Poe’s World

“The Tell Tale Heart” and “The Raven”

There’s madness to consider:

1. . What does the first paragraph reveal about the narrator? What does it foreshadow?

2. Look through the story and find 3 times when the narrator insists he is not mad. How does he define madness?

3. Is the reader meant to agree with the narrator when he says he is not mad? How do you know?

4. In paragraph 18 the narrator says the officers “chatted pleasantly and smiled.” Do you think the officers would agree with this description? What events (prior to admitting to murder) might the officers find just a little odd?

• 1. Keen hearing, nervous, able to hear heaven and hell (foreshadows heart beat)

• 2. (P 1,3,12, 14) He seems to define madness as a dull sense, foolishness, or not paying attention to details

• 3.Once the narrator admits to hearing things in heaven and hell (in P 1) the reader knows he is hallucinating and that his observations may not be accurate.

• 4. 4 am, sitting upstairs in the bedroom (not a living room), narrator starts talking loudly, pacing, scraping chair, etc .

Annotations of Stylistic DevicesWord Repetition- What is the effect of the

passage you selected, on you the reader?

Caesuras- note effects

Short, choppy sentences- effects?

Diction to create mood- what mood is created?

Short Film-

• What are the elements of suspense in film?• How is light and dark (Chiaroscuro) used in

film?• How is mood conveyed?

Elements of the Gothic“The Raven”

Poe’s Victorian Gothic element:

• 1. Setting in a castle or dark place• 2. An atmosphere of mystery and suspense• 3. An ancient prophecy• 4. Omens, portents, visions. A character may have a

disturbing dream vision, or some phenomenon may be seen as a portent of coming events.

• 5. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events • 6. High, even overwrought emotion. The narration may be

highly sentimental; characters are often overcome by anger, sorrow, surprise, and especially, terror. Characters suffer from raw nerves and a feeling of impending doom. Crying and emotional speeches are frequent.

• 7. Women in distress• 8. Decent into madness• 9. Psychology

“The Raven”• Find examples for each of the following*:– alliteration (repetition of sound at the beginning of

words)– assonance (repetition of internal vowel sound)– internal rhyme (rhyme inside of lines of poetry)– descriptive language that creates mood– Repetition/anaphora– allusions (mythological/biblical/historical references)

*How do these poetic devices affect meaning, mood and tone in the poem?

• What do we know about the narrator of the poem? How might this effect our understanding of the events in the poem?

• What mood is created in the first stanzas of the poem?• Showcase the six times the narrator says/asks to which

the raven responds “Nevermore”? What is revealed. • How does the narrator’s emotional state change during

the poem? How do we know these changes are happening?

• What is the Raven a symbol for?

Drama Time!!!

- Read over your section a few times- try different styles!

- Grasp tone of speaker and mood of setting

- Listen to the rhythm!- How does your section fall

within the rest of the poem- what’s the speaker’s tone like?

The Simpsons….

Mini, Dark, Creepy, Gothic, “The Raven” Art

• Partner TASK– Create a visual that depicts the stanza of the poem you

are assigned.– You will want to include a piece or two of dialogue to

capture your section.– Characterization, essential words and most importantly,

Gothic imagery should be the focal point. – Color, if used, must be used symbolically! – (Group names and stanza number on back!)

TAKE OUT YOUR POE PACKET!

• Objective: By the end of class, you should be able to know how Poe uses and builds suspense in his writing.

“The Black Cat”

- Note differences in narrator- How is this narrator different than the narrator of

“The Tell-Tale Heart”? - What disease does this narrator suffer from?

- Overall: How does this piece serve as a psychological tale to YOU, the reader!

Poe: Master at Suspense

• Suspenseful Moments• Dangerous Actions• Pacing• Foreshadowing

Homework

• Complete a found poem- YOU CHOOSE which Poe piece to work with.

• Work on final Portfolio submission – DUE 10/24- Section 16– Due 10/28- Section 15