suspicion and mistrust of other people or their actions that is not rational

taking a systematic and organised approach to something

pretence - hiding one’s true thoughts or feelings

holding irrational or untrue beliefs - in this context, as a result of mental illness

Reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

English

In 'A Monster Within', pupils explore extracts from Gothic fiction. In 'Gothic Poetry', pupils apply this learning to the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.

In 'The Twisted Tree', pupils are introduced to the Gothic genre. In 'A Monster Within', pupils explore Gothic motifs in a range of more challenging texts.

In this unit, pupils explore the Gothic. They start by learning what the Gothic is, before reading extracts from 'Frankenstein' and 'Jane Eyre', practising descriptive writing and reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'. They finally learn how to write opinion articles and then write their own.

A monster within: reading and writing Gothic fiction

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

they are more popular in the United Kingdom than America

you should be able to read one in between 20 and 60 minutes

each word has to work extra hard, so writers have to craft them very carefully

Which of the following statements is true about short stories?

his hatred of the old man, who is frequently rude to him

his dislike of himself and jealousy of the old man

What drives the narrator in Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart' to commit murder?

he gets pleasure from relaying his crimes to others

he wants to go to prison to protect others 

he is convinced that the police already know he committed the crime

he feels extremely ashamed and remorseful for what he has done

he believes he hears the sound of the old man's heart -this makes him frenzied

Why does the narrator in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' confess to his crimes?

The narrator tells us about his hatred of the old man's 'evil eye'.

The narrator sneaks into the old man's room seven nights in a row.

On the 8th night, the narrator accidentally wakes the old man up.

The narrator chuckles at the thought of the old man's fear.

The narrator thinks he hears the old man's heart beating, so he kills him.

The police visit, but they are unaware that the body is under the floorboards.

The narrator hears the old man's heart beating and hysterically confesses.

Starting with the first,  put the events of 'The Tell-Tale Heart' in chronological order.

Gothic protagonists are usually egotistical and .... 

The 19th century was also known as the Enlightenment period

The 19th century saw the first Industrial Revolution

Gothic literature was popularised in the 19th century

The 19th century was a time of great innovation and invention

Which of the following statements is true about the 19th century?

Which of the following words might mean 'to take a systematic and organised approach to something'?

The eye is presented as beautiful and enchanting

The eye is presented as repulsive and hideous

The eye is presented as vulgar and offensive

The eye is presented as extremely ordinary and usual

Which of the following explains the effect of this quotation: "He had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it."

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision recommended

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.