The Tell-Tale Heart

Reread “The Tell-Tale Heart” on pages 279-282. It can easily be found online. Also, read the biographical information on Edgar Allan Poe’s life (it may be relevant) and the three critical essays on pages 285-289.

In essay form (550-word minimum), give a reason for the protagonist’s killing the old man. This story is full of ambiguities. This requires you to use your critical thinking faculties. Your theories will vary a great deal, which I encourage, but consider the narrator’s psychological state. Is he a paranoid schizophrenic, as some critics have surmised? If so, support this with research. Remember—you must support your thesis (yes, you must have one) with quotations. Apa.org could be one useful resource.

I require at least one quotation from the short story (the primary source) and one quotation from a critical essay (secondary sources). If you prefer to use more quotations, that’s fine. Consider using the “sandwich technique” for introducing them. Also, use a signal phrase preceding your quotations, and include an in-text citation for each one. Signal phrases are always in present tense. Some of these include: writes, asserts, states, contends, argues, etc. NEVER uses “says.” The author wrote the short story; he did not “say” it.

Lastly, include a Works Cited page at the end of your essay; easybib.com can help you with this. I encourage you to use databases found in the Berkeley library. Bloom and Literature Resource Center is excellent. Never use Wikipedia, Shmoop, Spark Notes, etc. Use reliable sources. If you must go to Google, use a .edu source.  In addition, you may want to read a student paper on this short story (page 1413). That might help you understand what is expected. Also, don’t forget to go to the Purdue OWL for any questions you have regarding writing.

Please use a proper heading on the upper left-hand side of the page. That includes your name, my name, the name of the course and the date the paper is due. Give your essay a thought-provoking title, not Poe’s title, and center it. It should NOT be bolded, underlined, italicized, or in quotation marks. Do, however, capitalize major words. Include your last name and page number on the upper right-hand corner of every page, and STAPLE your essay. I only accept papers in hard copy.