This week we continued with our unit on Edgar Allan Poe with “The Raven.” We discussed literary devices present in the text and discussed why it is arguably considered the most famous poem in the American Literary Canon. Then, 7th and 8th, as well as High School, began work on their introductory materials for “The Masque of the Red Death” including discussions on symbolism and working on demystifying some of the extensive vocabulary that Poe uses.
This work on vocabulary led to some interesting discussions about archaic language and the differences between Poe’s time, when words were both works of art themselves and a palette to create a masterpiece vs. our modern day when writing is usually curt, concise, and direct without much of the artistic value it once possessed. 7th and 8th and High School will read the actual text tomorrow and will have a short assessment at the beginning of next week.
6th grade departed a bit form my original plan and will instead read a different Poe classic “The Cask of Amontillado” tomorrow. They began work on vocabulary for the story today. This classic tale of insult and revenge has delighted audiences for 2 centuries. It is my hope that it will capture yet another. 6th will also have a short assessment next week covering Poe’s biography and the works we’ve discussed so far.
