Author: (Mrs. Chesser)hiEdgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 in Massachusetts, the son of two stage actors. Both of his parents died before he turned three, possibly explaining the fascination with death present in his work. His father abandoned the family shortly before he died in 1811, and months later his mother died of tuberculosis, often called the red death because the bacterial infection in the lungs causes you to repeatedly cough up blood. However, Poe, as a teenager who enjoyed relating fanciful tales, often told the story that his stage actor parents died in a theater fire. Taken in by a foster family in Virginia, Poe eventually entered the University of Virginia to study Latin and poetry. Angered by Poe’s gambling debts, his foster father refused to help him financially. Poe dropped out of school, entered the army, and eventually was admitted to West Point Academy. Dismissed from the Academy after one year, Poe moved in with his aunt in 1831 and married her daughter, his thirteen-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm, in 1836. The couple moved to New York where Poe began his career as a writer. After his wife Virginia died of tuberculosis at age 24, Poe suffered a deep depression and began drinking heavily. Two years later in 1849, he was found unconscious in a street in Baltimore, Maryland and died later in the hospital. He was only forty years old. Controversy surrounds the cause of his death: there are conflicting reports that he died of alcoholism, suicide, murder, or various diseases. Edgar Allen Poe wrote to his siblings and saying "the past few years I never knew any of you guys but it was hard to get to your places" Setting: (Annie, Sarah, Natalie)Place:1. Where generally is the story set? (If the story is science fiction, you may need to begin with the planet. Ordinarily the country or city is a good starting point.) doesn't specify: im guessing on the earth2. What are the more specific settings? (You may find locations as specific as particular rooms.) in the old man's house, the old man is in his bed, sleeping when the narrator comes sneaks in to try to kill him3. Which is the principal setting? In the old man's bedroom, which is the main place where everything happens4. How does awareness of place affect the way you read the story?it affects the way you read the story because since it is taken place in the man's house and specifically his bedroom, it gives the feeling that the murderer was close to the old man yet still kills him: "His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness" (pg. 2)
Time:1. What is the general time period of the story? (The century might be a good starting point.) 1800s- merely a speculation2. What is the more specific time period? (You may be able to narrow to an hour.)It is in the middle of the night from before 11:00 - about 4:00am3. How does awareness of time affect the way you read the story?Yes, because the story is set in the middle of the night, which makes it a lot "creepier" to imagine as a reader. Considering the tone of the author is relatively creepy, the place and time also added to the overall strangeness of the story.
The setting of "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poeadds to the atmosphere and feel of the story. The reader can assume from the story that the narrator is the old man's caretaker, so they probably live together. The story is set inside this house. More specifically, the majority of the story takes place inside the old man's bedroom. The murder of the old man and the hiding of his body take place there. He also brings the police officersto the room when they come to investigate. Since the murder takes place in the old man's bedroom, it adds a feeling of distrust from the narrator. This is because the narrator almost invades the privacy of the old man when the old man trusted him.The time period of the storyis probablythe eighteenth or early nineteenth century. The reader can deduce this because the narrator describes the use of a lantern which is not common in modern day. The "Tell-Tale Heart" also uses language that suggests an earlier time period such as "hearken" and "fancy". The entire story takes place at night from around eleven p.m. until four a.m. The fact that the story takes place at night makes it more terrifying to the viewer. The murder itself and the tone of the author is creepy, but for the story to take place late at night adds to the overall eeriness of the story. The knowledge that the story takes place in the comfort of someone's home makes the story more relatable to the reader's own life. Overall, the time and place of the short story adds a lot to objective of the story.
Character/s: (Katherine, Lauren) The story, "The Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe, consists of two main characters, the narrator, and an old man. The narrator is a round character who is able to be interpreted in many ways. The reader does not know his or her name or background. The narrator tells the reader that he or she has a disease but repeats multiple times throughout the story that he or she is not mad. The narrator claims to have the ablity to hear sounds "in heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell" (Poe 1). The characteristics of the narrator appear to be those of most typical villians in stories: dishonest, insane, and untrustworthy. As the story continues and the old man is murdered, the narrator begins to feel guilty for his or her actions. His or her guilt progresses to the point where it is unbearable for the narrator and he or she cracks, and confesses the crime to the police. Another character in the story is the old man. The old man can be described as both a round and a flat character. He can be described as round because he is a main character but all we know about him is what the narator wants the reader to know. The only characteristic that can be assumed about the old man is the fact that he is brave. The old man is not described in detail by the narrator; therefore, making it hard for the reader to be able to depict him. There are also some minor characters in the story. The police officers are flat characters in the story. They are only described a little, but from the plot the reader is able to interpret that the officers are friendly and polite. Another flat character is the neighbor who ran to get the police. Although he or she is only mentioned once, he or she is still considered a character. Lastly, the old man's eye, referred to as the "vulture eye", is described in such depth that it almost seems like a character itself.
Plot: (Madeleine, Susannah, Arsema) 1. How would you summarize the plot as a sequence of causes and effects? The vulture eye reminds him of something he may have done or caused in his past, he sees a relfection of himself in the eye, which causes him to end up killing the old man in order to get rid of the eye.
2. Who is the protagonist of the story? The protagonist is the narrator, the mad man.
3. How would you summarize the plot in terms of the protagonist’s goal and the conflicts he or she becomes involved with? The protagonists' main goal was to get rid of the eye. After spending 7 nights watching the old man sleep, because he could not get rid of him while he was asleep since the eye was not open, he finally killed him when he woke up on the 8th night. So he did accomplish getting rid of the eye but when the police come the guilt mixed with his senses is too much. So he admits to the murder and probably ended up getting locked up somewhere, but we are never told for sure what happens. Conflict: (Clara, Katie C.)A very deranged man, the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe, possesses great internal conflict and drives the story with struggles within his “mad” mind. A great example of the internal conflict is the way he feels the need to convince himself of his own sanity. When he defines the word “mad” to mean “unwise”, he is comforting himself by telling himself that he is very wise so he could not be mad. If characterized, the conflict of the story would be man versus himself because the only clashing viewpoints are his own. Also, there is rising conflict due to his acute senses. Everything he sees, hears, or senses irritates him to a point where he cannot have any clear thoughts. The conflict within the narrator is greatest during the police officers visit in the home. As the narrator begins to hear the beating heart of the dead old man, he becomes more nervous. His sharp senses along with his rising guilt overwhelm his mind and cause him to become panicked. As the heart beat grows louder he is thrust into emotions which are unfamiler to him: fear, rage, desperation, and (the most overwhelming) guilt. As all these emotions crash down upon him he becomes sufficated by the beating of the heart. In an attempt to rid himself of the agony he grabs the chair upon which he was sitting (directly above the floor boards where the old man's body lay) and throws it across the room. Screaming at the police he admits to murdering the old man. Unfortunantly admitting his wrong doings did not solve his internal conflict. By society standard's he is still "mad". His disease is one not of the body, but of the mind, so he will never be truely cured. His brain and senses are more tuned than that of a normal person's: therefore the has the ability to rationalise any situation, including murder. The two parts of him will always be in conflict; his "sane" part of him will feel regret and the "insane" part will always be able to rationalize the murder. His internal conflict will never be solved. Theme: (Katie J., Emily, Kennan)In the short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart", the theme was how the human mind distorts reality. The narrator shows this in his obsession with the eye and how it is evil. To the narrator, the eye is no ordinary human eye. He obbsesses over the eye and ends up killing the old man just to get rid of what he calls the "vulture eye". They eye becomes all he can think about and it basically takes over his mind. This madness also shows when he thinks he hears the heart beating, but it is really just imagined in his head.The mind distorts all of these circumstances and creates havoc within the person. Another theme in "The Tell-Tale Heart", is the narrator's guilty consious. After killing the old man, the narrator trys to convince the reader, and perhaps himself, that his actions were sane and justified. He denies his madness and trys to prove his sanity by showing how wise he was in killing the old man. He had no motive for murdering the old man, and even loved him. It was his madness that caused him to kill the old man, and although he doesnt say so, he subconsciously feels guilty about murdering the old man. In the end, his guilt is unbearable and is symbolized in the imagined beating of the heart. This guilt drives the narrator into confessing his crime to the police. He couldn't stand the sound of the heart in his mind and told us, the reader, that he would die if he didn't scream the confession of the murder to the police. Symbolism: (Mary Catherine, Alyson, Neelie) In the short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart", Edgar Allan Poe uses many examples of sybolism. One of the first examples of symbolism is the old man's eye. The narrator refers to the eye in several different ways: the Evil Eye, the vulture eye, and the eye. In the story, Poe uses the eye to symbolize "I", or the narrator. The narrator is upset with what part of him or herself that he or she feels the the eye can see. This discomfort provokes the narrator to kill the old man so as to eliminate the feeling of scrutinous examined by the eye. He or she feels the vulture eye can see everything the narrator has done or has thought about doing. He or she is pushed to the point of doing his or her best to get rid of the eye, even if that means killing the eye's owner, the old man. Another example of symbolism in the story is the old man's heart. The narrator has a disease that has sharpened his senses, and this disease allows him to hear sounds in the earth, in heaven, and in hell. Before the narrator commits the deed, the narrator starts to hear a beating and concludes it is the beating of the old man’s heart. After the narrator dismembers the old man’s corpse, the sound of the heart beating quickens and becomes louder. The heart beating represents a guilt that the narrator possesses. Even though he tries to dehumanize the old man throughout the story, he is overcome with the pressure of the crime he just committed. When the police officers come, the beating of the heart vexes him even more. The beating becomes even more unbearable after the police sit down, and the narrator confesses to the police officers. The beating of the heart can also represent the terror and excitement the narrator feels while he is trying to destroy the eye.Another example of symbolism is Poe's use of death watches in the plot. In the story, while observing the old man during the night, the narrator states that the old man sits up in bed "hearkening to the eath watches in the wall". Death watches, which are small beetles that make a constant ticking sound, are associated with death in many cultures; therefore, death watches are a symbol of death in and of themsevles.However, in the story, the death watches specifically represent the old man's life ticking away. The fact that the narrator assumes that the old man is listening to the death watches is also significant. This fact is important because it symbolizes the narrator's mind subconsiously designating tonight as the night of the old man's death. The fact that the narrator assumes that the old man is listening to the death watches symbolizes the narrator's obsession with death. The narrator assumes that death consumes all humans' minds, which illustrates the human nature of projecting one's emotion onto others. Yet another example of symbolism is the way in which the narrator refers to the old man with whom he lives. He always refers to the man simply as "the old man", never by name. This symbolizes the need to dehumanize people before they can kill them. By calling his victim by the general name of "the old man", the narrator allows himself to mentally classify the old man as an object instead of a living human being. The way in which the narrator conceals the body also symbolizes this aspect of human nature. The narrator chooses to dismember the body, thus taking away the visual appearance of the victim being human. Once again, this allows the narrator to force his mind to think of the old man as simply an object rather than an innocent human life that he so needlessly took. In the story, "A Tell-Tale Heart", Poe uses to symbolism in many examples through out the plot to add an extra level of depth for the reader.
Setting: (Annie, Sarah, Natalie)Place:1. Where generally is the story set? (If the story is science fiction, you may need to begin with the planet. Ordinarily the country or city is a good starting point.) doesn't specify: im guessing on the earth2. What are the more specific settings? (You may find locations as specific as particular rooms.) in the old man's house, the old man is in his bed, sleeping when the narrator comes sneaks in to try to kill him3. Which is the principal setting? In the old man's bedroom, which is the main place where everything happens4. How does awareness of place affect the way you read the story?it affects the way you read the story because since it is taken place in the man's house and specifically his bedroom, it gives the feeling that the murderer was close to the old man yet still kills him: "His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness" (pg. 2)
Time:1. What is the general time period of the story? (The century might be a good starting point.) 1800s- merely a speculation2. What is the more specific time period? (You may be able to narrow to an hour.)It is in the middle of the night from before 11:00 - about 4:00am3. How does awareness of time affect the way you read the story?Yes, because the story is set in the middle of the night, which makes it a lot "creepier" to imagine as a reader. Considering the tone of the author is relatively creepy, the place and time also added to the overall strangeness of the story.
The setting of "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe adds to the atmosphere and feel of the story. The reader can assume from the story that the narrator is the old man's caretaker, so they probably live together. The story is set inside this house. More specifically, the majority of the story takes place inside the old man's bedroom. The murder of the old man and the hiding of his body take place there. He also brings the police officers to the room when they come to investigate. Since the murder takes place in the old man's bedroom, it adds a feeling of distrust from the narrator. This is because the narrator almost invades the privacy of the old man when the old man trusted him. The time period of the story is probably the eighteenth or early nineteenth century. The reader can deduce this because the narrator describes the use of a lantern which is not common in modern day. The "Tell-Tale Heart" also uses language that suggests an earlier time period such as "hearken" and "fancy". The entire story takes place at night from around eleven p.m. until four a.m. The fact that the story takes place at night makes it more terrifying to the viewer. The murder itself and the tone of the author is creepy, but for the story to take place late at night adds to the overall eeriness of the story. The knowledge that the story takes place in the comfort of someone's home makes the story more relatable to the reader's own life. Overall, the time and place of the short story adds a lot to objective of the story.
Character/s: (Katherine, Lauren)
The story, "The Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe, consists of two main characters, the narrator, and an old man. The narrator is a round character who is able to be interpreted in many ways. The reader does not know his or her name or background. The narrator tells the reader that he or she has a disease but repeats multiple times throughout the story that he or she is not mad. The narrator claims to have the ablity to hear sounds "in heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell" (Poe 1). The characteristics of the narrator appear to be those of most typical villians in stories: dishonest, insane, and untrustworthy. As the story continues and the old man is murdered, the narrator begins to feel guilty for his or her actions. His or her guilt progresses to the point where it is unbearable for the narrator and he or she cracks, and confesses the crime to the police. Another character in the story is the old man. The old man can be described as both a round and a flat character. He can be described as round because he is a main character but all we know about him is what the narator wants the reader to know. The only characteristic that can be assumed about the old man is the fact that he is brave. The old man is not described in detail by the narrator; therefore, making it hard for the reader to be able to depict him. There are also some minor characters in the story. The police officers are flat characters in the story. They are only described a little, but from the plot the reader is able to interpret that the officers are friendly and polite. Another flat character is the neighbor who ran to get the police. Although he or she is only mentioned once, he or she is still considered a character. Lastly, the old man's eye, referred to as the "vulture eye", is described in such depth that it almost seems like a character itself.
Plot: (Madeleine, Susannah, Arsema)
1. How would you summarize the plot as a sequence of causes and effects? The vulture eye reminds him of something he may have done or caused in his past, he sees a relfection of himself in the eye, which causes him to end up killing the old man in order to get rid of the eye.
2. Who is the protagonist of the story? The protagonist is the narrator, the mad man.
3. How would you summarize the plot in terms of the protagonist’s goal and the conflicts he or she becomes involved with? The protagonists' main goal was to get rid of the eye. After spending 7 nights watching the old man sleep, because he could not get rid of him while he was asleep since the eye was not open, he finally killed him when he woke up on the 8th night. So he did accomplish getting rid of the eye but when the police come the guilt mixed with his senses is too much. So he admits to the murder and probably ended up getting locked up somewhere, but we are never told for sure what happens.
Conflict: (Clara, Katie C.)A very deranged man, the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe, possesses great internal conflict and drives the story with struggles within his “mad” mind. A great example of the internal conflict is the way he feels the need to convince himself of his own sanity. When he defines the word “mad” to mean “unwise”, he is comforting himself by telling himself that he is very wise so he could not be mad. If characterized, the conflict of the story would be man versus himself because the only clashing viewpoints are his own. Also, there is rising conflict due to his acute senses. Everything he sees, hears, or senses irritates him to a point where he cannot have any clear thoughts.
The conflict within the narrator is greatest during the police officers visit in the home. As the narrator begins to hear the beating heart of the dead old man, he becomes more nervous. His sharp senses along with his rising guilt overwhelm his mind and cause him to become panicked. As the heart beat grows louder he is thrust into emotions which are unfamiler to him: fear, rage, desperation, and (the most overwhelming) guilt. As all these emotions crash down upon him he becomes sufficated by the beating of the heart. In an attempt to rid himself of the agony he grabs the chair upon which he was sitting (directly above the floor boards where the old man's body lay) and throws it across the room. Screaming at the police he admits to murdering the old man. Unfortunantly admitting his wrong doings did not solve his internal conflict. By society standard's he is still "mad". His disease is one not of the body, but of the mind, so he will never be truely cured. His brain and senses are more tuned than that of a normal person's: therefore the has the ability to rationalise any situation, including murder. The two parts of him will always be in conflict; his "sane" part of him will feel regret and the "insane" part will always be able to rationalize the murder. His internal conflict will never be solved.
Theme: (Katie J., Emily, Kennan)In the short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart", the theme was how the human mind distorts reality. The narrator shows this in his obsession with the eye and how it is evil. To the narrator, the eye is no ordinary human eye. He obbsesses over the eye and ends up killing the old man just to get rid of what he calls the "vulture eye". They eye becomes all he can think about and it basically takes over his mind. This madness also shows when he thinks he hears the heart beating, but it is really just imagined in his head.The mind distorts all of these circumstances and creates havoc within the person. Another theme in "The Tell-Tale Heart", is the narrator's guilty consious. After killing the old man, the narrator trys to convince the reader, and perhaps himself, that his actions were sane and justified. He denies his madness and trys to prove his sanity by showing how wise he was in killing the old man. He had no motive for murdering the old man, and even loved him. It was his madness that caused him to kill the old man, and although he doesnt say so, he subconsciously feels guilty about murdering the old man. In the end, his guilt is unbearable and is symbolized in the imagined beating of the heart. This guilt drives the narrator into confessing his crime to the police. He couldn't stand the sound of the heart in his mind and told us, the reader, that he would die if he didn't scream the confession of the murder to the police.
Symbolism: (Mary Catherine, Alyson, Neelie) In the short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart", Edgar Allan Poe uses many examples of sybolism. One of the first examples of symbolism is the old man's eye. The narrator refers to the eye in several different ways: the Evil Eye, the vulture eye, and the eye. In the story, Poe uses the eye to symbolize "I", or the narrator. The narrator is upset with what part of him or herself that he or she feels the the eye can see. This discomfort provokes the narrator to kill the old man so as to eliminate the feeling of scrutinous examined by the eye. He or she feels the vulture eye can see everything the narrator has done or has thought about doing. He or she is pushed to the point of doing his or her best to get rid of the eye, even if that means killing the eye's owner, the old man. Another example of symbolism in the story is the old man's heart. The narrator has a disease that has sharpened his senses, and this disease allows him to hear sounds in the earth, in heaven, and in hell. Before the narrator commits the deed, the narrator starts to hear a beating and concludes it is the beating of the old man’s heart. After the narrator dismembers the old man’s corpse, the sound of the heart beating quickens and becomes louder. The heart beating represents a guilt that the narrator possesses. Even though he tries to dehumanize the old man throughout the story, he is overcome with the pressure of the crime he just committed. When the police officers come, the beating of the heart vexes him even more. The beating becomes even more unbearable after the police sit down, and the narrator confesses to the police officers. The beating of the heart can also represent the terror and excitement the narrator feels while he is trying to destroy the eye.Another example of symbolism is Poe's use of death watches in the plot. In the story, while observing the old man during the night, the narrator states that the old man sits up in bed "hearkening to the eath watches in the wall". Death watches, which are small beetles that make a constant ticking sound, are associated with death in many cultures; therefore, death watches are a symbol of death in and of themsevles.However, in the story, the death watches specifically represent the old man's life ticking away. The fact that the narrator assumes that the old man is listening to the death watches is also significant. This fact is important because it symbolizes the narrator's mind subconsiously designating tonight as the night of the old man's death. The fact that the narrator assumes that the old man is listening to the death watches symbolizes the narrator's obsession with death. The narrator assumes that death consumes all humans' minds, which illustrates the human nature of projecting one's emotion onto others. Yet another example of symbolism is the way in which the narrator refers to the old man with whom he lives. He always refers to the man simply as "the old man", never by name. This symbolizes the need to dehumanize people before they can kill them. By calling his victim by the general name of "the old man", the narrator allows himself to mentally classify the old man as an object instead of a living human being. The way in which the narrator conceals the body also symbolizes this aspect of human nature. The narrator chooses to dismember the body, thus taking away the visual appearance of the victim being human. Once again, this allows the narrator to force his mind to think of the old man as simply an object rather than an innocent human life that he so needlessly took. In the story, "A Tell-Tale Heart", Poe uses to symbolism in many examples through out the plot to add an extra level of depth for the reader.