(Eng+9-3)+Analyzing+a+narrative--The+Tell-Tale+Heart

=**Analyzing a narrative** (English 9, section 3)**--"The Tell-Tale Heart"**=


 * In the appropriate spot below, post your findings and your comments and insights on your assigned element. For example, if you have "Setting," describe the setting, using textual evidence to support your thoughts.**

**//Example of a post (__made-up__, in this case about the setting)://**

 * The story is set in South America--the narrator says so: "In South America did we pass our time" (page 2), and on page 7 Miguel talks about "going to Lima" which is a city in Peru.**

**Setting (Taylor Addington, Sam Levere):**
// Place // Where generally is the story set? The old mans house “I went boldly into the chamber” (2) What are the more specific settings? The old mans chamber at the door, at his bed “I went boldly into the chamber” (2) “I turned the latch of his door and opened it”(1) “pulled the heavy bed over him” (4)

Which is the principal setting? The old mans house in a city (narrator tells police the old man went off to the country; a neighbor heard the shriek and called police)

How does awareness of place affect the way you read the story? You know what is happening where and it makes it easier to visualize

// Time // What is the general time period of the story? 1800s we know because this is when it was published and because of the vocab and because we don’t use lanterns any more. “I put in a dark lantern,”(1) What is the more specific time period? Mostly midnight and the early morning “every night just at midnight”(1) “And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber,”(2)

How does awareness of time affect the way you read the story? You can ‍visualize it easier such as knowing it is midnight every time the narrator sneaks into the old mans room makes it scary because nothing good ever happens after midnight in the story. “every night just at midnight”(1)

**Characters (Sam Fisher, John Pardue, Braxton Lindley):**
Who are the characters in the story? The narrator, the old man, and the three police

Which characters are relatively //round?// Which are relatively //flat?// The policeman and the old man were flat the person who called the police, the narrator is the only round character round

What are the qualities or characteristics of the characters? The narrator is crazy and paranoid and the old man is just afraid of robbers

The Narrator is round because near the end of the story he goes from being confident “For what had I to fear” (4) to paranoid and eventually admits the killing, “Villains!” I shrieked, “Dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!” (5)

Are any of the characters ambiguous, hard to define? No police –“ There entered three men who introduced themselves with perfect severity as officers of the police” (4) the old man- “One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it” this quote shows that the old mans eye has cataract. the narrator is also ambiguous because he knows what he wants to do and doesn't lie about it.

What change do you see in the round or dynamic characters? The narrator didn’t change a lot because he still was going to kill the eye but he didn’t want to hurt the old man. however,in the end he still killed the old man.

**Plot (Harris Calhoun, Trevor Palatine, Jackson Yeager):**
The old man’s eye drove the man into insanity because it seemed too be the narrator’s obsession. The man decided to kill the old man to get rid of the eye. He stalks the old man every night at midnight for a week. On the 8th day, he strikes because the eye was open while the other nights the eye was closed. He smothers the old man with a mattress. He then disembowels the body and hides it under the floor. As the neighbors here a shriek they call the police to conduct a search on the house. When the police are investigating he has a breakdown and confesses when he thinks he hears the old man’s heart beating.
 * How would you summarize the plot as a sequence of causes and effects? **

**Who is the protagonist of the story?** The narrator. He changed somewhat in the story. At first he is thinking he’s a genius and he’ll get away with the old man’s murder. “The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things”(5). However, he has a breakdown because of the sound of the heart beating and confesses to the murder. "Villains!" I shrieked, "Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --Tear up the planks! Here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!" He feels guilty about killing the old man.

The narrator needs to get rid of the eye because he doesn’t know what it is. However, he loves the old man, as he has never wronged the narrator. However, the eye is driving him insane. Consequently the narrator ends up killing the old man to get rid of the eye. After he dissembles the body he confesses to the police because he can here the heart of the old man beating.
 * How would you summarize the plot in terms of the protagonist’s //goal// and the //conflicts// he becomes involved with? **

**Theme (Jack Staples, Matthew Yoon):**
Theme - The truth might be able to be pushed down, but at some point it will rise to the surface and show itself. The truth about a murder might be able to be pushed down, but at some point the guilt will overwhelm one’s conscience and will cause it to rise to the surface and show itself.

Quote – “I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men, but the noise steadily increased. O God! what could I do? I foamed – I raved – I swore! I swung the chair upon the site which I had been sitting, grated upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continuously increased. It grew louder – louder – louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! – no, no! They heard! – they suspected! – they knew! - they were making a mockery of my horror! – This I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear this hypocritical smile no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! And now – again – hark! louder! louder! louder! louder! " ‘Villains!’ I shrieked, ‘dissemble no more! I admit the deed! – tear up the planks! – here, here! – It is the beating of his hideous heart!’ ” (5)

**Symbolism (Christian Ketchup, Chase Rainbow, Sam Warley):**
Old mans eye Old mans disease Heart- beating Vulture Eyes Death watches Lantern Night in chamber (time and place of stalking and killing)
 * What are the principal symbols in the story? **

Old mans eye – His disease and what the man thinks about it / Vulture Eye – Symbolizes that he has a disease and that the man does not like the eye because his blood runs cold when he sees it (Reason for killing the old man, eliminate the eye)
 * What do you understand their meaning to be? **
 * //__ Quote – __//** “One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever if fell upon me my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever” (1).

Heart beating – symbolizes the life of the old man before he dies and it also shows that the man could “hear” the heart beating
 * //__ Quote - __//** “I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old mans hear. It increased my fury as the beating of a drum stimulates the solider into courage. (3)”

Death watches – This symbolizes that the old man is going to die and that it is quiet in the room so the death watches can be heard
 * //__ Quote – __//** “He was still sitting up in the bed listening; --just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall. Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror” (2).

Lantern – this symbolizes how the man looks into the vulture eye. The death of the man would not of happened if the lantern was not present because the eye had to be open when he killed him **//__Quote – “__//**I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out –‘Who's there?’” (2).

At Night in his “chamber” (time and place of stalking and killing) – This symbolizes where the old man sleeps and spends his final moments.
 * //__ Quote – “ __//** The old man's hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once --once only” (3).

Word Cloud for "The Tell-Tale Heart"