Summary
Summary Tell Tale Heart Analysis
These questions shown + answered provides a deeper understanding of "The Tell Tale Heart" and the reasoning for Poe's craft.
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
Seller
Follow
Content preview
English IIIVoices from the American Edge : "The Tell-Tale Heart"
Tone Analysis
20 Points
Name: Maya Bradford
Part One: Remember and Understand
1. Provide a short summary of what happens in the story.
An unnamed narrator confesses that he has murdered an old man, apparently because of the old man’s
weird and “Evil eye” which drove the narrator to kill him. He then describes how he crept into the old
man’s bedroom while he slept and stabbed him, dragging the body away and dismembering it. He goes
to some lengths to cover up all trace of the murder, he even caught his victim’s blood in a tub, so that
none was spilt anywhere, and then he takes up three of the floorboards of the chamber, and conceals his
victim’s body underneath. But no sooner has he concealed the body than there’s a knock at the door: it’s
the police, having been called out by a neighbor who heard a scream during the night. The narrator lets
the police officers in to search the premises, and tells them a lie about the old man being away in the
country. He keeps his calm while showing them around, until they go and sit down in the room below
which the victim’s body is held. The narrator and the police officers talk, but gradually the narrator
begins to hear a ringing in his ears, a noise that becomes louder and more defined. He believes that it is
the beating of the dead man’s heart, taunting him from beyond the grave. Eventually, he can’t stand it
any more, and tells the police to tear up the floorboards, the sound of the old man’s beating heart
driving him to confess his crime.
2. In your opinion, are the narrator's intentions good or bad? What evidence in the story supports your
answer?
I think the narrator's intentions were good but they were shadowed by his mental health. This is
supported by how nervous he is when he says he is “very dreadfully nervous “. One can tell that he is
very paranoid and not doing well mentally and physically. Mentally, he can't tell what is real and what
isn't. He believes his sickness has increased his hearing abilities, shown in the part of the story where he
believes he can hear the heart of the old man beating under the floor. In reality, I think it was just his
heartbeat due to the fact that he was very paranoid.
Part Two: Apply
1. Fill out the chart below to better understand the persona of the narrator.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller mayab2. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £6.87. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
62890 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now