The Man Who Was Poe Reading Guide

Transcription

1 The Man Who Was Poe Reading Guide Please read The Man Who Was Poe by Avi (Yes, he has no last name) over the summer and complete the reading guide. The book can be purchased through a bookstore (it may be at a library, but I doubt there will be many copies). Feel free to buy a used copy online to save a little on the price. The Reading Guide It s due the second day of school. The boxes below each question are designed to give you a sense of how much to write. The largest boxes: 3-5 sentences Medium size boxes: 2-3 sentences Smaller boxes: 1 sentence or phrase Smallest boxes: a few words Please be specific and accurate in your answers. Use details. Remember there will also be a large test over the book within a few days after the beginning of school. Intro: This is not a true story as far as we know, though it does weave in true elements of the life of a very strange, sometimes frightening, real-life personality: writer Edgar Allen Poe. You don t need to know anything about him to enjoy this story, though reading a short bio online or in a book might help you understand how his true-to-life personality plays into the pages of this story. Major Suspects, Witnesses, and Victims Sis What happened to her? Status at end of story:

2 Aunty Pru Reason for being in America: Status at end of story: Explain how this occurred. Edmund s mother/mum Full Name: Status at end of story: Auguste Dupin Real name: Occupation: Major addiction: Reason for being in Providence, Rhode Island: Explain his indifference to Edmund s plight:

3 Auguste Dupin continued: Status at end of story: Throck Occupation: Explain the meaning of this note and how it relates to Throck: Meddle at your peril! Man with white hair Real name: First appearance in the story: Explain the reason for his actions. Connection to Mr. Rachett: What is the significance of his knowledge of The Gold Bug story? What does he attempt to do to Edmund at the wharf? Status at end of story:

4 Mr. Rachett Fake name: Connection to Edmund s mum: Connection to Edmund and sister: What is his interest in Helen Whitman? Why does he suddenly leave Mrs. Whitman s house after talking to Dupin? Why does he need money? Why does he need a divorce? Status at end of story:

5 Major Events under Investigation Missing child (Sis) How was she taken from a locked room? The bank robbery. Who was responsible for it? How was it possible to get the gold from the locked vault? What was the motive for the robbery? Graveyard What is the truth about the ghost in the graveyard? Abandoned coat Why does Rachett leave his coat at the clothing store?

6 Street attack Who attacks Dupin and Edmund on the street with a pistol?

7 Explain the significance of the following. The buttons Physical Evidence The mattress in the mausoleum the corpse found in the water (wearing a dress that did not belong to her). missing portrait of Edmund s mum and aunty pru The string found in the vault Explain the identity of the three underlined details. Note: Meet me at the hotel. I have moved girl and gold. Must leave. Sunrise at six a.m. Girl: Gold: Sunrise:

8 Cross-Examination These final several questions have been styled much like the upcoming state standardized tests on reading. Read them carefully and write the best answer on the blank. 1. How does the development of Dupin's personality help to create tension in the story? a. Without a story to write, Dupin cannot hope to create enough wealth to prove to Edmund that he should be trusted. b. His confusing personality allows the reader to know that his desire to help Edmund will not be stopped. c. Dupin's mixed-up identity causes Sis to question who he really is and whether or not he stole the gold. d. His erratic behavior makes it hard for Edmund to trust him and for Helen to stay in relationship with him.

9 Use the following passage to answer question 2, Part A & B. from page 80 (in most books) in chapter 9. The text is below: Story of a search... boy searching for vanished sister... wants her to be alive... of course... no tension there to be effective must be a puzzle is she alive? Enter Dupin Who took her? much confusion but then, boy finds that One can find life only through death. I know. My Sis is dead too. Edmund stared at the page, horrified. He recalled Mr. Dupin s questions and his own answers. These lines were much more than that. He reread them. When he reached the word, death, that word so often written, he shuddered, closed the book, and pushed it away. There was something very wrong with Mr. Dupin. But, he asked himself, who else could he turn to? He d already decided against Mrs. Whitman. He considered the night watchman Mr. Throck, he though his name was. He d seen him at the saloon the night before. Perhaps he could find him there again. Then he recalled Mr. Dupin s words that only he, Dupin, would be able to find his sister. The next moment Edmund reminded himself that in some magical way Mr. Dupin had figured out that Sis had been stolen. He had even reminded him that on the way back from the saloon he d met a white-haired man on the street. Perhaps he would find Sis. Trust adults, his poor aunty always told him. Trust adults. Edmund sighed. Sometimes it was very hard. Too hard. 2. Part A: Why does Edmund mention, in this passage, that "Mr. Dupin had figured out that Sis had been stolen" and "He had even reminded him that on the way back from the saloon he'd met a white-haired man on the street"? a. These are examples to Edmund that Dupin has failed him again and again, but because he has no other way to turn, he must keep trusting Dupin. b. He builds a case in his mind in order to assure himself that he ought to seek Throck's help because Dupin is not trustworthy. c. They are evidence that Edmund uses to convince himself that Dupin, despite his odd behavior, has successfully helped a few times and, therefore, he should continue to trust him. d. Here Edmund, for the first time, realizes for sure that Sis has been stolen and that her disappearance is somehow connected to the man with the white hair. 2. Part B: Select one quotation from the passage that best supports the answer to Part A. a. Sometimes it was very hard. b. The next moment Edmund reminded himself that in some magical way Mr. Dupin had figured out that Sis had been stolen. c. Trust adults, his poor Aunty had always told him. d. When he reached the word, death, that word so often written, he shuddered, closed the book, and pushed it away.

10 Use the following passage from page 106 (in most books) towards the end of chapter 11 to answer question 3, Part A & B. Dupin decided that if he stood at the mausoleum entrance it would create the impression that he was just emerging from it. The image emerging from death pleased him enormously. The perfect place for Mrs. Whitman to find him. Wasn t that exactly what his love was. 3. Part A: What does the word impression mean as it is used in the passage? a. an imprint b. causing one to dream c. just the right effect d. creating a musical tone 3. Part B: Which sentence from the same paragraph provides the best evidence for the answer to Part A? a. The perfect place for Mrs. Whitman to find him. b. "The image--emerging from death--pleased him enormously." c. Wasn t that exactly what love was?