where writers use objects, characters, or elements in their work, to represent deeper ideas and themes

the idea that people are morally-judged by a higher, spiritual being

if something recurs, it repeatedly occurs - it keeps happening

when someone wrongfully enters a space they shouldn’t be - this can be physical or metaphorical space

Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

English

In 'A Monster Within', pupils explore extracts from Gothic fiction. In 'Gothic Poetry', pupils apply this learning to the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.

In 'The Twisted Tree', pupils are introduced to the Gothic genre. In 'A Monster Within', pupils explore Gothic motifs in a range of more challenging texts.

In this unit, pupils explore the Gothic. They start by learning what the Gothic is, before reading extracts from 'Frankenstein' and 'Jane Eyre', practising descriptive writing and reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'. They finally learn how to write opinion articles and then write their own.

A monster within: reading and writing Gothic fiction

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of serious mental health issues including eating disorders, self-harm, suicide or attempted suicide, or the aftermath of such an event.

Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Which of the following is not a theme in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?

eyes represent a lack of clarity - what the narrator cannot see

eyes represent hatred and fear because the narrator hates the old man

eyes represent moral or spiritual judgement and this frightens the narrator

eyes represent truth and the idea of seeing someone for who they truly are

eyes represent guidance and support, as the eye guides the narrator

Which of the following are explanations of the symbolism of eyes in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?

"here, here!—It is the beating of his hideous heart!”

"dull blue with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones"

"it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye"

Which of the following quotations from 'The Tell-Tale Heart' best supports the idea that the old man's eye symbolises spiritual judgement?

Which of the following does the sound of the beating heart in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' not symbolise?

that guilt is fleeting and passes with time

that guilt is an emotion that everybody has to experience in their life

that guilt is an emotion that can be ignored in the moment

that guilt is inescapable and will haunt a person 

that guilt always drives a person to insanity

If the beating heart in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' represents the narrator's guilt, then what point might Poe be trying to suggest about guilt?

to make their text more sophisticated and impressive

to make the reading experience more multi-sensory for the reader

to reveal hidden or deeper meanings to the reader

to reflect the various characters in the story

in the beginning when he spies on the old man

when he sneaks into the old man's room and is hiding in wait to kill him

when the police first arrive at the house, just after he has killed the old man

when the police have sat down and are conversing with the narrator

At which points in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' does the narrator hear the beating heart of the old man?

Which words are used to describe the old man's eye in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?

to enter somewhere you are not supposed to be

to say something you are not supposed to say

to move something away from its correct home

Robbers intrude on people's homes. What might 'to intrude' mean?

he hits him over the head with a floor board

How does the narrator in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' murder the old man?

"But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed."

"Oh God! what could I do? I foamed—I raved—I swore!"

"Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. "

"You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution"

Which of the following quotations best shows the narrator's hysteria and loss of control in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'? 

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of serious crime

Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Adult supervision required

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.