By Kristin Menke-The Integrated Teacher
Typically, people know Edgar Allan Poe as the “Father of the Modern Detective Story” or the “American Horror Short Story Master.” Because of his notoriety, most of us grew up with an English teacher who pined for Poe! She or he would demonstrate this love through reading his works, usually in the month of October. Around Halloween time, his texts prove compelling. His obsession with death culminates in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” Fortunately, we have more to thank Poe for; his poetry is filled with death as well as love. There are several poems we can consider to be Edgar Allan Poe Love Poems that would a FANTASTIC addition to any poetry unit!
4 Edgar Allan Poe Love Poems for any Middle or High School Classroom:
“Annabel Lee”
Annabel Lee is a tragic story of a man obsessed with his ultimate love “Annabel Lee.” He spends his time lamenting the loss of his true love. After describing her death, he supposedly chooses to live the rest of his life by her side. One might assume that he is metaphorically with her in “spirit” or….we could also hypothesize that he literally is going to lay down beside her for eternity. I prefer to think he is not a necrophiliac, but who knows with Poe?
HERE ARE SOME ACTIVITY IDEAS FOR “ANNABEL LEE:”
- Short Response: Write about someone you love. Why do you love that person? What makes that person special to you?
- Emotional Language Analysis: Examine what emotions (ex. hate, anger, happiness) the speaker displays throughout the poem; use textual evidence to support your ideas.
- Draw the scene: Visualize a scene from the poem using 3-5 pieces of textual evidence.
- Annabel Lee Literary Analysis Activity: You can focus on figurative language, tone, mood, imagery, etc. Examine the impact of these devices.
“The Raven”
“The Raven” is the consummate Edgar Allan Poe Love Poem. It highlights a man obsessed with the absence of his love “Lenore.” He hopes to see her again, although we don’t know if she is dead or has merely left him. I don’t know that I can blame her 😉 As he is quite mad, we might assume she has absented herself from his presence. His use of repetition and tone to build suspense makes this one of the must-read Edgar Allan Love Poems in your classroom!
HERE ARE SOME ACTIVITY IDEAS FOR “THE RAVEN:”
- 1-Sentence Summaries-Because this poem can be a little confusing for some students, having them summarize each stanza can be super helpful!
- Literary Analysis– While students are reading the poem, encourage them to take notes on the various types of figurative language: repetition, allusion, metaphor, hyperbole, etc. Then, encourage them to examine the effect of each device.
- Characterization-Have students examine the traits of the speaker in the poem: Internal and External. Then, they can use textual evidence to support their ideas!
“The Bells”
“The Bells” is a rarely taught poem, but it is an Edgar Allan Love Poem that is a MUST-TEACH! I actually remember singing this poem as a song in high school. The poem’s onomatopoeia and rhyme captivate the reader as it tells a story of a couple’s first outing to the wedding to difficulties of life and, ultimately, to death. Now, one could interpret this poem in several ways:
1) A couple experiences love throughout their lives in various stages, but as we all eventually die, so will our love.
2) A couple’s love initially represents hope for the future but eventually dies over time.
HERE ARE SOME ACTIVITY IDEAS FOR “The Bells:”
- Film Analysis Activity: You can play the song “I Can Hear the Bells” from the movie Hairspray and compare/contrast it to the poem. Using a piece of film is always a fun way to engage your students!
- 1-Sentence Summary Activity: There are 4 stanzas in the poem, so assigning students a 1-Sentence summary for each stanza is rigorous but not too difficult for the average student. Plus, students can underline textual evidence to support their summaries.
- Literary Analysis: Because Poe is a master of figurative language, finding repetition, alliteration, allusion, and imagery is an engaging way to make this poem interesting! Then, you could have students analyze how Poe uses these techniques to achieve a specific meaning about love!
“A Valentine”-Edgar Allan Poem Love Poems
“A Valentine” is an epic Edgar Allan Poe Love Poem! Poe dedicated it to his friend, Frances Sargent Osgood. Students can have a good time finding the hidden message in this poem. By circling the first letter of the first line, the second letter of the second line, and so on, they can discover the valentine of the message! This riddle may not be the greatest of all of Poe’s poetry, but using it in your classroom is a fun way to include Edgar Allan Poe Love Poems into any literature unit in February!
HERE ARE SOME ACTIVITIES FOR “A VALENTINE:”
- Writing a Short Response: You could have students start by analyzing how Poe characterizes his valentine. While reading, students can underline and annotate to prepare to write their responses!
- Visualize Your Valentine: This activity allows students to visualize what their own valentine might look like. They can include words and phrases that help to describe their true valentine on Valentine’s Day.
- Create Your Own Poem: Students can use a name of someone they love to write a poem to that person! This activity can be fun for younger or older students as they explore writing their own poetry during the Season of Love. The poem could even be written to a future girlfriend/boyfriend or a movie character!
Edgar Allan Poe Love Poems really hit the poetry spot, because of Poe’s fascinating writing style and eccentric views on love itself. Be sure to integrate these unusual and eclectic poems in your own classroom as you venture into exploring poetry and themes involving love. Have fun and be ready to see and TEACH Poe in a new light!