Teaching Edgar Allan Poe’s Short Stories
High school students groan at reading the plays of Shakespeare or a Dickens novel, but shorter stories often hold their interest, especially the suspenseful stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Get unique teaching ideas for several of his short works.
ELA Common Core Standards Covered
The following lesson ideas covers the following ELA common core standards for reading.
- RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
- RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
- RL.9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
- RL.9-10.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.
A List of Poe’s Short Stories
1. “The Cask of Amontillado” - Montressor lures Fortunato into the catacombs, chains him to a wall, and walls him in.
- Verbal irony abounds. Make a two-column chart. In the left column, write at least five verbally ironic quotes. In the right column, explain how it’s verbal irony. For mastery, make a third column and explain the author’s purpose in using verbal irony.
- The KnowingPoe website has a great point of view exercise with the “Cask of Amontillado.” There is also a short unanimated comic strip film that entertains.
- There’s a nice little “Cask of Amontillado” video at the bottom of this page.
2. “The Tell-Tale Heart”- A crazy narrator murders an old man, gets away with it, goes crazy, and confesses.
- Think symbolism. Focus on the old man’s eye, the beating of his heart, and the narrator’s increased perception. What do they represent? Make a chart examining symbols.
- A short black and white film can be found via You-Tube. It’s creepy.
3. “The Black Cat” - Similar to the Tell-Tale Heart,” The “Black Cat” involves a demonic cat, an alcoholic narrator, and a nagging wife.
- Think suspense. Analyze suspense with this lesson plan (example chart below).
4. “The Pit and the Pendulum” - Sentenced to torture and death by the Inquisition, the narrator unfolds numerous horrors.
- Great imagery - rats on lips, blinding lights, swoosh of the pendulum. Analyze symbolism with a three-column chart similar to the one you made for “The Cask of Amontillado” above.
5. “The Fall of the House of Usher” - The narrator visits his old friend, Usher, who is dying. So is his house. This complex tale should be reserved for upper level classes.
- Think symbolism. Use “The Tell-Tale Heart” assignment. A comparison between this story and the others would be appropriate. This and the “Tell-Tale Heart” mention an acute sense of hearing. This and “The Cask of Amontillado” involve people being buried alive. They all involve unreliable narrators.
6. “A Descent into the Maelstrom” - Three fisherman try to avoid being sucked into a maelstrom.
- Think Romanticism meets Naturalism. Poe’s man vs. nature tale thrills like his other short stories, yet involves elements of an indifferent nature. Focus on conflict-man v. nature. If students are familiar with Naturalism, compare the two schools of thought as it applies to this story.
7. “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” - Poe invents the detective story with this classic thriller, which involves a detective who solves crimes by deduction.
- Focus on plot and supporting details: list the clues and try to solve the mystery as a class or write your own detective story. A review of inductive and deductive reason along with logical fallacies is a good idea.
- If you prefer a shorter detective story, try “The Purloined Letter.”
8. “The Oval Portrait” - Classic Poe-the narrator puts all his time and energy into painting a portrait of his wife. As you might imagine, something strange happens.
- This is great for Valentine’s Day, if you’re looking for a tragic love story involving obsessive husbands.
Suspense Chart Example
Example of Suspense
- The Black Cat begins with the narrator sitting in a cell talking about how he is about to be executed.
Pacing
Dangerous Action
Foreshadowing
- The reader knows that the flashback the narrator is about to tell ends up in an horrific crime.
The Cask of Amontillado
Here’s an excellent animation from the University of Utah.
Short Story Teacher’s Guides
Teaching the Reading Literature Common Core Standards are easy with short stories.