The Tell Tale Heart

by Edgar Allen Poe

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.

"The Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe

Question
Use the passage to answer the question.

Which response describe the narrator's perspective in this paragraph? Select the two correct answers.

(1 point)
Responses

The narrator is an objective outsider in the story.
The narrator is an objective outsider in the story.

The narrator is directly addressing the story’s main character.
The narrator is directly addressing the story’s main character.

The narrator is directly addressing the reader.
The narrator is directly addressing the reader.

The narrator is a character in the story.
The narrator is a character in the story.

The narrator is retelling a story that was told to him.
The narrator is retelling a story that was told to him.
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1 answer

Based on the passage from "The Tell-Tale Heart," the two correct responses that describe the narrator's perspective are:

  1. The narrator is directly addressing the reader.
  2. The narrator is a character in the story.

The narrator speaks directly to the reader when they use phrases like "Hearken! and observe..." and identifies themselves as a character within the narrative.