essay questions the tell tale heart

56 The Tell-Tale Heart Essay Topics & Examples

Looking for The Tell-Tale Heart essay topics? The short story by Edgar Allan Poe, a recognized master of horror fiction, is definitely worth analyzing!

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In your The Tell-Tale Heart essay, you might want to write about the story’s characters, themes, or symbols. Anyway, our article will be helpful. Find here all you might need to write a paper on Poe’s short story! The Tell-Tale Heart essay examples, prompts, questions, and topic ideas.

The Tell-Tale Heart Point of View Analysis

Poe wrote the novel from the first-person point of view. The protagonist tells the story of a murder while stating that his senses were destroyed by “the disease” but he’s still sane. Think why this might be important. Is the mad person’s narration reliable?

How different would be the story if it were told by the old man or police officers?

Symbols in The Tell-Tale Heart

If you’re writing The Tell-Tale Heart symbolism essay, you may choose one or few symbols in the story:

• The old man’s eye. Analyze why the eye catches the attention of the killer. The narrator calls it the “vulture eye” and “evil. In your essay you can explain why the narrator does not dare to kill the old man when his eye was closed, and the crime was committed only when he saw the open eye.
• The old man’s heart. The heart in the novel symbolizes the killer’s conscience and his humanity as he finally confesses. Analyze why the narrator hears the heartbeat twice.

Another point to consider in your The Tell-Tale Heart essay is the analysis of the connection between time and heart. Time is compressed and stretched.

It pulses as the heart. But time also symbolizes death and the killer acts as part of a watch. Thus, the heart in the novel symbolizes life, and, through time, it turns out to be a symbol of death.

The Tell-Tale Heart Literary Analysis

Typical academic articles are hard to read because of complex words and compound sentences. When you read Poe’s masterpieces, you read them quickly because the author writes in short sentences.

Poe uses many figures of speech like similes, personification, anaphora, and irony. Analyze how these figures help Poe to convey the main idea to the reader.

The Tell-Tale Heart Characters

There are four characters you might want to explore in your character analysis: the narrator, police officers, the old man, and the neighbor.

All of them play an important role in the plot. For example, the narrator is mentally ill person who doesn’t make a difference between the “unreal” and “real”. There are also a few signs that he rarely sleeps. You can analyze how his insomnia might impacted his actions and desire to kill.

• What is the theme of The Tell-Tale Heart ?
• What is the mood of The Tell-Tale Heart ?
• What genre is The Tell-Tale Heart ?
• What is the conflict in The Tell-Tale Heart ?
• What does the heart symbolize in The Tell-Tale Heart ?
• What is the tone of The Tell-Tale Heart ?
• What is the central idea of The Tell-Tale Heart ?
• What point of view is The Tell-Tale Heart ?

If you’re looking for The Tell-Tale Heart essay topics or ideas to add to it, check IvyPanda’s free samples of high-quality papers!

• The Tell-Tale Heart Psychological Analysis & Critique The outstanding character in the tale, who is also the narrator, attracts a lot of attention from the readers. The narrator forms the basis of the tale.
• The Tell-Tale Heart Essay However, when the police came to the Old Man’s house he gives himself away to the police because he hears the heart of the old man beating behind the floorboard and this incident may suggest […]
• The Tell-Tale Heart (1843) This section tackles the main characters of the story and as aforementioned, the narrator and the old man are the only central characters in the story.
• Gothic Romanticism in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”, Nathaniel Hawthorn’s “The Birthmark” In the film “The Black Swan” directed by Darren Aronofsky, Nina struggles to fit into the ultimate role of the play “The Swan Lake”, as the Black Swan, even though she is comfortable playing the […]
• Edger Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” Analysis The narrator in the beginning of the story clearly states that he is not insane but his actions make the reader frown at his sanity.
• The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Poe This metaphor is necessary to show that the feeling of guilt distorts his perception of reality. This is one of the details that can be distinguished.
• The Investigation of Ethical Issues in The Tell-Tale Heart and The Pond The secondary problem is related to an ethical dilemma with regards to the responsibility of the husband to provide and care for the family.
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• Poe’s Use of the Senses in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”
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• An Analysis of the Creating of an Atmosphere of Horror and Build Tension in “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
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• Analysis of Symbolism in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”
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• The Importance of Suspense in “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
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• Imagery Through the Eye of “The Tell-Tale Heart”
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• Philosophy of Composition in the “Tell-Tale Heart”
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• Role of Realism in Edagar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”
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• The Themes of Surveillance and Control in “Discipline and Punish” by Michael Foucault and “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
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• Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” as a Gothic Horror
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• A Comparison of “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and the Work of Raymond Carver
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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Tell Tale Heart — The Tell Tale Heart Analysis

The Tell Tale Heart Analysis

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Published: Mar 5, 2024

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The Tell-Tale Heart

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Discussion Questions

Why does the narrator commit murder according to them? What is your explanation for the crime?

If you had to represent the narrator in court, what kind of defense would you propose?

Why do you think the narrator kept hearing the heartbeat even after the old man’s death? Why does the story emphasize the heartbeat over any other element of the murder? Do you think it was otherworldly, a hallucination, or something else? Explain your reasoning.

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