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Poe's Life Experiences Influence On American Literature

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Poe's Life Experiences Influence On American Literature
For many years our middle school did a “Poe Festival” during the 2 weeks before Halloween. Our grade 8 essential questions included:
• What contributions did EAP make to American literature?
• How did his life experiences influence his work?
• Who are some writers that have been influenced by his work?
• How does his legacy live on?
We began by reading some of his famous works including, The Raven, The Tell Tale Heart, and Annabel Lee. Students were given an internet scavenger hunt with questions about his works, life and mysterious death. It also included more current articles for them to read on Poe related topics, including the Poe Toaster, a mystery fan who appeared at midnight, cloaked in black to leave a rose and toast Poe at his grave on his birthday for more than 60 years. The scavenger hunt also led them to discover modern authors who have been inspired by Poe and recent movies and television shows linked to him, including watching the Simpsons hilarious Raven tribute show. …show more content…
Students got to pick how they would honor Poe’s life from a list of activities or they could come up with their own and seek approval. Projects included poems about his life, or Shrink Lits of his work, (A Poe story or poem condensed into a shorter poem using rhyme scheme and “Poe” like qualities), Cds burned with songs in his honor to play during the service, eulogies, and skits as famous people that might have attended his real service including Dickens, Wadsworth and his secret enemy Griswold. One year a group of students and teachers got together and recorded The Raven as a rap, including background beats. We all memorized parts and performed chorally in tribute to
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