A great way to help students dig into analysis is through the creation of storyboards that examine Tone, Word Choice, Imagery, Style, and Theme. This activity is referred to with the acronym “TWIST”. In a TWIST, students focus on a particular paragraph or few pages, to look deeper at the author’s meaning.
Using any paragraph of “The Tell-Tale Heart”, students can examine, depict, explain, and foreshadow what will happen in the story to asses the tone of the story.
TRUE! - nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses - not destroyed - not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily - how calmly I can tell you the whole story.
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture - a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees - very gradually - I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
| T | TONE | Delusional: The narrator states that he is completely rational, but his obsessive, manic, and homicidal behavior says otherwise. |
|---|---|---|
| W | WORD CHOICE |
nervous, mad, disease, destroyed, Hell, “my blood ran cold”, “to take the life”, “rid myself... forever”. |
| I | IMAGERY |
“I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture - a pale blue eye, with a film over it.” |
| S | STYLE |
The narrator attempts to use rhetoric to make the reader believe that he is not insane. In the following lines: “TRUE! -nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?”; “Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold, I had no desire. …”. |
| T | THEME |
The narrator states resolutely that he is not insane. However, it is clear that he is disturbed. The theme of this work is that not all narrators are reliable. Just because they present their reality, does not mean the reader has to accept it as truth. |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Perform a TWIST analysis of a selection from "The Tell-Tale Heart". Remember that TWIST stands for Tone, Word Choice, Imagery, Style, Theme.
Ask the student to first make a list of all the imagery that the author has used in the narrative. It will help them present all the information on one single page and analysis will become easier. For instance, “Blue Vulture Eyes” is a popular imagery used in The Tell-Tale Heart.
Think about the rationale behind the author's picture selection. Are they intended to evoke feelings, create an atmosphere, give context, or represent something more profound? Deciphering the goal aids in exposing the layers of the story. For instance, the “blue vulture eyes” reveal the thought process of the narrator and what he is intimidated by.
Ask the students to reflect on the reader's emotional response to the images. Does it arouse certain emotions or provide a particular atmosphere? This can be crucial in determining the tone of the story. Ask them if other imagery had been used in the story would it change the narrative? For instance, if Poe had used “Blue Innocent Eyes”, how would it have impacted the story and the narrator?
Analyze how the picture advances the story's general arc, key narrative points, or character development. It could make clear a character's intentions, hint at upcoming events, or shed light on how they're feeling.
Ask the student to reflect on the hidden meaning behind certain imageries that have been used. Students can also perform some research on the author’s background to understand the significance of that imagery.
"The Tell-Tale Heart" has a dramatic, suspenseful, and steadily paranoid tone. It starts off in a tense and preoccupied manner that intensifies as the narrator's guilt and paranoia mount. The atmosphere and the tone definitely depict the challenging and psychotic personality of the narrator.
The story's word choice is exact and carefully chosen to reflect the narrator's emotional condition. For instance, phrases like "dreadfully" and "hideous" add to the uneasy and anxious mood. Rich vocabulary can also make the story more interesting and help the author convey their intentions in the best possible way to the readers.
Yes, the author's thorough attention to detail perfectly captures the narrator's obsessive and hyperaware mental state. It enables readers to experience the narrator's inner agony and to dive deeply into his mind.