New
New
Year 8
Planning a cohesive argument about 'The Tell-Tale Heart'
I can confidently plan a cohesive argument.
New
New
Year 8
Planning a cohesive argument about 'The Tell-Tale Heart'
I can confidently plan a cohesive argument.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Poe shows us how guilt drives the narrator further into insanity and delusion.
- Single paragraph outlines are useful for organising your ideas into a coherent structure.
- Single paragraph outlines contain a topic sentence, supporting detail and a summary sentence.
- Quotations will be needed to support each topic sentence.
- A cohesive argument aims to prove one 'big idea'. All your ideas and evidence should work together to prove one idea.
Common misconception
Students often think of methods exclusively as 'similes/metaphors' etc.
The writer's method is anything they do consciously. This could be choosing one, single word over another.
Keywords
Delusional - holding irrational or untrue beliefs - in this context, as a result of mental illness.
Deranged - unable to think clearly or behave with self-control
Heinous - wicked and appalling
Irrational - not thinking with logic or reason
Cohesive - united and working together effectively to achieve a common goal
You may wish to get students to consider how a story like this still bears relevance to society today. This could be done as a 'hook' into the lesson or as part of the reflection task in learning cycle 2.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which two symbols are the focus of the narrator's delusions in 'The Tell-Tell Heart'?
the old man's house
the old man's smile
the old man's floorboards
Q2.
What form does Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart' take?
long, narrative poem
novel
sonnet poem
Q3.
Which two methods does Poe use in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' to show the narrator's escalating delusion?
mirroring
extended metaphor
reliable protagonist
Q4.
Which language method does Poe use in the following quotation from 'The Tell-Tale Heart': "It grew louder—louder—louder!"?
extended metaphor
personification
simile
pathetic fallacy
Q5.
Complete the quotation from 'The Tell-Tale Heart': “Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—It is the beating of his heart!”
Q6.
What is the effect of Poe using an unreliable narrator in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?
It creates a likeable and relatable protagonist for the reader to root for.
It creates a more Gothic text because Gothic protagonists are always unreliable.
It allows Poe to be more creative with the plot and make it more dynamic.
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which of the following words can be used as a synonym for 'insane'?
rational
logical
uncomfortable
Q2.
Which piece of vocabulary best describes the narrator's crimes in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?
abysmal
logical
justifiable
unfortunate
Q3.
Which of the following does not need to be included in the supporting detail in a paragraph outline?
potential vocabulary you might want to use
quotations from the text
the writer's use of methods
the effects of the writer's use of methods
Q4.
What is Poe's message about guilt in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?
that guilt is the product of insanity and needs to be processed healthily
that guilt is a normal human emotion that we must learn to handle
that humans shouldn't have to feel guilt - it is an unnecessary emotion
Q5.
What is the effect of this quotation from 'The Tell-Tale Heart': “It grew louder—louder—louder!”?
The dashes represent the narrator taking deep breaths between each noise.
The simile shows us how overwhelming the sound of the heart beating was.
The exclamation mark shows the narrator's enthusiasm for the noise.
Q6.
What is the effect of this quotation from 'The Tell-Tale Heart': “I foamed—I raved—I swore!”?
"Swore" characterises the narrator as a rude and dislikeable person.
"Raved" shows how excited the narrator was - e.g "raving" about something
The pronoun "I" shows the narrator's selfishness, as he only thinks of himself
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