My take on: Edgar Allan Poe

Hello Readers.

To me, when it comes to great American writers, I think of Edgar Allan Poe. Having read a lot of his work, Poe uses themes and motifs to attract readers and question the deepest fears. My favorite short story from Poe would have to be, "The Fall of the House of Usher," because of how creepy and Gothic it is. Delving into the story, one will notice how sick and twisted the story is presented which allows for readers to feel emotions of terror. When Roderick Usher buries Madeline in the basement, readers get the sense of terror has Madeline screams for help and claws at the coffin. Poe's use of intense imagery creates a story that can be taught in a horror lesson around Halloween. In a lesson, I'd focus on the themes within the story that make it a Gothic piece of Literature. In this lesson, there could be the opportunity for kids to act out certain scenes of the short story. This would allow for students to interact with the text in a way other than reading and writing. There also could be a lesson devoted to mental illness within the characters. I'd like to focus on whether Madeline is a real-life individual or a character that Roderick created from a mental illness. To me, there are multiple ways that one could teach Poe. Constructing a 3-week unit on "The Fall of the House of Usher" would supply the teacher with multiple routes of teaching what Gothic Literature is and how Poe's use of themes and motifs can make readers address their own deepest fears. There is a lot to say about Poe and it's hard to pin-point one thing that I'd like to focus on, but I feel that as a great American writer, students would be able to connect with Poe from the mystery's he provides through works like, "The Fall of the House of Usher." Teachers could use the film, "The Raven," to connect the short-stories of Poe to film. this could help with differential instruction and make the lesson fun for students as the film was done very well. I'm excited to see what the presenters have in store for the class today and I'm hoping to be spooked by, "The Fall of the House of Usher." 

Cheers.

Ryan