Year 8 - English
The creation of suspense 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 the methods used by Poe to create suspense.
Key Notes
- The narrator in the story is extremely hubristic, unreliable and unpredictable because he is delusional.
- Poe uses the hubristic and delusional narrator to create suspense.
- Poe uses irony to create suspense - the narrator insists that he is not 'mad' but his actions suggest otherwise.
- Poe shortens his sentences and uses more expressive punctuation to reflect the narrator's escalating delusion.
- Poe uses sentence structure and punctuation to build tension in the lead up to the narrator's dramatic confession.
Vocabulary To Learn
- suspense: a state of feeling anxious or excited about what could happen
- hubristic: excessively proud or arrogant
- unreliable: not to be relied or depended on
- heinous: extremely wicked
- irony: the expression of meaning by using language that suggests the opposite of the reality
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students might think that irony is a term only used in comedy.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
The narrator in the story is extremely hubristic, unreliable and unpredictable because he is delusional. Poe uses the hubristic and delusional narrator to create suspense.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'suspense'
a state of feeling anxious or excited about what could happen.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students might think that irony is a term only used in comedy. Correction: There is a dark comedy to this story, created through the use of irony, whereby the narrator insists that he is not 'mad' but then proceeds to murder and dismember an old man simply because he hates one of the old man's eyes.
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
- Symbolism 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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