“The Fall of the House of Usher”

1. “The Fall of the House of Usher” By Edgar Allan Poe

2. A. Read Poe bio. on pages 260-261. • As you read, record the 5 most important ideas from it. • Pay special attention to the events that were reflected in his writing, his literary influence on other writers and the Romantic aspects of his writing.

3. B. Respond in a paragraph(5 sentences minimum) • Why do people like to be scared? Why do you read and watch things that make you fearful? Explain.

4. C. Write down this definition. • Atmosphere- creating a mood or single effect

5. D. Atmosphere- p. 264 • What type of figurative language appears in the first sentence? What effect is created by these words? • To what does the narrator compare the windows? • Draw the house.

6. E. Storyboard • Create a 6 panel storyboard/cartoon of “The Fall of the House of Usher” with a one sentence caption for each drawing. • You must choose events that span the entire story. (ex. The last panel should be the final scene of the story.)

7. F. Finish reading the story. Then, complete the following: 1. Answer Questions #4, 5, and 6 on page 280. 2. Using your notes from pages 139-150 that deal with the characteristics of Romanticism (page 144), find 5 quotes from Poe’s story that show at least 4 different characteristics in the story. (In other words, write down the quote and then say which characteristic it embodies.)

8. G. Symbolism- Explain the following using complete sentences. 1. What do the vacant, eye-like windows symbolize in terms of Roderick? 2. What does the gloomy, decaying house represent? 3. What does Roderick’s painting of a vault or tunnel represent? 4. What does the frequent and violent changes in the wind’s direction during the storm represent?

9. H. Create your own atmosphere (p. 264) • List the words from the 1st paragraph that suggest sterility, decay, finality and emptiness. • Rewrite the first paragraph to paint a cheerful or cozy picture of the House of Usher. Change the time of day, the time of year, weather conditions, landscape, etc.

10. I. Important vocabulary

11. Define these words, using a good working definition: • Allusion • Gothic • Vivacious • Equivocal • Morbid • Pallid • Palpable • Inordinate • Profuse • Similitude • Sojourn • Stupor

12. J. In literature, what makes a narrator reliable or not? Is the narrator in “The Fall of the House of Usher” reliable? Give details from the story to support what you believe.

13. So, what is a reliable narrator? • A reliable narrator is one who has a credible, authoritative voice in a narrative. • The personal involvement of a reliable narrator does not typically impede a truthful account of the story, and so determining reliability should be based in part on the narrator's ability to distance him or herself from his or her personal relations with other characters to provide a more impartial account. • From the website for International Society for the Study of Narrative.

14. Catalepsy • a physical condition usually associated with catatonic schizophrenia, characterized by suspension of sensation, muscular rigidity, fixity of posture, and often by loss of contact with environment.