Paraphrasing Poe’s “The Tale-Tell Heart”
Background:
We will be paraphrasing selections of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Tale-Tell Heart.” This story is about an insane
murderer troubled by an evil eye. The belief in the evil eye dates back to ancient times, and it centers around the belief
that those who possess an evil eye have the ability to harm others (or their possessions) simply by looking at them. The
narrator of this story plans, practices, and eventually commits a murder to rid himself of an evil eye.
A review of what you already know:
Paraphrasing is restating the idea in your own words. It can be about the same length or even longer than the
original passage.
Summarizing is restating only the main points of the passage in your own words. It is very brief.
Quoting is using the exact words of the author of the passage. It gives the author credit for those words.
Before you can answer any questions, you must read the selection of the story. All of the following questions center
around this passage.
Poe’s version:
"I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the
meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening, --just as I
have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall."
Below you will find three different versions of the passage above. Remember, it is easy to confuse a paraphrase with
a summary or a quotation. Look at these three choices and label each as either a paraphrase, summary, or quotation.
Version 1:
"I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie
down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening, --just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches
in the wall."
Is this a paraphrase, summary, or quotation?
How did you know?
Version 2:
For an hour, I kept very still and never heard him lie down. He was listening to the deathwatch beetles in the wall as I have
done before.
Is this is paraphrase, summary, or quotation?
Why do you think this?
Version 3:
For the whole hour, I was completely still. I never heard him lie down. He was sitting up listening to the sounds in the wall
that made him feel as if something was terribly wrong. I have done this myself many times before.
Is this a paraphrase, summary, or quotation?
Explain your reasoning for your answer.
This activity was originally a web exercise.
"Paraphrase Craze." Beacon Learning Center. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/WebLessons/ParaphraseCraze/default.htm#page2>.
Paraphrasing Poe: Day 2
For the next three questions, pretend you are conducting a peer evaluation for a fellow classmate.
Poe’s version:
"Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's
minute hand moves more quickly than did mine."
Fellow classmate’s version:
On the eighth night I was more cautious than usual when opening the door. The minute hand on a watch moves more
quickly than did mine.
Consider your classmate’s rewriting of the text. Was she successful in paraphrasing Poe’s original or is her rewriting
too similar to the original? Did she just plagiarize?
What are some words the student writer copied exactly from Poe?
Take a look at the student writer’s second attempt to paraphrase Poe. She has figured out that the murderer is the
narrator of the story, but she is still having difficulty with her paraphrase. See if you can identify weak areas in her
paraphrase.
Poe’s version:
“It was open, wide, wide open, and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect
distinctness -- all a dull blue with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my
bones, but I could see nothing else of the old man's face or person, for I had directed the
ray as if by instinct upon the...spot."
Before you read the fellow classmate’s version, make sure you understand Poe’s version. Answer these questions:
What is Poe describing?
How did the narrator in Poe’s version feel when he saw the evil eye?
What does Poe mean by, “…for I had directed the ray as if by instinct upon the…spot”?
Fellow classmate’s version:
The murderer became enraged when he saw that the eye was open. It was foggy blue. The room was cold and chilled him. He
was unable to see anything of the old man except the eye which was spotlighted by the lantern the murderer was holding.
Did the fellow classmate stay true to Poe’s version? Did she recapture how the narrator felt?
What is wrong with the fellow classmate’s version?
Read the fellow classmate’s third and final attempt to paraphrase Poe.
The murderer became enraged when he saw the eye open. He saw it clearly. It was foggy blue. Just looking at it gave him the
creeps. He was unable to see anything of the old man except the eye which was spotlighted by the lantern the murderer was
holding.
Compare the second and third paraphrase from the student writer. What did she add in her third paraphrase that she
did not have in her second?
Underline those sentences that she added. Do her additions help her paraphrase? Why or why not?
Did the student writer succeed in paraphrasing Poe in her third and final attempt? Why or why not?
This activity was originally a web exercise.
"Paraphrase Craze." Beacon Learning Center. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/WebLessons/ParaphraseCraze/default.htm#page2>