O Coração Tell-Tale de 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.

Perguntas Frequentes Sobre The Tell-Tale Heart, de Edgar Allan Poe

Quem é o personagem principal de “The Tell-Tale Heart”?

O narrador da história e o personagem principal nunca são identificados por completo. Sua insistência na própria sanidade e no relato meticuloso, até mesmo obsessivo, do crime que cometeram o diferenciam. Os alunos podem se concentrar mais na mentalidade e na personalidade do narrador, em vez de em sua aparência física e experiência, para compreender suas motivações e objetivos.

Que conflito está no cerne de “The Tell-Tale Heart”?

A batalha que o narrador trava internamente é o principal conflito do romance. Entre a necessidade de demonstrar a sua sanidade e o remorso pelo crime que cometeu, ele está dividido. Os alunos podem discutir as tendências sociopatas do narrador e a razão pela qual ele está lutando consigo mesmo.

Por que o narrador de “The Tell-Tale Heart” deseja assassinar o idoso?

O olho de abutre do velho é o foco da atenção do narrador, o que ele considera revoltante e interpreta como um sinal da depravação do velho. No final, sua fixação os leva ao assassinato.