Description
This paired texts analysis lesson focuses on The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat, two classic gothic short stories that provide rich opportunities for text-dependent analysis (TDA) and response to literature (RTL) writing. Designed for middle school and high school ELA classrooms, this resource helps students practice compare and contrast writing, close reading, and evidence-based analysis.
Both stories feature unreliable narrators who commit violent crimes while insisting on their own sanity. As students examine each text, they explore questions of madness, guilt, control, and moral corruption, while analyzing how suspense, horror, and psychological tension are developed. Comparing these two texts offers meaningful practice with author’s craft, narrative perspective, and theme development, making it an ideal foundation for TDA writing.
Students use a structured graphic organizer to compare multiple literary elements, including how each story develops conflict and meaning. They then respond to a Response to Literature or Text-Dependent Analysis essay prompt, supported by a standards-based rubric that clarifies expectations and guides writing. An answer guide is included to support instruction and assessment.
Throughout the lesson, students analyze how two texts by the same author address similar ideas while using different structure, tone, and stylistic choices. Emphasis is placed on citing strong textual evidence, making logical inferences, and drawing conclusions grounded in the text. Students also examine key literary devices, including plot, conflict, theme, characterization, point of view, text structure, mood, tone, and symbolism.
This Edgar Allan Poe paired texts lesson is ideal for short story units, gothic literature studies, essay writing practice, and standards-based literary analysis. Both print-ready PDF and editable Word document versions of the rubric are included for flexible classroom use.