1. Citing Evidence is important! Evidence should:
Support! Support!! Support!!!! whatever you are trying to prove. Your evidence should back up your response.
Identify the evidence. Include the page number and important lines from the text. (Write out the lines/sentences)
Explain how the evidence (the lines/sentences from the text) actually supports your response!
What is the theme for The Tell Tale Heart? (You have to read it first.)
The next slide provides an example answer.

2. Possible Themes for Tell Tale Heart
The theme for Tell Tale Heart is: The human heart cannot endure the burden of guilt. This is the theme
because in the story the narrator felt very guilty for wanting to kill the old man due to his “vulture eye”.
The narrator did not dislike the old man, he was the caretaker of the old man and the old man had not done
anything wrong to the narrator, however he wanted to kill him because of his eye. According to
page, p.89, line 10-12, says “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!” This proves that the narrator was burdened
with guilt after wanting to kill the old man because of the appearance of his eye. Additional evidence to support the
theme is that after killing the old man, the narrator became insane with guilt and as a result, incriminated himself
(told on himself). According to page, 94, line 192, says “Villains! I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed!”
This proves that he felt guilty after killing the old man and that he could not handle the guilt. In summary, all of this
evidence supports the theme: the human heart cannot endure the burden of guilt.