Prompt: How do individuals justify their own reality?

After reading The

Monkeys Paw, The Tell Tale Heart, The Black Cat, Alone, The Veldt,
Retrieved Reformation, and Hearts and Hands

, along with non-fiction

articles on the topic of perception vs reality, write an essay in which you
compare how different individuals perceive their own reality and argue
which individual was most removed from reality. What conclusions or
implications can you draw?

Pre-Writing
What two individuals are you
comparing?

1. Peter in The Veldt

2. The narrator from The Tell Tale Heart

Who are you arguing is the MOST

removed from reality?
(Please add the THREE quotes you are
using from the short story or article to
support this individual)

Character/Name: Peter
Article/Story Title: The Veldt
Author: Ray Bradbury
Strong Quote 1: Matter of fact, were
thinking of turning the whole house off
for about a month. Live sort of a happy
family existence. That sounds terrible!
Would I have to tie my own shoes instead
of letting the machine do it? And brush
my own teeth and comb my hair and give
myself a bath?
Page/Paragraph # 8 paragraph 16/17

Stronger Quote 2: As for the nursery,

thought George Hadley, it wont hurt for
the children to be locked out of it a
while. Too much of anything isnt good
for anyone. And it was clearly indicated
that the children had been spending a
little too much time on Africa. That sun.
He could still feel it on his neck, like a
hot paw. And the lions. And the smell of
blood. Remarkable how the nursery read
the thoughts in the childrens minds and

created life to fill their every desire.

Page/Paragraph # 4, 6

Strongest Quote 3: We were, for a long

while. Now were going to really start
living. Instead of being handled and
massaged, were going to live.
Page/Paragraph #12, 4

Who is the other individual you are

comparing to?
(Please add the ONE quote you are using
from the short story or article to support
this individual)

Character/Name: Narrator
Article/Story Title: Tell Tale Heart
Author: Edgar Allan Poe
Quote 1: Whenever it fell upon me, my
blood ran cold; and so by degrees-very
gradually- I made up my mind to take
the life of the old man, thus rid myself of
the eye forever.

Page/Paragraph # 232, 2

Graphic Organizer

Introduction paragraph
Hook
Background info about PvR &
discuss the two individuals you
are comparing. Introduce the
titles and authors of the
articles/stories included.
Claim Statement (one sentence)

Hook: Perception is not always reality.

Some people think their perception is
reality.
Background: Perception vs reality
means that someone thinks one thing
while it actually is another thing.
Perception vs reality is represented in
the stories The Veldt by Ray Bradbury
and The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan
Poe. In The Veldt, Peters perception of

the world is in the nursery which is a

virtual reality that the family made to
help get over problems. Instead it
isolated Peter from reality. In The Tell
Tale Heart, the narrators perception is
he justifies his reason for killing the
neighbor because of his eye.

Claim Statement: Peter in the Velt is

more removed from reality than the
narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart.
Body Paragraph 1: STRONGER
ARGUMENT

Discuss quote 1 that addresses person

you believe is MOST removed from
reality
Topic sentence: Identify Person
and introduce quote
Quote
Support/Explanation of quote

Body Paragraph 2: STRONG

ARGUMENT
Discuss quote 2 that addresses person
you believe is MOST removed from
reality
Topic sentence: Identify Person
and introduce quote
Quote
Support/Explanation of quote

Peter is the most removed from reality

because he only wants to live in his own
world. The text says on page eight,
Matter of fact, were thinking of turning
the whole house off for about a month.
Live sort of a happy family existence.
That sounds terrible! Would I have to tie
my own shoes instead of letting the
machine do it? And brush my own teeth
and comb my hair and give myself a
bath? This quote shows that Peter cant
live without the nursery. Peter needs the
nursery because he does not want to go
out into the real world.
Secondly, Peter is the most removed
from reality because he hasnt done
anything for himself instead he wants to
live in the nursery and not do anything
else. On page four the text states, We
were, for a long while. Now were going
to really start living. Instead of being
handled and massaged, were going to
live. This quote illustrates that Peter
wants to still live in the nursery to get
away from reality. Peters mom and dad
thinks that Peter is too obsessed with the
nursery and they are worried that he is
too obsessed with his perception of his
reality.

Counterclaim: Address the other

individual you are comparing (not as
removed from reality\
Introduce the opposing side with
quote & support for that side

Some say that the narrator from Tell

Tale Heart is more removed from
reality than Peter. On page 232 the text
says Whenever it fell upon me, my blood
ran cold; and so by degrees-very
gradually- I made up my mind to take
the life of the old man, thus rid myself of
the eye forever. This quote
demonstrates that the narrator is okay
with killing a man just because a man
makes him nervous. He could have
avoided him and not talked to him but
instead he decided to kill him.

Rebuttal/Body Paragraph 3:
STRONGEST ARGUMENT
Topic sentence
Explain strongest argument about
the individual you chose and why
it is stronger than the
counterclaim or other individual
you chose.

Although the narrator is removed from

reality, Peter is more removed from
reality than the narrator. The text states
As for the nursery, thought George
Hadley, it wont hurt for the children to
be locked out of it a while. Too much of
anything isnt good for anyone. And it
was clearly indicated that the children
had been spending a little too much time
on Africa. That sun. He could still feel it
on his neck, like a hot paw. And the lions.
And the smell of blood. Remarkable how
the nursery read the thoughts in the
childrens minds and created life to fill
their every desire. This means that the
parents of Peter think that he spends too
much time in the nursery and it is
making him only be in his own world and
not in reality.

Conclusion:
Summarize all information given
Restate claim in a new way
End your critique with a creative
closing that ties all loose ends
together. End hook or call to
action!

In conclusion, Peter is most removed

from reality because he needs the
nursery instead of going out in the real
world, he is too obsessed with his
perception. Some might say the narrator
from the Tell Tale Heart is more
removed from reality because he killed
his neighbor who didnt do anything
wrong. Despite the fact that he is
removed from reality, Peter is more
removed because his parents are

worried that he if he is always in the

nursery he wont learn anything about
reality. This evidence shows that Peter in
The Veldt is more removed from
reality than the narrator in Tell Tale
Heart. The Veldt teaches us not to use
too much of anything because it is not
good for us especially when we are
surrounded by technology.

Zoe Goldberg
Period 4

Perception vs Reality
Perception is not always reality but some people think their impression of the
world is the truth. Perception vs reality means that someone thinks one thing while it
actually is another thing. Perception vs reality is represented in the stories The Veldt
by Ray Bradbury and The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. In The Veldt, Peters
perception of the world is in the nursery which is a virtual reality that the family made
to help get over problems. Instead it isolated Peter from reality. In The Tell Tale
Heart, the narrators perception is he justifies his reason for killing the neighbor
because of his eye. Peter in The Veldt is more removed from reality than the narrator
in The Tell-Tale Heart.
Peter is the most removed from reality because he only wants to live in his own
world. The text says on page eight, Matter of fact, were thinking of turning the whole
house off for about a month. Live sort of a happy family existence. That sounds
terrible! Would I have to tie my own shoes instead of letting the machine do it? And
brush my own teeth and comb my hair and give myself a bath? This quote shows that
Peter cannot live without the nursery. Peter needs the nursery because he does not
want to go out into the real world.
Secondly, Peter is the most removed from reality because he has not done
anything for himself instead he wants to live in the nursery and not do anything else.
On page four the text states, We were, for a long while. Now were going to really start

living. Instead of being handled and massaged, were going to live. This quote
illustrates that Peter wants to still live in the nursery to get away from reality. Peters
mom and dad thinks that Peter is too obsessed with the nursery and they are worried
that he is too obsessed with his perception of his reality.
Some say that the narrator from Tell Tale Heart is more removed from reality
than Peter. On page 232 the text says Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold;
and so by degrees-very gradually- I made up my mind to take the life of the old man,
thus rid myself of the eye forever. This quote demonstrates that the narrator is okay
with killing a man just because a man makes him nervous. He could have avoided him
and not talked to him but instead he decided to kill him. The text states,
As for the nursery, thought George Hadley, it wont hurt for the children to be
locked out of it a while. Too much of anything isnt good for anyone. And it was
clearly indicated that the children had been spending a little too much time on
Africa. That sun. He could still feel it on his neck, like a hot paw. And the lions.
And the smell of blood. Remarkable how the nursery read the thoughts in the
childrens minds and created life to fill their every desire (4).
This means that the parents of Peter think that he spends too much time in the
nursery and it is making him only be in his own world and not in reality. At the end,
Peter killed his parents and did not really care. Peter is more removed from reality
because he doesnt tell anyone that he killed his parents since he thinks it is fine and
the narrator ends up confessing.
In conclusion, Peter is most removed from reality because he needs the nursery
instead of going out in the real world, he is too obsessed with his perception. Some
might say the narrator from the Tell Tale Heart is more removed from reality
because he killed his neighbor who did not do anything wrong. Despite the fact that he

is removed from reality, Peter is more removed because his parents are worried that
he if he is always in the nursery he will not learn anything about reality. This evidence
shows that Peter in The Veldt is more removed from reality than the narrator in Tell
Tale Heart. The Veldt teaches us not to use too much of anything because it is not
good for us especially when we are surrounded by technology.