Den Tell-Tale Heart av Edgar Allan Poe

A Quick Synopsis of “The Tell-Tale Heart” (Contains Plot Spoilers)

The story begins with the unnamed narrator wanting to prove his sanity to the readers. He lived in the same building as an old man with a “vulture eye”. As the story progresses, the reader learns that the narrator has become upset by the old man’s eye, which is a piercing blue color, with a white film over it. Tension builds as the narrator describes how his obsession has taken over, and he plots to kill the old man to get rid of the eye's gaze. Each night, the narrator goes into the old man’s room as he sleeps, intending to kill him. He cannot do it when the man is asleep, because his eyes are shut, and he looks peaceful. One night, the narrator creeps in and startles the old man, who screams. As the narrator glares at the eye, he finally musters the strength to rid himself of the eye and smothers the old man with his mattress. The narrator meticulously hides the body under the floorboards.

Soon after, the police arrive because a neighbor heard a scream. The narrator covers up the incident by saying the old man is out of town, and that the scream came from him. As the police are looking around, the narrator begins to hear a peculiar ticking sound; he quickly becomes mad as the sound grows fiercer in his mind. To the narrator, he believes he is hearing the sound of the old man’s heart still beating, finally leading him to confess in a moment of insanity.

Essential Questions for “The Tell-Tale Heart”

1. What are ways that an author can build suspense?
2. How do effective writers create mood in their short stories?

Other Lesson Plan Ideas

1. Use storyboards to specifically show cause and effect in "The Tell-Tale Heart".
2. Create a storyboard just depicting the rising action to demonstrate how the author built suspense.
3. Add a presentation to any storyboard project.

Ofte Stilte Spørsmål om The Tell-Tale Heart av Edgar Allan Poe

Hvem er hovedpersonen i «The Tell-Tale Heart»?

Historiens forteller og hovedperson blir aldri identifisert i sin helhet. Hans insistering på deres egen fornuft og deres omhyggelige, til og med besettende, beretning om forbrytelsen de begikk skiller ham. Elevene kan fokusere mer på tankesett og personlighet til fortelleren i stedet for deres fysiske utseende og bakgrunn for å forstå motivasjonene og målene deres.

Hvilken konflikt er kjernen i «The Tell-Tale Heart»?

Kampen fortelleren har på innsiden er hovedkonflikten i romanen. Mellom hans behov for å demonstrere sin fornuft og hans anger for forbrytelsen han begått, er han splittet. Elevene kan diskutere de sosiopatiske tendensene til fortelleren og årsaken til at han sliter med seg selv.

Hvorfor ønsker fortelleren av "The Tell-Tale Heart" å myrde den eldre mannen?

Den gamle mannens gribblignende øye er i fokus for fortellerens oppmerksomhet, som han synes er opprørende og tolker som et tegn på den gamle mannens fordervelse. Til slutt fører fikseringen hans dem til drap.