Name: _____________________________________

Date: _____________________
American Literature
Miss Maggio
Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe:
“The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of
Amontillado”

Background

Edgar Allan Poe, an American poet, critic, and short-story writer, was a contemporary of Nathaniel
Hawthorne. Born in 1809, Poe lived a short, stormy life in which he tried desperately to make a living in
the literary market. Plagued by illness and alcoholism, he died a lonely death. Scholars have always had a
difficult time classifying Poe’s work, but readers everywhere have enjoyed and been intrigued by his
writing. Both Poe and Hawthorne explore the psychology of their characters, often concentrating on the
darker side of the human psyche.

Pre-Reading: Focus Question

Many people enjoy horror stories and psychological thrillers. What might be the appeal of these types of
stories?

Post-Reading: Responding to the Reading

“The Tell-Tale Heart”

1. In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” what does the narrator say about his state of mind? Do you believe him? Why
or why not? Explain.

2. What crime does the narrator commit?

3. Why does he confess to the crime?

The Cask of Amontillado
1. To whom does Montresor tell his story? Who is the auditor, the “You,” addressed in the first
paragraph?

2. The story he tells happened fifty years earlier. Do we have any clues as to why he tells it now?

3. At the end of the story we learn that the murder occurred fifty years ago. Would the story be equally
effective if Poe had had Montresor reveal that fact at the outset? Why or why not? In other words, how
does your knowledge of the auditor and the occasion when the story was told influence the effect the
story has on you?

4. Poe sets Montresor’s story at dusk, “during the supreme madness of the carnival season.” What is the
“carnival season”? What details of the story derive from the setting?

5. In the justifiably famous first line Montresor declares, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne
as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” Do we ever learn what those
injuries and that insult were? What do we learn about Montresor from this declaration?

6. How does Montresor characterize Fortunato? What details of his portrait unwittingly enlist our
sympathy for Fortunato? Does Montresor betray any sympathy for his victim? If so, when and how?
 7. “The Cask of Amontillado is sometimes referred to as a “horror tale.” Do you think it has anything in
common with horror movies? If so, what? (You might begin by making a list of the characteristics of
horror movies.) Why do people take pleasure in horror movies? Does this story offer any of the same
sorts of pleasure? In any case, why might a reader take pleasure in this story?

8. What can the reader infer about Montresor’s social position and character from hints in the text? What
evidence does the text provide that Montresor is an unreliable narrator?

9. What devices does Poe use to create and heighten the suspense in the story? Is the outcome ever in
doubt?

Both Stories
1. Construct a definition of madness (craziness; insanity). Is Montresor mad? Is the narrator of “The Tell-
Tale Heart” mad? Justify your responses by referring to your definition of madness.
2. The narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is obviously consumed by guilt. In contrast, the guilt Montresor,
the narrator of “The Cask of Amontillado,” feels is not quite so obvious. Compare and contrast the
ways in which both narrators deal with their feelings of guilt and the outcomes of their decisions.

Tell-Tale” Narrator Montresor

Coping with Guilt Coping with Guilt

Outcome—Success or failure? (Explain) Outcome—Success or failure? (Explain)