Year 8 - English
Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'
A monster within: reading and writing Gothic fiction
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
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.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify and explain key symbols in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'.
Key Notes
- 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.
Vocabulary To Learn
- 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 Mistakes To Avoid
- Students often do not understand the depth of meaning that symbolism can provide.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key 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.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'symbolism'
where writers use objects, characters, or elements in their work, to represent deeper ideas and themes.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students often do not understand the depth of meaning that symbolism can provide. Correction: Symbols communicate hidden or deeper meanings to the reader, so that they can better understand the characters or themes of the text.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 'Frankenstein' and the Gothic context Study Guide
- A written analysis of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- A written analysis of 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- An introduction to 'Jane Eyre': Analysing an unseen extract Study Guide
- Analysing effective opinion articles Study Guide
- Analysing the atmosphere at Thornfield Hall in 'Jane Eyre' Study Guide
- Context for Gothic literature: science and religion in the 19th century Study Guide
- Editing descriptive writing based on 'A monster within' Study Guide
- Exploring the character of Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Frankenstein's reaction to his creation Study Guide
- Frankenstein's regret and the scientific revolution Study Guide
- Identifying features of the Gothic genre in the plot of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Improving your opinion article on Gothic literature Study Guide
- Lowood Institution: Gothic settings in 'Jane Eyre' Study Guide
- Organising our gothic writing to build tension Study Guide
- Planning a cohesive argument about 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- Planning a Gothic description inspired by 'A monster within' Study Guide
- Planning a written analysis of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Planning an opinion article about Gothic literature Study Guide
- Reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- Reading an extract from 'Frankenstein': A fateful night Study Guide
- Reading an extract from Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre' Study Guide
- Regret in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- The creation of suspense in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- The structure of an opinion article Study Guide
- Using 'Jane Eyre' to inspire our use of gothic vocabulary Study Guide
- Using description in functional writing Study Guide
- Using figurative language to create a gothic atmosphere Study Guide
- Using semantic fields to create a gothic atmosphere Study Guide
- Writing a gothic description Study Guide
- Writing an opinion article on Gothic literature Study Guide
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