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      Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

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      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can identify and explain key symbols in ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’.

      Key learning points

      1. Symbolism is where writers use objects, characters, or elements in their work, to represent deeper ideas and themes.
      2. Poe uses the old man’s eye to symbolise intrusion, truth and moral or spiritual judgement in the story.
      3. Poe uses the heart beat to symbolise the narrator’s guilt, paranoia and time running out.
      4. Symbols allow the writer to communicate hidden or deeper meanings within the text.
      5. 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

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
       except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
       (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

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      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What is a symbol?

      a character who represents an approach
      Correct answer: an object that represents an idea
      a narrative structure
      an object that represents the characters

      Q2.
      At which points in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' does the narrator hear the beating heart of the old man?

      in the beginning when he spies on the old man
      Correct answer: when he sneaks into the old man's room and is hiding in wait to kill him
      when the police first arrive at the house, just after he has killed the old man
      Correct answer: when the police have sat down and are conversing with the narrator

      Q3.
      Which words are used to describe the old man's eye in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?

      Correct answer: "pale, blue, vulture-like"
      "milky, white, rat-like"
      "pale, opaque and eel-like"
      "blue, bright, snake-like"

      Q4.
      Robbers intrude on people's homes. What might 'to intrude' mean?

      Correct answer: to enter somewhere you are not supposed to be
      to say something you are not supposed to say
      to take something that is not yours
      to move something away from its correct home

      Q5.
      How does the narrator in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' murder the old man?

      he stabs him and then lets him bleed out
      he strangles him with his bare hands
      he hits him over the head with a floor board
      Correct answer: he smothers him with his own bed

      Q6.
      Which of the following quotations best shows the narrator's hysteria and loss of control in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?

      "But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed."
      "I bade the gentlemen welcome."
      Correct answer: "Oh God! what could I do? I foamed—I raved—I swore!"
      "Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. "
      "You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution"

      Assessment exit quiz

      Download exit quiz questions (PDF)

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which of the following is not a theme in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?

      guilt
      death
      Correct answer: family
      justice
      madness/sanity

      Q2.
      Which of the following are explanations of the symbolism of eyes in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'?

      eyes represent a lack of clarity - what the narrator cannot see
      eyes represent hatred and fear because the narrator hates the old man
      Correct answer: eyes represent moral or spiritual judgement and this frightens the narrator
      Correct answer: eyes represent truth and the idea of seeing someone for who they truly are
      eyes represent guidance and support, as the eye guides the narrator

      Q3.
      Which of the following quotations from 'The Tell-Tale Heart' best supports the idea that the old man's eye symbolises spiritual judgement?

      "I kept quite still and said nothing"
      "here, here!—It is the beating of his hideous heart!”
      Correct answer: "dull blue with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones"
      "it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye"

      Q4.
      Which of the following does the sound of the beating heart in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' not symbolise?

      time running out for the old man
      time running out for the narrator
      the narrator's intense guilt
      the narrator's paranoia
      Correct answer: the knock of the police on the door

      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?

      that guilt is fleeting and passes with time
      that guilt is an emotion that everybody has to experience in their life
      that guilt is an emotion that can be ignored in the moment
      Correct answer: that guilt is inescapable and will haunt a person
      that guilt always drives a person to insanity

      Q6.
      Why might a writer use symbolism?

      to make their text more sophisticated and impressive
      to make the reading experience more multi-sensory for the reader
      Correct answer: to reveal hidden or deeper meanings to the reader
      to reflect the various characters in the story
      to move the plot along in the story

      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...