Critical Reading: Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe “The Directions: Provide a short answer response to the question. *Answers MUST be written in COMPLETE SENTENCES, or 1/2 credit will be deducted for each response. Before the murder, the narrator greets the old man cheerfully each morning. What does the old man fail to understand about this greeting? What does the narrator assume that the reader thinks about him? Explain. How does his reason for killing the old man suggest that his assumption is correct? “You In the third paragraph, the narrator says, fancy me mad.” According to that passage, what character traits does the murderer pride himself on? On the night of the murder, as he waits for the old man to lie down, the narrator chuckles. Why does he chuckle? What does his laughter show about his personality? On the eighth night, the narrator accidentally wakes the old man. How do the narrator’s feelings that night contrast with the old man’s feelings? Cite details to support your answer. Just before he is murdered, the old man groans. What are the two ways in which the narrator describes the groans? How does he identify himself with both of those explanations?
Critical Reading: “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe Directions: Provide a short answer response to the question. *Answers MUST be written in COMPLETE SENTENCES, or 1/2 credit will be deducted for each response. Before the murder, the narrator greets the old man cheerfully each morning. What does the old man fail to understand about this greeting? What does the narrator assume that the reader thinks about him? Explain. How does his reason for killing the old man suggest that his assumption is correct? In the third paragraph, the narrator says, “You fancy me mad.” According to that passage, what character traits does the murderer pride himself on? On the night of the murder, as he waits for the old man to lie down, the narrator chuckles. Why does he chuckle? What does his laughter show about his personality? On the eighth night, the narrator accidentally wakes the old man. How do the narrator’s feelings that night contrast with the old man’s feelings? Cite details to support your answer. Just before he is murdered, the old man groans. What are the two ways in which the narrator describes the groans? How does he identify himself with both of those explanations?