Edgar Allen Poe
This short story is by what famous American author?
in January 1843, in the short-lived Pioneer magazine
When and where was the story first published?
a nameless man who kills an old man for a really strange reason, which we won't give away here. The nameless man tells the story of the murder to prove he is not insane.
What is the story about?
January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts to actors Elizabeth and David Poe, both of whom died before Poe's second birthday. Shortly thereafter, Poe moved to Virginia to live with the childless couple John and Frances Allan.
When and were was Poe born?
In the old man's house
Between the hours of midnight and 4 am
What is the setting of the story?
The Narrator ( we never know his name) (protagonist)
The Old man
The Vulture Eye (antagonist)
The Police Officers
Who are the characters of the story?
1st person unreliable
The story is told in what point of view?
Narrator vs. Himself
He is Crazy
What is the internal conflict?
narrator vs. vulture eye
The narrator wants to kill the vulture eye, not the old man
He justifies getting rid of the eye even though he loves the old man.
What is the external conflict?
The old man's eye is blue with a "film" or "veil" covering it. This could be a medical condition, like a corneal ulcer,
Describe the old man's eye.
it means that the characters have issues with their "inner vision" - what's commonly known as one's outlook on the world. They are stuck. Everything is obscured for them. Our reading of the story is likewise filtered through this hazy eye, causing at leas
What does the old man's eye symbolize?
It makes the narrator's blood run cold. It "chill[s] the very marrow in [his] bones" (6). After hiding the old man's body, the narrator "replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye - not even his [the old man's] - could have detected
What powers does the eye have?
the heart
What bodyguard does the eye have?
the "vulture eye" aspect of the old man's eye.
What is the narrator fixated on?
A vulter-like person
What does the old man symbolize to the narrator?
The narrator constantly expresses how he's not insane, yet his actions indicate otherwise.
What is the irony of the story?
Guilt and Innocence
What is the theme of the story?
Inside a house between the hours of midnight and 4am
What is the setting of the story?
The narrator- POV- 1st person unreliable
Old man
The vulture eye--- ANTAGONIST OF THE STORY
Police
Who are the characters in the story?
Do you think I am mad?
What is the narrative hook?
Does not like the vulture eye
Justification: loves the old man but not his eye
Spies on the man at midnight for 7 nights
Awakens the man on the 8th night
What is the rising action in the story?
He murders the old man
What is the climax of the story?
Feels proud of himself
Police come to question him
Narrator take police to the room with the body
Begins to get nervous because he hears a heart beating
What is the falling action in the story?
He confesses to the murder
What is the resolution in the story?
He asks his audience why everyone calls him mad
"But why will you say I am MAD?"
"Do you think of me MAD?
What question does the speaker ask his audience?
His "vulture eye
What physical feature does the narrator dislike about the old man?
And every morning when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he passed the night
Explain how the speaker behaves towards the old man every morning
Triumphant
How does the narrator feel when he realizes that he can scare the old man?
It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage
What simile does the speaker use to describe the effect that the beating heart had upon him?
Under the scantlings
Where does the narrator hide the body of the old man?
The Beating of the heart
He really hears the beating of his own heart
What does the narrator hear when he is explaining the events to the police?