Suggested Lesson Procedure:

1. Begin by asking students what they already know about the life and/or works of Edgar Allan Poe. After a few student volunteers have shared their bits of knowledge with the class, explain that those things are true (if they, in fact, are) and that there’s a whole lot more tragedy in this gothic writer’s life.

2. After the quick warm-up discussion, hand out the two-page student question sheet and play the 43-minute A&E Biography’s “The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe” video for the class. (Links

Edgar Allan PoeBiography

below) Students should answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper. The first 20 questions can be answered while the video plays; the last four questions should be completed after the film is finished.

3. Depending on time, you may want students to answer the last four questions during any remaining class time. If you’ve run short on time, then assign the last four questions as homework.

Due to copyright law, I am unable to offer the full video here. You have purchased my lesson materials to use with the Biography episode, not the program itself. If you enter “A&E Biography Edgar Allan Poe” into any search engine, you will find numerous copies of the video available for you to use in class. During my last product update, these websites were hosting the episode for free. Just copy-and-paste any of the addresses below to access the content:

Best quality, but sometimes the video forces you to watch three minutes of ads:http://www.biography.com/people/edgar-allan-poe-9443160/videos/edgar-allan-poe-full-episode-2104513528

Decent video quality and no ads:http://documentaryaddict.com/films/edgar-allan-poe-the-mystery

Decent video quality, but has YouTube pop-up ads:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W70cinvFKko

A DVD of the episode also is available for purchase here:http://www.amazon.com/Biography-Edgar-Allan-Mystery-Allen/dp/B0002V7NT8

1. How old was Edgar when his father, David Poe, Jr., abandoned the family?

2. How old was Edgar when his mother, Eliza Poe, died at age 24 of tuberculosis?

3. Why was Mrs. Francis Allan eager to bring young Edgar into her home? How did Mr. John Allan feel about this?

4. Was Edgar lucky or unlucky to be taken in by the Allans? Explainyour answer.

5. Who was Jane Stanard and how did she die?

6. What’s the most likely reason that Mr. Allan agreed to send Edgar to the University of Virginia in 1827?

7. After leaving school, Edgar moved to Boston and enlisted in the army under the false name, Edgar A. Perry. Why did he change his name?

8. Early in 1829, Frances Allan died from tuberculosis, leaving Edgar now orphaned by two mothers and deserted by two fathers. Poe searched for a safe-haven. What was it?

9. While working as a literary editor, Poe earned the nicknames “The Tomahawk Man” and “The Comanche of Literature.” What caused him to earn these nicknames?

10. Disturbingly, Edgar says he fell in love with his 12-year-old cousin Virginia, calling her “my love, sweetest sissie, darling little wifey.” He was 26 and she was 12 when they married. What evidence exists that proves they knew this was a wrongful act?

11. Describe two things Poe did connected to his 1842 meeting with U.S. President John Tyler that prove Poe was “his own worst enemy.”

12. Fill in the two missing words: Poe was caught in a struggle between rationality and _________________ , between _________________ and chaos.

13. Scholars say that Poe invented the modern _________________ story out of his need for order and logic in his life.

14. What was Virginia doing when Poe first realized that she had tuberculosis?

15. In Jan. 1845, Poe’s poem, “The Raven,” was published by the New York Evening Mirror and became an overnight sensation. What evidence was given to show that Poe enjoyed his fame?

“The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe” QuestionsOn a separate sheet of paper, answer the following questions.To receive credit, you must write complete, thoughtful sentences.

Questions to answer while viewing:

Poe1848

Questions to answer after viewing:

16. Poe was paid $14 for “The Raven,” which would be about $440 in today’s dollars. Does this seem like a fair amount to you? Explain your answer.

17. Which of his poems was written as an ode to his late wife?

18. Where was Poe when he proposed to Sarah Helen Whitman, a beautiful poetess and wealthy society lady?

19. Why was his marriage to Sarah Helen Whitman called off?

20. On October 7, 1849, at age 40, Poe died in Baltimore after being found lying in the street, wearing soiled, ill-fitting clothes. What, according to the scholar, were Poe’s final five words?

Poe – Page 2

21. Although young Edgar was too little to remember his mother or her brutal disease, one scholar says that her death left an emotional scar on Edgar that was “bone deep.” Do you agree that children are permanently altered by such early tragedies or do you think children are able to endure

such tragedies without suffering permanent damage? Give an example other than Poe to support your stance.

22. In 1827, Mr. John Allan sent Edgar to the University of Virginia with only enough money to get to campus. There were no funds provided for food, clothing, or basic necessities. Do you think Mr. Allan should have covered those expenses for Edgar or was it Edgar’s responsibility to cover his own college expenses? Explain your answer.

23. In Poe’s most famous detective story, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” a knife-wielding orangutan is the murderer, a wild and unexpected solution to the story that defies all logic. What message might Poe be trying to deliver to his audience with this story?

24. In a letter, Poe once wrote, “I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.” Why would Poe describe sanity as horrible? Do you think that he had actually slipped into mental illness toward the end of his life? Explain your answer.

Poe’s bride, Virginia Clemm, in a drawing by A.G. Learned

“The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe”

Questions to answer while viewing:1. How old was Edgar when his father, David Poe, Jr., abandoned the family? Edgar was just one year old.

2. How old was Edgar when his mother, Eliza Poe, died at age 24 of tuberculosis? Edgar was not yet 3 years old.

3. Why was Mrs. Francis Allan eager to bring young Edgar into her home? How did Mr. John Allan feel about this? Mrs. Allan was a fan of Mrs. Poe and she and her husband had no children. One of the scholars in the video says it would’ve been likely that Mrs. Allan made the request of her husband to help this orphaned child. From his actions toward Edgar, it’s clear he did not want the boy in their home but relented to please his wife.

4. Was Edgar lucky or unlucky to be taken in by the Allans? Explain your answer. Answers will vary, but it seems it was both lucky and unlucky. It was lucky in that this was a wealthy couple who could afford to help him and he was doted on my his foster mother, who made sure he had a good education and was raised to be a fine Southern gentleman. It was unlucky, though, in that Mr. Allan wasn’t interested in being a benevolent father figure to young Edgar. Mr. Allan, a rough tobacco merchant, wanted little to do with the artistic Edgar.

5. Who was Jane Stanard and how did she die? She was the mother of one of Edgar’s friends when he was 15. He loved her, perhaps as a substitute mother figure but also perhaps with romantic interest. She died of brain cancer.

6. What’s the most likely reason that Mr. Allan agreed to send Edgar to the University of Virginia in 1827? As Mrs. Allan was battling tuberculosis, Mr. Allan was openly having affairs in their home with other women. This angered Edgar, who found it incredibly disrespectful. It’s most likely that Mr. Allan send Edgar away to school so that he wouldn’t have to face the insolent young man’s criticism.

7. After leaving school, Edgar moved to Boston and enlisted in the army under the false name, Edgar A. Perry. Why did he change his name? He owed about $2,000 and was trying to hide from his debtors, who would’ve had him arrested and likely sent to prison.

8. Early in 1829, Frances Allan died from tuberculosis, leaving Edgar now orphaned by two mothers and deserted by two fathers. Poe searched for a safe-haven. What was it? He found his safe-haven by moving in with his aunt, Maria Clemm. He was looking for a loving family and he found it there with his aunt and cousin, Virginia.

9. While working as a literary editor, Poe earned the nicknames “The Tomahawk Man” and “The Comanche of Literature.” What caused him to earn these nicknames? He earned these nicknames because of his brutal, slashing reviews of other writers’ work.

10. Disturbingly, Edgar says he fell in love with his 12-year-old cousin Virginia, calling her “my love, sweetest sissie, darling little wifey.” He was 26 and she was 12 when they married. What evidence exists that proves they knew this was a wrongful act? The marriage license was falsified, listing Virginia’s age as 21 instead of 12.

11. Describe two things Poe did connected to his 1842 meeting with U.S. President John Tyler that proves Poe was “his own worst enemy.” First, he showed up drunk to the first meeting, but was sent away and the meeting was rescheduled. At the second meeting, he was fine until he solicited the president to buy magazine subscriptions, an awkward and inappropriate move.

12. Fill in the two missing words: Poe was caught in a struggle between rationality and (irrationality), between (order) and chaos.

Answer Key

13. Scholars say that Poe invented the modern (detective) story out of his need for order and logic in his life.

14. What was Virginia doing when Poe first realized that she had tuberculosis? She was singing and a drop of blood appeared on her lips.

15. In Jan. 1845, Poe’s poem, “The Raven,” was published by the New York Evening Mirror and became an overnight sensation. What evidence was given to show that Poe enjoyed his fame? He was playful with children who would follow him and call him, “The Raven.”

16. Poe was paid $14 for “The Raven,” which would be about $440 in today’s dollars. Does this seem like a fair amount to you? Explain your answer. Answers will vary, but, no, this is not an appropriate amount of money for a professional writer of Poe’s skill.

17. Which of his poems was written as an ode to his late wife? “Annabel Lee” is the poem that is an ode to his wife.

18. Where was Poe when he proposed to Sarah Helen Whitman, a beautiful poetess and wealthy society lady? They were in a cemetery. Creepy.

19. Why was his marriage to Sarah Helen Whitman called off? He had a bad reputation as a drinker, so Whitman’s mother wanted him to sign an agreement stating he would have no claim to her wealth when they married. He refused to sign the statement, which was essentially a prenuptial agreement.

20. On October 7, 1849, at age 40, Poe died in Baltimore after being found lying in the street, wearing soiled, ill-fitting clothes. What, according to the scholar, were Poe’s final five words? He reportedly said, “God help my poor soul,” and then died.

Questions to answer after viewing:21. Although young Edgar was too little to remember his mother or her brutal disease, one scholar says that her death left an emotional scar on Edgar that was “bone deep.” Do you agree that children are permanently altered by such early tragedies or do you think children are able to endure such tragedies without suffering permanent damage? Give an example other than Poe to support your stance. Students’ answers will vary and any reasonable answer is given credit.

22. In 1827, Mr. John Allan sent Edgar to the University of Virginia with only enough money to get to campus. There were no funds provided for food, clothing, or basic necessities. Do you think Mr. Allan should have covered those expenses for Edgar or was it Edgar’s responsibility to cover his own college expenses? Explain your answer. Students’ answers will vary and any reasonable answer is given credit.

23. In Poe’s most famous detective story, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” a knife-wielding orangutan is the murderer, a wild and unexpected solution to the story that defies all logic. What message might Poe be trying to deliver to his audience with this story? Students’ answers will vary, but may focus on the terrifying unpredictability of disease in people’s lives at this time. Disease, like the orangutan, comes from the natural world and can create random bloody carnage. The wild animal represents the uncontrollable and terrifying force of death, it could be argued.

24. In a letter, Poe once wrote, “I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.” Why would Poe describe sanity as horrible? Do you think that he had actually slipped into mental illness toward the end of his life? Explain your answer. Students’ answers will vary, but will likely focus on the death and heartbreak that Poe had to face in his lifetime. In the sane world, Poe experienced a long, disappointing journey of losing women he loved and being rejected by men who could’ve eased his burdens. In his career and financial lives, Poe constantly struggled and that struggle was demoralizing. Drunkenness and, perhaps, surrendering to depression/mental illness might have given him a small bit of succor/escape from a very difficult life.