The Tell-Tale Heart Assignment
On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following questions.
To receive credit, write complete, thoughtful sentences.
1. Do you think the narrator is related to the old man or just a hired caretaker? What
evidence leads you to this conclusion?
2. The old man's "vulture eye" is described as "pale blue...with a film over it." Thinking
more deeply, what might the eye's blindness symbolize?
3. A simile is a figure of speech where a writer compares two things using connective
wording, such as "like" or "as." Find and write two similes from the text.
4. Which part of the story is the creepiest?
5. What time of day is it when the police arrive?
6. If the narrator hadn't confessed, do you think he/she would've been caught by the
police? Explain your answer.
7. Pretend you are a police detective and you need to prove the narrator committed
the murder and is sane, meaning he/she knew it was wrong to kill the old man. Give
three pieces of evidence from the text to support your stance that the narrator is guilty
and deserves to go to prison.
8. Pretend you are the narrator's defense attorney. You need to prove your client
is insane and should receive treatment at a mental hospital instead of being sent to
prison. Give three pieces of evidence from the text to support your stance that your
client is mentally deranged.
9. Is the narrator male or female? How do you know?
10. Consider the title of the story. Does the "tell-tale heart" belong to the old man or
the narrator? Explain your choice.