Reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'
I can explain the overarching plot of the 'Tell Tale Heart'.
Reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'
I can explain the overarching plot of the 'Tell Tale Heart'.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- ’The Tell-Tale Heart’ is the story about the murder of an old man.
- The narrator did not murder for money but for fear of the man's blue eyes.
- The narrator kills the man as he worries a neighbour may hear the loud beating of his heart.
- The narrator dismembers the body and hides it under the floorboards.
- The narrator continues to hear the beating heart of the dead man, which leads him to confess.
Common misconception
Students might not recognise that there is a possibility that the sound of the old man's heart beating, may be the sound of the narrator's own heart beating.
Some may interpret the sound of the old man's heart beating as the sound of the narrator's own heart beating, with anticipation and excitement at the prospect of the imminent murder.
Keywords
Paranoia - suspicion and mistrust of other people or their actions that is not rational
Methodical - taking a systematic and organised approach to something
Dissimulation - pretence - hiding one’s true thoughts or feelings
Sane - being of sound and sensible mind
Delusional - holding irrational or untrue beliefs - in this context, as a result of mental illness
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart' for this lesson. It's available in the additional materials.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
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
Loading...