart.
• Symbolism in “The Tell-Tale Heart .” Symbols include the eye, the heart, the watch, the lantern and the bedroom. I don’t pretend I don’t love charts, because I do. Charts and graphic organizers help students think critically and analyze. They also make great pre-writing for literary analysis and other writing assignments. Teach symbolism with a chart. Identify the symbol in one column and analyze it in another column.
• Themes in “The Tell – Tale Heart .” Themes in the Tell-Tale Heart involve versions of reality, cleverness and deceit, the home, mortality, and time. This is a simple assignment: (1) List themes in “The Tell-Tale Heart”; (2) Find specific evidence in the story to support each theme; (3) Write a theme analysis using the collected evidence.

Last Updated on February 27, 2016 by Trenton Lorcher

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"The Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe Quiz and Answer Key

Subject: English

Age range: 13 - 18

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

9 January 2024

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For many high school readers, horror and psychological fiction are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe features elements consistent with both genres: a psychotic protagonist trying to rationalize his thinking, the senseless killing of an innocent man, dramatic irony, and more. This multiple choice quiz covering “The Tell-Tale Heart” helps English teachers promote homework accountability, evaluate reading comprehension, and save time at home without sacrificing quality in the classroom. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:

• The alleged effects of the narrator’s fever the previous year
• The narrator’s motivations
• The narrator’s defense against claims of his being insane
• The duration of time it took for the narrator to kill the old man
• The reason the old man springs up in bed, awake
• The manner of the old man’s death
• The location of the old man’s remains
• The reason police are alerted to the scene of the crime
• The narrator’s initial reaction to the police’s arrival
• The narrator’s explanation for the old man’s disappearance
• The psychotic breakdown of the narrator
• How the police came to learn of the old man’s murder

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"The Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe Quiz and Close Reading Bundle

For many high school readers, horror and psychological fiction are genres that maximize engagement with literature. "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe features elements consistent with both genres: a psychotic protagonist trying to rationalize his thinking, the senseless killing of an innocent man, dramatic irony, and more. With this bundle of high school resources covering "The Tell-Tale Heart," English teachers will save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. Included are the following: a multiple choice, plot-based quiz; a close reading worksheet; a craft analysis exercise; a vocabulary application activity; a crossword puzzle; a word search game; the public domain narrative; and answer keys. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly. By engaging with these materials, students will: * Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly * Explore narrative techniques used to establish an unreliable narrator * Discern the function of a given passage * Explain how situational irony applies to a particular passage * Examine how complex characters think, behave, and interact * Compare and contrast characters * Determine the intended effect of figurative language as it is used in the text * Discern the tone of a given passage * Articulate the significance of the narrator's chair placement * Identify an example of literary callback and state its significance * Infer the nature of the relationship between the narrator and his victim * Analyze a detail for symbolism and make logical inferences about the narrator's subconscious motivations based on this analysis * Defend claims and ideas with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence * Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision

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