Discussion Question 7
"Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving
"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
"The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe
Directions:
Choose one of the following questions and answer it as thoughtfully as possible, after reading the lecture. Then post your answer to the English 207 Message Board by the deadline. Your answer is due no later than Thursday, Apr. 12.
Your responses to other students' answers are due by midnight on Saturday, Apr. 14. In order to get the full 20 points, you MUST respond thoughtfully to at least 3 or 4 other people's postings.
Please answer the question as thoughtfully as possible, after reading the lecture. Then post your answer to the English 207 Message Board by the deadline.
Click on the button below to visit your English 207 Message Board:
Remember: This discussion question is worth a possible 20 points. Late answers will receive 0 points. Points will be assigned according to the thoughtfulness of your answers, not by whether they are "right" or not, since sometimes there is no "right" answer. Just be sure your ideas are supported by the material in the readings.
"Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving
"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
"The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe
1. Washington Irving spoke of creating an "American mythology." How do "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" help to accomplish this? Give specific evidence from the stories to support your answer.
2. What Romantic elements can you see in Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"? Give specific evidence from the stories to support your answer.
3. One interpretation of "The Fall of the House of Usher" is that the narrator is insane, and that he imagines the events at the end of the story. Do you agree with this interpretation? Why or why not? Give specific evidence from the story to support your answer.
4. There are obvious differences between "The Purloined Letter" and "The Fall of the House of Usher." Do you see any similarities between them? Give specific evidence from the stories to support your answer.
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