Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify and explain key symbols in ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’.
Key learning points
- Symbolism is where writers use objects, characters, or elements in their work, to represent deeper ideas and themes.
- Poe uses the old man’s eye to symbolise intrusion, truth and moral or spiritual judgement in the story.
- Poe uses the heart beat to symbolise the narrator’s guilt, paranoia and time running out.
- Symbols allow the writer to communicate hidden or deeper meanings within the text.
- When writing about a writer’s use of symbolism, it is always important to discuss why it has been used.
Keywords
Symbolism - where writers use objects, characters, or elements in their work, to represent deeper ideas and themes
Spiritual judgement - the idea that people are morally-judged by a higher, spiritual being
Recurring - if something recurs, it repeatedly occurs - it keeps happening
Intrusion - when someone wrongfully enters a space they shouldn’t be - this can be physical or metaphorical space
Common misconception
Students often do not understand the depth of meaning that symbolism can provide.
Symbols communicate hidden or deeper meanings to the reader, so that they can better understand the characters or themes of the text.
Teacher tip
You could print Jacob's response for Task C in learning cycle 3 and annotate it, looking at how Jacob has answered the questions on the task slide in his response.
Equipment
You will need access to the short story 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. You can find a copy of this in the additional materials.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Depiction or discussion of mental health issues
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a symbol?
Q2.At which points in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' does the narrator hear the beating heart of the old man?
Q3.Which words are used to describe the old man's eye in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?
Q4.Robbers intrude on people's homes. What might 'to intrude' mean?
Q5.How does the narrator in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' murder the old man?
Q6.Which of the following quotations best shows the narrator's hysteria and loss of control in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is not a theme in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?
Q2.Which of the following are explanations of the symbolism of eyes in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?
Q3.Which of the following quotations from 'The Tell-Tale Heart' best supports the idea that the old man's eye symbolises spiritual judgement?
Q4.Which of the following does the sound of the beating heart in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' not symbolise?
Q5.If the beating heart in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' represents the narrator's guilt, then what point might Poe be trying to suggest about guilt?
Q6.Why might a writer use symbolism?
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 English lessons from the A monster within: reading and writing Gothic fiction unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.