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“The Fall of the House of Usher” Guided Reading Questions for Comprehension, Close Reading and Analysis
MAKE SURE YOU READ THE FOOTNOTES!!!!
1. What is the definition of atmosphere and how does it affect mood?
2. What is the atmosphere of “The Fall of the House of Usher?” How does it make you feel?
3-5. What are some physical characteristics of the land/house that the narrator sees as he is coming
up to the Usher house that shows the atmosphere?
3. Land:
4. House: pay particular attention to the fissure- what is a fissure?
5. Define tarn- how does this add to the atmosphere:
6. How does the narrator know Mr. Roderick Usher? What does “boon companions from boyhood”
mean?
7. Why is the narrator going to the Usher house?
8. Why does the Usher family have a reputation for a “peculiar sensibility of temperament”? What
does that mean?
9-11. How do the characteristics INSIDE the house add to the atmosphere (3 examples)?
9.
10.
11.
12. How does Mr. Usher PHYSICALLY appear when the narrator first sees him? How does this help
create the atmosphere? Analyze “the wan being” and “cadaverousness of complexion.”
13. What is MEDICALLY wrong with Mr. Usher? What does his disease do to him?
Analyze “a morbid acuteness of the senses.” Hint: Read the remainder of the paragraph after this
phrase to see the examples of what his illness does to him to help with your analysis of his condition.
14. Lady Madeline Usher’s illness causes her to appear what? How does this help to create the
atmosphere? Hint: What would a person appear to be during a cataleptical attack?
15. What does the narrator do with Mr. Usher to attempt to cheer him up?
16. Where do they put Madeline when she “dies”? Why do they choose to put her there?
17. What does the narrator realize about Roderick and Madeline’s relationship?
18. How does the narrator’s imagination “play tricks” on him?
19. What are the noises that Usher has been hearing for many days?
20. What does Usher realize he did to his sister? Why does he think this?
21. Who ends up showing up in the end? What does this person do to Mr. Usher? Why does this
person do that to him? What would you have done?
22-25. In the very end of the story what happens to22. Mr. Roderick Usher23. Miss Madeline Usher-
24. The Narrator25. The House-
The Fall of the House of Usher Dark Romantic Characteristics Analysis
Find examples for five elements of Dark Romanticism.
Elements of Example from the Text:
Quote to Prove Example:
Romanticism
How does Poe
have the
narrator value
his heart over
his mind?
(feeling over
reason)
How does Poe
show the
reader that
poetry is the
highest
expression of
the
imagination?
Where does he
include a
poem?
How does Poe
find inspiration
from myths,
legends or
folktales in his
story? Where
does he include
a legend?
What legend
does the
legend
reference?
How does Poe
have the
narrator place
faith in the
power of his
imagination?
How does Poe
show that
nature has the
power to
morally
development
the Ushers?
Why did you choose this
quote?
The Fall of the House of Usher Gothic Characteristics Analysis
Find examples for the elements of Gothic Literature.
Gothic
Element:
Setting:
-How is it a bleak
or remote
setting?
Traditional: Poe’s “The
Raven”
-It happens in bleak December
around midnight and he is all
alone in his chamber.
-How is it a
gloomy and
haunting
atmosphere;
how is there a
sense of a
coming doom?
-He lets his imagination get the
best of him by thinking Lenore’s
ghost knocks on the door, which
causes him to become fearful and
his melancholy becomes even
worse by the end of the poem
due to him believing the raven
gives him insight into
Characters:
-The narrator is in psychological
torment caused by his sorrow over
the loss of his love, Lenore. He
hopes the raven can reduce his
melancholy, but it only becomes
worse.
-How are the
characters in
physical or
psychological
torment?
-Character
Doubling – hero &
-Not Applicable to this poem.
heroine often hard to
distinguish between
Macabre
Events
-Strange
macabre
events, horrific
or violent
incidents
-Is there one?
No, not in” The Raven”!
-used to describe
something that is very
strange and
unpleasant because
it is connected with
death or violence
Supernatural
Elements
-a force beyond
scientific understanding
or the laws of nature
-The narrator believes that
Lenore’s ghost appears in the
beginning until he discovers that it
is the raven. When he begins
“talking” with the raven, he comes
to believe that the raven is a spirit
sent from either Heaven or Hell.
Traditional: Poe’s “FHU”