Critical Analysis
What really happens in “The Fall of the House of
Usher”?
 Is Madeline Usher really buried alive and then
escape from her tomb? Or do the men only
imagine that she does? Do they see a ghost?
 Does the house literally collapse? Or does the
“fall of the house” really just refer to the end of
the family line?
 Is our narrator reliable or is he also suffering
from delusions, like his friend?
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Write a brief critical analysis addressing an
area of ambiguity in “The Fall of the House of
Usher”
A critical analysis is simply a persuasive essay
written over a piece of literature.
Your job is to state an opinion and then
support it with proof from the text
Your thesis statement should state your topic
and your opinion.
 For example:
Madeline Usher does not ever really exist. Her
brother is suffering from multiple delusions as
a result of his mental illness; “Madeline” is one
of them.
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Your job is then to prove that your thesis is
logical, based on the evidence in the text.
For example, to support the previous thesis
you would discuss how Roderick believes the
stones are alive.
Then you would find other evidence of his
(and perhaps the narrator’s) delusional state.
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Essays should be 1 ½ to 2 pages long.
All references to the story should be cited using
MLA format.
No outside research is required.
Essays should be typed double-space, using 12
point Times New Roman font.
All essays are due on Monday.