Create a Word document. Complete the enumerated tasks below in well-constructed responses.
Click here or
Go to: http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp (or just search and select “knowing Poe”).
Under “Poe the Writer,” select “The Poetic Principle.”
Launch, and carefully complete the interactive guide.
1. Look for your “checklist;” note the 5 quotations you have agreed with.
2. Under “Poe the Writer,” select “Poe the Perfectionist.” In a brief paragraph (5 sentences or so), indicate what the excerpts of “The Lake” tell you about Poe as a writer and as a person. You will need to analyze closely and think carefully.
3. Under “The Poe Library,” select and read “The Poe Toaster.” Respond in a paragraph.
4. Under “The Poe Library,” select and read “The Baltimore Ravens.” Respond in a paragraph.
5. Explore Poe’s house under “Poe the Person”.
6. Cite 2 specific facts or points of interest, which you find important,
from elsewhere on the website.
7. Finally, link to: http://books.eserver.org/poetry/poe/dream_within_a_dream.html
Read Poe's poem, "A Dream within a Dream". Using direct quotes, answer the following prompt: how does the poem offer direct correlation to Poe's real life? Why might the questions and philosophies raised in this short work have a greater significance to both Poe and the critical reader?
9 comments:
1. Five of Poe’s quotations that I agree with are:
-A good poem can be long or short. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to read.
-A good poem shouldn’t be so brief that the reader does not get to experience any of -the emotional feelings behind the words.
-A good poem can educate as well as entertain.
-A good poem can include some elements that teach or illustrate a good lesson – as long as its primary purpose is to present a beautiful and emotional experience.
-A good poem gives emotional substance to the beauty in the world around it.
2. Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Lake” tells a lot about Poe. The original version of the poem was published in 1827. Years later, Poe rewrote the poem to tweak the rhythm, format, and meaning of the poem. He did the same again in 1845. Because Poe re-wrote the same poem many times shows that he could be very dedicated to show exactly how he wanted to portray the meaning of the poem. The fact that he rewrote this poem so many times could mean that Poe was not easily satisfied until his work was perfected.
-Amanda A.
• A good poem should be short enough to read and enjoy in one setting
• A good poem can include just a few words
• A good poem is an experience in its self. It doesn’t need to teach lessons about life
• A good poem can have a single purpose-to teach a truth, to encourage people to act in one way, to be emotional and soulful experience
• A good poem gives emotional substance to beauty and the world around it
The excerpts from “The Lake” by Edgar Allan Poe tell the reader much about Poe as a writer and as a person. First, I found it strange that he wrote 3 different versions of the same poem over only a stretch of 18 years. This tells me that getting it perfect and having it display his ideas just as they were in his head was a major concern of Poe. Second, Poe’s story is very dark. This tells me he had a dark and dreary personality just as his poem. Third, even though dark he still describes the setting and his feelings with great, interesting detail. Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Lake” tells the reader a lot about him as a person and a writer.
The story of “The Poe Toaster.” was very interesting for me to read. First i find it strange that a guy comes to Poe's grave every time his birthday comes around. This makes me think that the man might be somewhat obsessed with Poe and all of his work. Second I find it strange that he brings a half-full bottle of cognac every time he comes to visit. This as well the title of the story leads me to believe that he is “toasting” in memory of Poe. Third I think that since he brings three flowers that he must have a reason for bring three instead of a other number of flowers. The story believes it to be how many other people associated with Poe there are buried there. This story sheds light on a very interesting individual who visits Poe’s grave on his birthday.
I found “The Baltimore Ravens” story to be very fascinating. First I liked how the author of this passage chose to first describe how tough the sport of football was and then address the reader with the question of why they would have chosen the name of an old Edger Allen Poe’s poem “The Raven.” This makes the reader wonder why they actually did call them the Baltimore Ravens. Second the other goes into detail about how they had just lost their hometown team and didn’t have a pro football team until the old Cleveland Browns had moved to Baltimore. The fans chose his name on a phone call survey. “The Baltimore Ravens” was a very interesting passage to read.
Edger Allen Poe was a very interesting person to read about. First he was “An athletic student who defended his friends from the biggest bullies” I found this interesting since I just pictured him as a small geeky like boy who wrote poems and stories. Second I found it interesting that Poe invented the “detective story.” I found this interesting because now those kinds of stories are so powerful. Edger Allen Poe was a very interesting person for me to read about.
The poem offers direct correlation to Poe's real life since he lived a dreary and depressed life style.
The questions and philosophies raised in this short work have a greater significance to both Poe and the critical reader. Poe is asking God questions about why can’t he keep his loved there and why can’t he keep them from the pitiless wave. He is saying that his loved one died, he couldn’t save her and nor could god. He is also saying that his life with the loved one is just a dream inside another dreaw in which is life.
-Kevin Rogers
Knowing Poe:
1. A good poem should be short enough to read and enjoy in one sitting.
A good poem can include just a few words
A good poem can educate as well as entertain
A good poem can have a single purpose
A good poem gives emotional substance to the beauty in the world around it
2. The excerpts of “The Lake” reveal some information about what Poe was like as a writer and a person. Poe was clearly a very creative person. He thought much differently than a lot of writers and wrote in a dark way. By the changes, it shows that Edgar Allan Poe was always trying to make his writing the best it could be. It didn’t matter what poem it was or when it was written. He would change every little detail he thought was necessary, even just taking out a period.
1. A good poem should be short enough to read and enjoy in one sitting.
A good poem shouldn’t be so brief that the reader doesn’t get to experience any of the emotional feelings behind the words.
A good poem can educate as well as entertain.
A good poem can have a single purpose- to teach a truth, to encourage people to act one way, or be an emotional and soulful experience.
A good poem gives emotional substance to the beauty in the world around it.
2. Having read the three versions of “the lake” I have learned a lot about Poe. The main thing I have learned is that he is a perfectionist. He had published “the lake” three times with making changes every time show that he has to have it perfect. An example of this is how in the first version there is no way of separating the sections but in the second version there are chapters or sections but then in the third one there is not separation again. This shows that he can’t really make up his mind about what to do.
1. A good poem should be short enough to read and enjoy in one sitting.
A good poem shouldn’t be so brief that the reader doesn’t get to experience any of the emotional feelings behind the words.
A good poem can educate as well as entertain.
A good poem can have a single purpose- to teach a truth, to encourage people to act one way, or be an emotional and soulful experience.
A good poem gives emotional substance to the beauty in the world around it.
2. Having read the three versions of “the lake” I have learned a lot about Poe. The main thing I have learned is that he is a perfectionist. He had published “the lake” three times with making changes every time show that he has to have it perfect. An example of this is how in the first version there is no way of separating the sections but in the second version there are chapters or sections but then in the third one there is not separation again. This shows that he can’t really make up his mind about what to do.
-Matt Pelletier
I believe Edgar Allan Poe is a perfectionist. His poem The Lake said this about him because he went back 2 more times after he published the poem and changed it. He was so unhappy with the work he completed that he had to change. He had to have his poem perfect no matter how long it took and how many times it took him. What mattered to him was not just getting it done and getting it over it was time. He preffered process over product. His moto was probably slow and steady wins the race. That is what i believe Poe's poem The Lake tells about his personality.
The Poe Toaster is a person who is dressed in a black coat a black hat and a scarf covering his face. The Poe Toaster goes out in the middle of the night on Edgar Allan Poe's birthday to his grave. The Poe Toaster brings three roses and cognac to put on his grave. The three roses are said to stand for the three people burried around the Poe monument. Which are Edgar Allan Poe, Maria Clemm, and Virginia Poe. He is a mysterious man and no one still does not know who he is.
Meagan Elliott 1/6/09
Knowing Poe Period F
1.) A- A good poem should be short enough to read and enjoy in one sitting.
B- A good poem shouldn't be so brief that the reader does not get to experience any of the emotional feelings behind the words.
C- A good poem is an experience in itself. It doesn't need to teach lessons about life.
D- A good poem can have a single purpose-to teach a truth, to encourage people to act one way, or to be an emotional and soulful experience.
E- A good poem gives emotional substance to the beauty in the world around it.
2.) According to these three excerpts, I can conclude some things about Poe as a writer and a person. I can conclude that Poe was a perfectionist. He liked things a certain way. I can also conclude that he was a nit-picker. He looked for things that weren't right and changed them until he felt they int he right order or met his expectations. And as he grew older, he changed his way of thinking, in a way. His mind grew and he became wiser and more sophisticated and knowledgable. Also, Poe wanted the reader to feel a certain way when they read his poems, so he moved and changed things around so that the reader could experience exactly what he wanted.
3.) That is very strange. I have to wonder why someone would start a tradition like that? What is their reason for it? Also, who keeps up the act every year? And why roses and cognac; does that have an important reason as well? This whole act can only leave more and more questions, but really no answers to any of them. It leaves me confused and wondering. But I also think that it is kind of nice. Like, how the people have such respect and leave the man alone and haven't tried to unmask him. And how they don't ruin or take what is left by the man. It is all but a mystery that may never be solved.
4.) That was very interesting. I did not know that the Baltimore Ravens were named after Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven". I am not much of a football fan, so I also did not know that the Colts originated in Baltimore. Tha surprised me, too. I just figured they came from Indianapolis. It surprises me that the people would choose a poem's name to be the name a pro football team. Also, the fact that someone would even think of putting that name in a ballet to vote for. That's very creative.
5.) I found this part very intersting because of the pictures and the tour of the Amity St. house where Poe lived.
6.) 1- Under Poe the Writer to Poe's Works, I found out that Poe worked for a newspaper as an enditor along with writing short stories and poems.
2- Under Poe the Writer to Poe's Works, I found out that people refer Poe's peices as a canon, which is a group of works that scholars think is authentic creations of a certain writer.
7.) Edgar Allan Poe's "A Dream Within A Dream" is a poem about suffer and pain, about how living is is a dream and dreaming of a better life. In this poem, the reader can extract quotes that correlate with Poe's actual life. The reader can conclude the significance (toward Poe's life and the reader) of the questions and philosophies raised by this poem.
The first quote would be: "That my days have been a dream." Poe grew up with an imagination. All it poems and short stories are some sort of dream. "Of a surf-tormented shore" can be a metaphor for Poe's later years. He became a little lost ina way. His mind left him and he created crazy stories. Also, his suroundings could be falling apart and almost scarred. To go along with this, "While I weep- While I weep" can show hsi sadness for the loss of pretty much everyone and everything around him. In the poem, the narrator asks if he can "grasp the grains of sand" and save one from the "pitiless wave". Basically, it can symbolize everyone and everything leaving the narrator and all he wants is to save one thing. He doesn't want to be alone. It is actualy quite sad in between the lines.
There are many questions and philosophies that appear from the reader that give a greater significance to the reader and Poe. For example, the reader may ask what is Poe saying here? And this is how Poe is. He wanted his readers to feel an emotion before he wrote it and then he wrote based off that emotion. Here, an emotion could be confusion. And that will make the reader think about it and dig deeper. Another emotion could be sadness. The word cocing is also very carefully picked and the perfect words to say what is needed to be said. That shows us that Poe worked toward perfection and his wording is hard to understand the first. But, it alsohas a message. And the reader has to think not only in their mind, but in Poe's mind, too.
From, "A Dream Within A Dream" the reader can pull a lot about Poe out. They can see things through his eyes. They can see how he feels and thinks. And that puts a great effect on the reader and how they readhis works. Even though Poe had it hard, he used it to his advantage and wrote some of the greatest works of writing.
In Baltimore there was a pofessional football team named the Baltimore Colts in the 1950's and 1960's. But in the 1970's and 1980's did horrible and the coach relocated them to Indiana. Then in 1995 the Cleveland Browns relocated to Baltimore so they had to change their name. They decided to let the people vote. So they put news out in the newspaper to say that the people can voe. They got a total number of 33,000 votes. 5,500 people chose the Marauders, 5,597 people chose the Americans, and 21,108 people chose the Baltimore Ravens.
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