Edgar Allan Poe
7th grade Concilium
Edgar Allan Poe is
one of the most widely read authors of American Literature. This unit will introduce you to the
works and life of one of AmericaÕs most influential writers. Few people know that Poe was the
originator of the modern detective story.
He is a master of establishing setting, sustaining atmosphere, creating
unforgettable characters, building intriguing plots and developing powerful
themes dealing with love, loss, courage, greed, fear, and the search for oneÕs
heartÕs desire. ArenÕt you lucky
to be studying such a great writer? Oh, yes, he seems a bit weird, too.
Essential
Concepts:
In this unit you
will study poetic terms and devices and be able to apply them to not only PoeÕs
work but also the works of other poets.
You will
understand and identify the elements of Romanticism and Gothicism in PoeÕs work
and be able to apply them to other works.
Requirements:
You will be
reading and evaluating the following works; ÒAnnabel LeeÓ, ÒThe RavenÓ, ÒThe Fall of the House of UsherÓ, Ò The Masque of the Red DeathÓ, ÒThe Cask of AmontilladoÓ
Your will study
poetic devices and apply them in PoeÕs poetic forms.
You will analyze
the content and meaning of short stories and justify how they fit the elements
of Romanticism and Gothicism.
You will write
portions of poetry/song in modern language to develop the meaning of the poem.
You will view the
film and write short response proving that ÒThe Fall of the House of UsherÓ
fits the genre of Romanticism.
Standards Identified:
Acquisition of
Vocabulary: Define unknown words, infer meanings, interpret metaphors and
similes recognize and use words from other languages, use knowledge of Greek
and Latin roots
Reading Process:
Adjust purpose for reading texts, predict or hypothesize outcome, make critical
comparisons literal or implied, summarize the information and demonstrate
comprehension,
Reading
Applications of Literary Texts: Explain interactions and conflicts,
analyze the importance of setting, identify recurring themes, patterns symbols
for different cultures and eras, explain the defining characteristics of
biography, poetry, fiction and non-fiction, explain figurative language
Writing
Process: Establish a
thesis for persuasive writing, determine purpose and audience, organize writing
with an effective introduction, body and conclusion that elaborated on points
in writing, vary simple, compound and complex sentences, use precise language,
proofread and edit, apply rubrics to judge quality
Write narratives
that maintain clear focus, write responses to short stories and poems that
interpret or reflect author intent, write persuasive essays that establish a
clear position, produce informal writings
Writing
Conventions:
Spell words
correctly, use appropriate punctuation, use correct subject-verb agreement, use
correct verb tenses, integrate quotes correctly use appropriate form of
documentation.
There are more
pages following. Please copy them, too ˆ
Definition:
A movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that marked the reaction in literature, philosophy, art, religion, and politics to the formalism of the preceding (Neoclassic) period.
The Neoclassic period valued reason, formal rules, and demanded order in beauty.
* Victor Hugo called Romanticism Òliberalism in literature.Ó It freed the artist and writer from restraints and rules.
* A current definition: a psychological desire to escape from unpleasant realities
Characteristics:
* The predominance of imagination over reason and formal rules
* Primitivism – simplicity or naivete of artistic style
* Love of nature
* An interest in the past
* Mysticism – personal communication with the divine through intuition or faith
* Individualism – the pursuit of personal happiness and independence
* Idealization of rural life – not the wealthy
* Enthusiasm for the wild, irregular, or grotesque in nature
* Enthusiasm for the uncivilized or Ònatural
* Interest in human rights
* Sentimentality – the practice of indulging emotion or nostalgia
* Melancholy – thoughtful or gentle sadness
* Interest in the gothic
Supernatural motifs ( a repeated design or pattern) appear throughout literature but are most prominent in the literary genre labeled "Gothic," which developed in the late eighteenth-century and is devoted primarily to stories of horror, the fantastic, and the "darker" supernatural forces. The English Gothic novel originated with the publication of Horace WalpoleÕs ÒThe Castle of OtrantoÓ (1765), which Walpole called a "Gothic story." Frankenstein, Dracula, and ÒThe Fall of the House of UsherÓ are specific examples of the Gothic genre.
* Gothic literature derives its name from its similarities to the Gothic medieval cathedrals, which feature a majestic, unrestrained architectural style with often savage or grotesque ornamentation (the word "Gothic" derives from "Goth," the name of one of the barbaric Germanic tribes that invaded the Roman Empire).
* The vaulting arches and spires of Gothic cathedrals reach wildly to the sky as if the builders were trying to grasp the heavens; and the cathedrals are covered with a profusion of wild carvings depicting humanity in conflict with supernatural forces—demons, angels, gargoyles, and monsters.
* The architecture evokes the sense of humanityÕs division between a finite, physical identity and the often terrifying and bizarre forces of the infinite. The Gothic aesthetic also embodies an ambition to transcend earthly human limitations and reach the divine.
* Like Gothic architecture, Gothic literature focuses on humanityÕs fascination with the grotesque, the unknown, and the frightening, inexplicable aspects of the universe and the human soul. The Gothic creates horror by portraying human individuals in confrontation with the overwhelming, mysterious, terrifying forces found in the cosmos and within themselves. Gothic literature pictures the human condition as an ambiguous mixture of good and evil powers that cannot be understood completely by human reason.
* Thus, the Gothic perspective conceives of the human condition as a paradox, a dilemma of duality—humans are divided in the conflict between opposing forces in the world and in themselves.
* The Gothic themes of human natureÕs depravity, the struggle between good and evil in the human soul, and the existence of unexplainable elements in humanity and the cosmos, are prominent themes.
A motif is a repeated theme, image, or literary device. Look for these common supernatural/Gothic motifs in the stories and poems we read.
The Double or Doppelganger (German for
"double-goer"):
Defined by Federick S. Frank as "a second self or alternate identity, sometimes, but not always, a physical twin. The Doppelganger in demonic form can be a reciprocal or lower bestial (lacking normal human feelings of pity or remorse) self or a Mr. Hyde. Gothic doppelgangers often haunt and threaten the rational psyche of the victim to whom they become attached" (435).
The double motif involves a comparison or contrast between two characters or sets of characters within a work to represent opposing forces in human nature. For example, Dr. Jekyll and his evil double Mr. Hyde are contrasted to represent the battle between the rational, intellectual self (Jekyll) and the irrational, bestial self (Hyde). The double motif suggests that humans are burdened with a dual nature, a soul forever divided.
Double characters are often paired in common relationships, such as twins, siblings, husband/wife, parent/child, hero/villain, creator/creature, etc.
Forbidden Knowledge or Power/ Faust Motif:
Forbidden knowledge/power is often the Gothic protagonistÕs goal. The Gothic "hero" questions the universeÕs ambiguous nature and tries to comprehend and control those supernatural powers that mortals cannot understand. He tries to overcome human limitations and make himself into a "god." This ambition usually leads to the heroÕs "fall" or destruction; however, Gothic tales of ambition sometimes paradoxically evoke our admiration because they picture individuals with the courage to defy fate and cosmic forces in an attempt to transcend the mundane to the eternal and sublime.
Monster/Satanic Hero/Fallen Man:
The courageous search for forbidden knowledge or power always leads the hero to a fall, a corruption, or destruction, such as SatanÕs or AdamÕs fall. Consequently, the hero in Gothic literature is often a "villain." The hero is isolated from others by his fall and either becomes a monster or confronts a monster who is his double. He becomes a "Satanic hero" if, like Satan, he has courageously defied the rules of GodÕs universe and has tried to transform himself into a god. Note: the mad scientist, who tries to transcend human limitations through science, is a type of Satanic hero that is popular in Gothic literature (examples include Dr. Jekyll and Frankenstein).
Multiple Narrative/Spiral Narrative Method:
The story is frequently told through a series of secret manuscripts or multiple tales, each revealing a deeper secret, so the narrative gradually spirals inward toward the hidden truth. The narrator is often a first-person narrator compelled to tell the story to a fascinated or captive listener (representing the captivating power of forbidden knowledge). By revealing to us their own soulsÕ secrets, these narrators reveal the secrets of humankindÕs soul.
Dreams/Visions:
Terrible truths are often revealed to characters through dreams or visions. The hidden knowledge of the universe and of human nature emerges through dreams because, when the person sleeps, reason sleeps, and the supernatural, unreasonable world can break through. Dreams in Gothic literature express the dark, unconscious depths of the psyche that are repressed by reason truths that are too terrible to be comprehended by the conscious mind.
Signs/Omens:
Reveal the intervention of cosmic forces and often represent psychological or spiritual conflict (e.g., flashes of lightning and violent storms might parallel some turmoil within a characterÕs mind).
Information from http//teachers.sduhsd.k12
alliteration: the repetition of a beginning sound
Rain reigns
roughly through the day.
Raging anger from
the sky
Partners prattle
of tormented tears
From clouds
wondering why
Lightning tears
their souls apart.
allusion: a casual reference to someone or something in history or literature that creates a mental picture.
A Common Woman
No Helen of Troy she,
Taking the world by
war,
But a woman in
plain paper wrapped
With a heart of
love untapped,
She waits,
yearning for her destiny
Whether it be a he
on a charger white
Or one riding
behind a garbage truck.
Perhaps instead
a room of students
Lurks in the
shadows of her life
Needing her
interest to be shown.
Yet other concerns
may call
To bestow her
talents all.
No, no Helen of
Troy she,
But a woman set
the world to tame
Wherever she may
be.
Note: Helen of Troy is the allusion.
analogy: the comparison of two things by explaining one to
show how it is similar to the other.
The day dawns as a journey.
First one leaves
the station on a train,
Rushing past other
places
Without a pause or
stop,
Watching faces
blur through the window,
No time to say
goodbye.
On and on the
train does speed
Until the lineÕs
end one sees,
Another
sunset down
Without any
lasting memories.
NOTE: The whole poem is analogy, the comparison of a day and a
train journey.
caesura: the pausing or stopping within a line of poetry
caused by needed punctuation.
Living, breathing
apathy
Saps energy, will,
interest,
Leaving no desire
to win.
All thatÕs left
are ashes,
Cinders of what
might have been.
NOTE: The caesura is found in the use of a comma in the first line
and the second line.
enjambment: the continuation of thought from one line of
poetry to the next without punctuation needed at the end of the previous
line(s).
Looking through
the eyes
Of wonder, of
delight,
Children view
their world
With trust, with
hope
That only life
will change.
NOTE: Enjambment is found at the end of lines 1, 3, and 4.
hyperbole: extreme exaggeration for effect.
Giants standing
tall as mountains
Towering over
midgets
Bring eyes above
the common ground
To heights no
longer small.
Arms of tree
trunks wrap
In comfort gentle,
softness
Unthought-of of
due to size,
Yet welcomed in
their strength.
metaphor: the comparison of two unlike things by saying
one is the other.
Sunshine, hope
aglow,
Streams from
heavenÕs store
Bringing smiles of
warming grace
Which lighten
heavy loads.
Clouds are ships
in full sail
Racing across the
sky-blue sea.
Wind fills the cotton
canvas
Pushing them
further away from me.
metonymy: the substitution of a word for one with which it
is closely associated.
Scandals peep from
every window,
Hide behind each
hedge,
Waiting to pounce
on the unwary,
As the White House
cringes in dismay.
onomatopoeia: the sound a thing makes
Roaring with the
pain
Caused by flashing
lightning strikes,
Thunders yells,
ÒBooooom! Craaaashhhh! Yeow!Ó
Then mumbles,
rumbling on its way.
Grrrr, the lionÕs
cry echoes
Through the
jungleÕs den
Causing creatures
small
To scurry to their
holes.
NOTE: Roaring, rumbling, cry are not examples of onomatopoeia, but
are verb forms.
oxymoron: comparisonsby opposition
Freezing heat of
hate
Surrounds the
heart
Stalling, killing
kindness,
Bringing
destruction to the start.
personification: the giving of human traits to
non-human things incapable of having those traits.
Anger frowns and
snarls,
Sending bolts of
fire from darkest night
That bring no
brilliance,
Rather only added
blackness of sight.
simile: the comparison of two unlike things by saying
one is like or as the other.
Sunshine, like
hope aglow,
Streams from
heavenÕs sky
Bringing smiles of
warming grace
On breeze whispers
like a sigh.
Clouds are like ships in full sail
Racing across the
sky-blue sea.
Wind fills the
cotton canvas
Pushing them
further away from me.
symbol: something which represents something else besides
itself.
The dove, with
olive branch in beak,
Glides over all
the land
Searching for a
place to light.
Storms of war
linger on every hand,
Everywhere the
hawk does fight.
elegy: a poem of lament (extreme
sorrow, such as caused by death)
free
verse: a poem
without either a rhyme or a rhythm scheme, although rhyme may be used.
blank
verse:
unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter (ten syllables with all even numbered
syllables accented)
imagery: the use of words to create a
mental picture
mood: the emotional effect of a poem
or a story
internal Rhyme: a rhyme in which one of the rhyming words
is within the line of poetry and the other is at the end of the same line or
within the next line
by Edgar
Allan Poe
(1849)
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That
a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;--
And
this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by
me.
I was
a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But
we loved with a love that was more than love--
I and my ANNABEL LEE--
With
a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
And
this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A
wind blew out of a cloud by night
Chilling my ANNABEL LEE;
So
that her high-born kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To
shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.
The
angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me:--
Yes!
that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That
the wind came out of a cloud, by night
Chilling and killing my ANNABELL LEE.
But
our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than
we--
Of many far wiser than we-
And
neither the angels in Heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the
sea,
Can
ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:--
For
the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And
the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And
so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my
darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In her sepulcher there by the
sea--
In her tomb by the side of the
sea.
Fill in explanations in your own words as we discuss the themes.
1.
Intuition
and Emotion – A dominant characteristic of the Romantic
Movement is the rejection of the rational and intellectual in favor for the
intuitive and emotional.
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2.
Setting
and Time- In PoeÕs
Romantic literature the setting is in some obscure or unknown place or else set
at some distant time in the past.
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3.
Characterization – Characters are not named or only
partially named unless they addressed by another character.
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4.
Subject
Matter- Emphasis of the
strange, bizarre, unusual and unexpected.
Romantics felt the common or ordinary had no place in art.
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1.
Macabre-
(adj) having death as a subject
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2. Mysterious- (adj) beyond understanding
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3.
Fantastic- (adj) imaginary:
grotesque
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4. Supernatural – (adj) relating to
or attributed to a divinity or infernal spirit (god or devil)
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