A (Response): Find a theme first. "The effects of madness and guilt on the human mind is one of the themes in The Tell-Tale Heart," for instance.

Question

C (Source): Give textual evidence in favor of this theme. The phrase, "The disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them," is one example you may use.
E: Describe Justify the theme's reflection in the evidence. One could argue, "This demonstrates how the narrator's severe guilt and fixation on the elderly man's eye drive him insane, leading him to see and hear things that might not be real."
S (Recap): Summarize the primary idea in a more comprehensive way to close. Poe, for example, "concludes by using the narrator's spiral into insanity to show how guilt and paranoia can consume a person, ultimately leading to self-destruction.”

Answer 1

A (Response): One significant theme in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is the impact of guilt on the human psyche, illustrating how it can distort reality and drive a person to madness.

C (Source): A pertinent piece of textual evidence supporting this theme is the line, "I heard many things in hell."

E: This statement underscores the narrator's escalating madness, suggesting that his overwhelming guilt manifests in auditory hallucinations. It highlights how his conscience torments him, leading him to perceive sounds that may not exist, illustrating the profound effects of guilt on his mental state.

S (Recap): Ultimately, Poe artfully demonstrates that the burden of guilt can distort one's perception and lead to a disintegration of sanity, showcasing how the narrator’s obsessive guilt culminates in paranoia and self-destruction, echoing the story's dark exploration of the human mind's vulnerabilities.