36 pages 1 hour read

Edgar Allan Poe

The Tell-Tale Heart

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1843

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Essay Topics

1.

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

2.

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

3.

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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