1. Character Analysis The Narrator Deranged unnamed person who tries to convince the reader that he is sane. He is intelligent and has the ability to commit a crime with skill and precision He nagged by what he calls heightened senses, something that is a condition found in several various Poe stories 

2. Character Analysis The Old Man: Neighbor: Three Policemen: Seemingly harmless elder who has a hideous "evil eye" that unnerves the narrator.  Person who hears a shriek coming from the house of the narrator and the old man, then reports it to the police.  Officers who search the narrator's house after a neighbor reports hearing a shriek

3. Mood “The Tell Tale Heart”

4. Mood • Definition: • The feeling or impression the author creates with his writing • Also refers to the feelings the reader has about the characters or setting in a story • Mood can be identified by analyzing the setting of a story and by analyzing the character’s actions and dialogue

5. Identifying Mood through Character’s Words and Actions • Readers need to recognize/analyze the following: • Situation in which the character is involved • Character’s reactions to the situation • Character’s reactions by other characters • Character’s body language • Character’s tone of voice • What the characters say to and about others • The character’s thoughts and emotions

6. Identifying Mood through Analyzing Setting • Writers often select/create a setting that will impart the mood they wish to instill in their readers • Writers will use a variety of imagery devices to vividly describe the setting so that the readers can picture in their minds how the setting looks, smells, sounds, etc.: sensory details, simile, metaphor, personification

7. Words to Describe Mood • Just about any word that can describe an emotion can describe the mood in a story. The following list is just some examples • Cheerful Humerous • Tense Dark Light • Terror Apprehensive Suspenseful • Melancholy Romantic Anxious • Dreary Mysterious Sad • Violent Exciting Angry • Peaceful Lonely Fearful • Scary Calm • Ominous Cold

8. Steps to Identifying Mood • Identify the situation—what is the character doing? • Find the key words and phrases that show the character’s reactions to the situation • Ask yourself: What mood is shown by the character’s reactions?

9. Why Mood Matters • Mood is an important literary element because it influences the way readers feel about what they are reading • Mood can draw a reader into a story and can compel a reader to continue to read.