The disease has sharpened my senses, not
destroyed, not dulled them. Above all was the
sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in
the heaven and in earth.
You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—
with what caution—with what foresight, with
what dissimulation I went to work! I was never
kinder to the old man than during the whole
week before I killed him.
NOTE: This is an ironic statement. In order to understand it,
you must remember, the narrator is mentally unstable.
Upon the eighth night I was more than usually
cautious in opening the door. A watch’s minute
hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never
before that night had I felt the extent of my
own powers, of my sagacity.
So strange a noise as this excited me to
uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes
longer I refrained and stood still.
During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day
in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung
oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing
alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary
tract of country, and at length found myself, as the
shades of the evening drew on, within view of the
melancholy House of Usher.
I know not how it was—but, with the first glimpse
of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom
pervaded my spirit. I looked upon the scene
before me…with an utter depression of soul
which I can compare to no earthly sensation…
Upon my entrance, Usher arose from a sofa on
which he had been lying at full length and
greeted me with a vivacious warmth which had
much in it, I at first thought of an overdone
cordiality—of the constrained effort…A glance,
however, at his countenance (face) convinced me
of his perfect sincerity.
Suddenly there shot along the path a wild
light, and I turned to see whence a gleam so
unusual could have issued; for the vast house
and its shadows were alone behind me. The
radiance was that of the full, setting, and
blood-red moon, which now shone vividly through
that once barely-discernible fissure, of which I
have before spoken as extending from the roof
of the building, in a zigzag direction, to the
base. While I gazed, this fissure rapidly widened
…at length, even Pluto, who was now becoming old,
and consequently somewhat peevish—even Pluto
began to experience the effects of my ill temper.
I came to look upon it [the black cat] with
unutterable loathing, and to flee silently from
its odious presence…
With my aversion to this cat, however, its
partiality for myself seemed to
increase…Whenever I sat, it would crouch beneath
my chair, or spring on my knee…If I arose it
would get between my feet and thus nearly throw
me down…
It did not make its [the black cat] appearance
during the night—and thus for one night at
least, since its introduction into the house, I
soundly and tranquilly slept.
Edgar Allan Poe
Tales of Horror
and Suspense
Tales of
Edgar Allan Poe: His life and his writing
What you already know
What you would like to know
.
What you learned
.
K
.
.
,
.
.
,
,
,
,
J
,
J
K
.
J
\
K
K
.
Ultimately, I believe Poe’s death was a result of ______________________________________________. I believe this because _______________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______
How did Poe die?
Rabies is a
Alcohol
poisoning
occurs when...
that affects
the
Alcohol is a
your
It infects
and can be
transmitted
through
Once
symptoms
occur,
Treatment is
administered
though
The worst
case scenario
is death if
BAC is known
as...
BAC can spike
when more
than
this is because
your liver can
only
Symptoms
include...
The worst case
scenario is...
filters this out
of your system
Symptoms
of a Rabies
infection
Place a check mark in the
smaller circles if these
symptoms were seen in
Edgar Allan Poe before his
death.
Symptoms
of
alcohol
Poisoning
Textual evidence: ______________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Textual evidence: ______________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Textual evidence: ______________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Textual evidence: ______________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
So, what do you think?
Use the T- chart below to weigh out the claims...
The Tell-Tale Heart
TRUE! --nervous --very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but
why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses --not
destroyed --not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I
heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.
How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily --how calmly I
can tell you the whole story.
The narrator of the “Tell-Tale Heart” insists that he is not mad. How does
Poe use structure, punctuation, and language in the opening paragraphs
to show that the narrator is, in fact, insane?
STRUCTURE:
___________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
_________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
PUNCTUATION:
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once
conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion
there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had
never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye!
yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture --a pale blue eye, with a film
over it. 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, and
thus rid myself of the eye forever.
…I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He
had never given me insult…I think it was his eye!
Yes it was this! He had the eye of a vulture…
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…”
Place a check mark to indicate the correct form of irony portrayed in this example.
Verbal
situational
dramatic
Explain: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
_________________________
___________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
LANGUAGE:
What was Poe thinking?!?
Eye of a vulture?!?
___________________________________________
L
______________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________
_
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
What first made you feel uneasy?
“ His room was as black as pitch with the thick
darkness (for the shutters were close fastened
Through fear of robbers)...”
______________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
What about this this was so intense?
keep you on edge?
__________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
tense as he was. How was Poe able to
spoil this part of the story, yet still
_________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
What brought you to this level?
factor for you?
going to die and yet you were just as
Tense•O•Meter
Ironically ...You knew the old man was
What was a specific piece of textual evidence that triggered the creep
___________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
__
How’d you get to this point?
Contradictions
Place a check mark to indicate the correct form of irony portrayed in this example .
Verbal
situational
dramatic
Explain: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
_________________________
By keeping the story free of unnecessary details and descriptions, Poe is able to place focus on the narrator’s mental deterioration. This is done
through a focus on… _________________________, _________________________, &_________________________.
Verbal
situational
dramatic
Explain: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
_________________________
“Presently, I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was
The groan of mortal terror...Many a night, just at
Midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled
Up from my own bosom…I knew what the Old man felt,
and I pitied him, although I chuckled at heart
Place a check mark to indicate the correct form of irony portrayed in this example .
Verbal
situational
dramatic
Explain: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
_________________________
What does this example of irony suggest of the narrator?
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Order of events as they would have actually occurred.
Well, for starters...
Explain the irony in this statement &
make a prediction. ____________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
__
Place a check mark to indicate the correct form of irony portrayed in this example .
“I smiled—for what had I now to fear?”
Both of these examples of irony succeed in… __________________
Explain how. ____________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
________________
So you see he would have been a very profound old
man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at
Twelve. I looked in upon him while he slept.
Order of events as they were presented in the story.
Point of View: _______________________________________________________
How was this done? __________________________________________________
Protagonist and Antagonist
Genre:
 _________________
Main Conflict
Mood
Setting
 _________________

Man vs. _________________ Explain: __________________________
Story
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________


Movie

Man vs. Man
Explain: _________________________________________
What do you think is a logical explanation
______________________________________________________________
for the heartbeat? Explain your
______________________________________________________________
reasoning. _______________________
________________________________
Man vs. Nature
Explain: ________________________________________
________________________________
______________________________________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
______________________________________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
Man vs. Supernatural Explain:
____________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
The
Tell-Tale
Heart
Symptoms of
Catatonic
Schizophrenia
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
Summary
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
Symptoms of schizophrenia
____________________
Who has schizophrenia?
Introduction to schizophrenia
Symptoms listed
in the website
article that would
confirm the
narrator was a
schizophrenic.
Summary
Summary
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
Textual Evidence
____________________
Textual Evidence
Textual Evidence
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
According to the passage, what type of schizophrenia would you assume the narrator suffered with. Provide textual evidence to
support your answer. _______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Gothic
Elements
Roderick Usher’s
behavior after Lady
Madeline’s burial
The behavior of Lady
Madeline
“While he spoke, the
lady Madeline passed
through a remote
portion of the
apartment, and without
having noticed my
presence.,.disappeared.”
“I regarded her with an
utter astonishment not
unmingled with dread;
and yet I found it
impossible to account
for such feelings.”
The
narrator’s
Arrival
“When a door, at length,
closes upon her, my
glance sought
instinctively and eagerly
the countenance of the
brother; but he had
buried his face in his
hands, and I could only
perceive that a far more
than ordinary weariness
had overspread the
emaciated fingers
through which trickled
many passionate tears.”
_______________________________________________________________________________
What we
know of
Roderick
Usher
Matter
What mood does this develop? How? ____________________________________________________
”’Her decease,’ he said,
with a bitterness which I
can never forget.”
Mean
__________________________________________________________________________________
Say
What does this reveal? ________________________________________________________________
Appearance
Making Inferences
Because the narrator tells me, the reader, that he will die tomorrow and I know
that it is rare that someone knows the day they will die, I believe ___________
___________________________. My prediction for what leads to this fate
for the narrator is ____________________________________________
I believe that because the short story is called, “The Black Cat,” ____________
_________________________________________________________
______
Why do you question Reality in “The Black
Cat”
Realistic Explanation
Supernatural Phenomena
The
Narrator's
changing
personality
Man vs. Supernatural - Explain ____________
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________
Man vs. Self - Explain __________________


______________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________
 Man vs. Man - Explain __________________
Man vs. Nature- Explain ________________
________________________________________

________________________________________
______________________
The
Black Cat
________________________________________
________________________________________
Allusion Two
Pallas
Athena
Allusion four
Why did Poe choose this? _________________
Godess
of
_______
________________________________________
Allusion one
Godess
of
_______
________________________________________
Why did Poe choose this? _________________
Allusion three
What does this
allusion suggest
of the raven?
___________
___________
___________
___________
__________
Allusion five
What’s the deal with seraphim? What was Poe thinking?
____________________________________________________
What’s the deal with the censer? What was Poe thinking?
____________________________________________________
___________________________ __________________________
______________________________________________________
___________________________ __________________________
______________________________________________________
Allusion seven
Like Jeremiah, the narrator is asking…
Allusion six
Allusion eight
What is Aideen? ___________
_______________________
What is the narrator asking? ___
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Billy’s
decision
not to
stay at
the Bell &
Dragon
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowin
g clues
clues that
that
suggest
suggest
Billy’s
Billy's
fate
fate
What does this suggest? ______
____________________
____________________
____________________
Using all of these clues at your disposal, make an inference on what happened to Billy. ______________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
What does this suggest? ____
_________________
_________________
____
The
Landlady
What was Roald Dahl’s intention in ending the story this way?
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
Point of View: _______________________________________________________
How was this done? __________________________________________________
Protagonist and Antagonist
 _________________
Genre:
 _________________
Conflicts

Man vs. Self
Explain: _________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Man vs. Man
Explain: _________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Man vs. Nature
Explain: ________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Story
Movie
______________________________________________________________

Man vs. Supernatural
Explain: ____________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Man vs. Society
Explain: _______________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Man vs. Technology
Explain: ____________________________________
______________________________________________________________
The Monkey’s Paw
Fakir: Arabic term for
poor. A Fakir is a
religious beggar who
performs feats of magic
or torture endurance.
Do you think the money will arrive? If so, how do you think it will appear?
Major Morris’ reactions:
____________________________________________________
Mood
____________________________________________________
Conditions outside:
____________________________________________________
Why can’t you believe Major Morris’ story? _________________________
_________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Why can you believe Major Morris’ story? __________________________
_________________________________________________________
Point of View: _______________________________________________________
How was this done? __________________________________________________
Protagonist and Antagonist
Genre:
 _________________
 _________________
Setting
Main Conflict

Man vs. _________________ Explain: __________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Story
_______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Theme: The Monkey’s Paw
Theme
Details from the passage to support your answer.
Movie
The
Monkey’s
Paw
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affects people who have...
These traumas can include...
Making Inferences
In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, the subject must
suffer from emotional distress for a period of...
PTSD can be triggered by the following:
Knowing what you do about the way wishes are granted with the monkey’s
paw, what do you believe happened to Major Morris _______________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
PostTraumatic
Stress
Disorder
"learned helplessness" can be described when a patient
feels...
PTSD
symptoms
seen in
Major
Morris
Symptoms include...
Treatment for PTSD include: