Tell-TaleHeart

the

Edgar allan poeby

What tone is represented in the line “You should have seen how wisely I proceeded--with what caution - with what foresight--with what dissimulation I went to work”?

Mood & tone

A. FocusedB. FuriousC. GrievingD. Apathetic

1.

->

A. “It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain.”

B. “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult.”

C. “Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! - no, no! They heard! -- They suspected! -- They knew!”

D. “I smiled, -- for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome.”

What excerpt from the story illustrates the mood of paranoia?

Mood & tone

2.

->

In the line “There came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton,” what does the “enveloped in cotton” try to make the reader feel?

Mood & tone

A. AliveB. TrappedC. ThreatenedD. Serious

3.

->

Which detail about the narrator’s personality makes him appear the most psychotic?

Mood & tone

A. He hears imaginary heartbeats.B. He is so careful to hide everything he

does.C. He kills the old man.D. He tries to convince the reader of his

sanity.

4.

->

In the line “They heard! They suspected! They knew! they were making a mockery of my horror!” which word best describes the narrator’s feeling?

Mood & tone

A. AngerB. AnxietyC. PrideD. Guilt

5.

->

Tell-TaleHeart

the

Edgar allan poeby

Look at the following passage:

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense?—now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

List all the action verbs

Mood & tone

6.

told

mistake

say

came

enveloped

knew

increased

stimulates

a.

Look at the following passage:

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense?—now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

How do the verbs affect the tone?

Mood & tone

enveloped, increased, and stimulates add an intellectual side to the senses

B.

6.

Look at the following passage:

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense?—now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

List the descriptions of sound:

Mood & tone

“low, dull, quick sound”“watch makes when enveloped in cotton”

“beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage”

c.

6.

Look at the following passage:

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense?—now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

List any words that hint at insanity:

Mood & tone

“mistake for madness”

“over-acuteness of the sense”

“low, dull, quick sound”“increased my fury”

d.

6.

Look at the following passage:

When my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously—oh, so cautiously—cautiously (for the hinges creaked)—I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye.

List all the adverbs:

Mood & tone

well Just so much

cautiously

Oh, so cautiously

cautiously

a.

7.

Look at the following passage:

When my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously—oh, so cautiously—cautiously (for the hinges creaked)—I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye.

How do the adverbs affect the tone?

Mood & tone

They make us feel like things are going so slowly . . . way too carefully.

B.

7.

Look at the following passage:

When my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously—oh, so cautiously—cautiously (for the hinges creaked)—I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye.

What two physical senses are used?

Mood & tone

Sound and Sight

c.

7.

Look at the following passage:

When my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously—oh, so cautiously—cautiously (for the hinges creaked)—I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye.

Write the words that show sensory details.

Mood & tone

“hinges creaked”

d.

“single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye”

7.

Look at the following passage:

I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself—"It is nothing but the wind in the chimney—it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp.“

List the descriptions of sound:

Mood & tone

a.“when he had turned in the bed”

8.

“first slight noise”

“the wind in the chimney”“a mouse crossing the floor”

“a cricket which has made a single chirp”

Look at the following passage:

I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself—"It is nothing but the wind in the chimney—it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp.“

What mood do the sounds help create?

Mood & tone

b.

8.

They enhance the sense of nervousness and growing panic.

Write a short paragraph describing what the various tones are and how they work together to make the mood.

Mood & tone

9.

The whole story, the narrator is trying to -- at the same time -- convince us that he isn’t crazy and share all the details of how he covered up his crime. The story uses a lot of descriptive sounds to create a mood of fear, anxiety, and paranoia. The effect is an overwhelming guilt that builds to his panicked confession.

Tell-TaleHeart

the

Edgar allan poeby