Student Outline: Literary Analysis - Author Study
I.
II.
Paragraph 1: Introduction Paragraph
a.
Write a definition of fear (either from the dictionary or your own
words):
b.
Briefly explain who Edgar Allan Poe is and what type of writer he is.
c.
Write a sentence about, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Raven.”
d.
A thesis that introduces what the essay will be about: ex: American
horror writer, Edgar Allan Poe, is a master of creating the fear of
mood in his writing.
Paragraph 2: Transition word + topic sentence ex: To begin with, Edgar
Allan Poe is a master at creating the mood of fear in his stories.
a.
One example of how Poe uses fear in his writing is in
_______________ (name of story).
b.
c.
I.
concrete detail from story that will show fear
II.
a quote from the text that proves your detail
III.
Explain how this shows how Poe makes people feel fear.
Another example of how Poe creates the mood fear in his writing is in
_______________ (name of story).
I.
concrete detail from story that will show fear
II.
a quote from the text that proves your detail
III.
elaboration(s) in your own words
A final example of how Poe effectively uses fear in his writing is in
_______________ (name of story).
III.
IV.
I.
concrete detail from story that will show fear
II.
a quote from the text that proves your detail
III.
elaboration(s) in your own words)
Paragraph 3 : Transition word + topic sentence ex: Next, I have
experienced fear in my own life similar to the Poe’s characters. It is ok to use
the first person (I, me, my) in this paragraph.
a.
Describe the experience with details such as: What happened? Who
was there? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Why did it
happen? How did you react?
b.
How did this fearful experience affect your life?
Paragraph 4 : Transition word + topic sentence Edgar Allan Poe’s tragic
personal life most likely influenced his writing.
V.
a.
Briefly discuss Poe’s life including at least three specific experiences
from his life that you think encouraged him to write about fear as
often as he did.
b.
How does the mood of fear affect Poe’s work? (ex: Did it make the
story more interesting? Did it scare you? Did you like it? Did it make
you dislike the story?) Do not use the word “I”.
Paragraph 5 : Transition word + topic sentence Conclusion: In conclusion,
Edgar Allan Poe
a.
Make a connection between your own fearful experience and Poe’s
fearful writing.
b.
Review and restate the thesis and main ideas in the essay
c.
Reflect on fear as a part of life and literature