Yr 8 Gothic Literature HW project:
A study of Edgar Allan Poe
You are going to put together a power-point presentation of the
Life and Times of Edgar Allan Poe that you will present to the class*.
Please use images and bullet points, but do not fill the screens with
information copied from the internet, WRITE YOUR INFORMATION IN
YOUR OWN WORDS.
*Top Tip: the best presentations only have brief bullet points of details on them; the speaker has it
all written out in notes, which they then explain to their listeners. Please try to use this technique
when preparing your presentation for the class.
Task 1: Research Poe’s historical and cultural context for slide 1 of your presentation
Write a summary of where Poe was born, what was happening in the country at the time, any key
dates or events that might have impacted on his life and his writing.
Task 2: Research Poe’s personal life for slide 2 of your presentation
When/where was he born? What was Poe’s family life like? Was he ever married? What were his
interests and concerns? What might have had an impact on his writing? When/where did he die?
Task 3: Research Poe’s writing career for slide 3 of your presentation
What did Poe write? How many stories, novels, poems? What genre do they fit into? Did he attain
success in his lifetime? What is his legacy?
Task 4: Read, research, annotate and prepare to teach one of Poe’s poems from the list for the rest
of the slides of your presentation
Explore the following aspects of the poem:
 Structure – rhyme, rhythm, metre = effect on the meaning
 Language – imagery, patterns, metaphors, similes, alliteration,
repetition = effect on the meaning
 Try to use Poe’s historical, cultural and personal context to explore
the meanings of the poems as well
Challenge: try to explore two poems and compare them!
List of poems:
To Helen
Elderado
A Dream Within a Dream
The Bells
Annabel Lee
Dream-Land
The Raven
Ulalume
The Haunted Palace
To research these poems, here are some excellent websites you can use:
 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/edgar-allanpoe?gclid=CKrE38eqoMQCFYIfwwodwyMAmQ#about
 http://www.shmoop.com/poetry/study-guides/sort-poet.html
Obviously, feel free to use any other websites that you find helpful!
Task 5: Create a final slide of all of the sources you have used to complete your project, this is
called a bibliography (it should be a list in alphabetical order)