The Narrator’s Descent

Worksheet Description

This worksheet focuses on various aspects of madness in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” It poses a series of questions to guide students’ analysis:

1. Students will examine the narrator’s perception of the characteristics of madness.
2. They will explore the narrator’s motivations for sneaking into the old man’s room each night.
3. The worksheet prompts students to reflect on the narrator’s feelings about himself on the eighth night and the passage that describes it.
4. Students will consider how the placement of a particular passage contributes to their understanding of the narrator’s state of mind.
5. Finally, they will analyze whether the narrator is aware of his own madness and provide reasons for their assessment.

Through these questions, students will engage in a deeper exploration of the theme of madness in the story, as well as the complex characterization of the narrator. This exercise encourages close reading, critical thinking, and literary analysis.