Today you’ll meet two “architects of the dark” in American literature—Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson—and compare their style choices to modern lyrics. You’ll practice identifying internal rhyme and slant rhyme, then apply one technique in a short original poem.
Bell Work: Lyric Blind Test
Match the lyric to the author.
"I’m Nobody! Who are you? / Are you – Nobody – too?"
Bell Work: Lyric Blind Test
Match the lyric to the author.
"I’m friends with the monster that’s under my bed / Get along with the voices inside of my head."
Bell Work: Lyric Blind Test
Match the lyric to the author.
"And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor."
Bell Work: Lyric Blind Test
Match the lyric to the author.
"The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride."
Background Check: The “Outcast” Profiles
Read these two quick profiles to understand the “source” of the artists’ pain.
The “Tortured Soul”: Edgar Allan Poe
The Tragedy: Poe’s life was defined by loss. His father abandoned him, his mother died when he was 3, and his young wife died of tuberculosis.
The Reputation: He was the first “starving artist.” He was often broke, struggled with mid-1800s “cancel culture,” and died under mysterious circumstances in a gutter in Baltimore.
The Legacy: He didn’t just write poems; he invented the Detective Story and perfected Gothic Horror. He believed a story or poem should be read in one sitting to create a “total effect” of terror.
The “Quiet Rebel”: Emily Dickinson
The Recluse: For the last 20 years of her life, she rarely left her house and often spoke to visitors through a closed door. She almost exclusively wore white dresses.
The Secret: While the world thought she was just a lonely woman, she was secretly writing 1,800 poems and sewing them into small booklets called fascicles.
The Style: She hated the “perfect” poetry of her time. She used jagged dashes (—) and “Slant Rhymes” to show that the world is messy and complicated. She only became famous after she died.
Background Check: Understanding context
Based on the profiles, which details could shape an author’s themes or tone? (Select TWO.)
How does the fast-paced rhyming mimic a “racing heart”? (Answer in 3 words or less.)
Which pair best shows internal rhyme in Poe’s line?
Which pairs are examples of slant rhyme? (Select TWO.)
Exit Ticket: The Collaboration
Eminem often raps about “the monster” in his head. Poe wrote about “the raven” on his door. Dickinson wrote about “the funeral” in her brain.
Choose ONE “Outcast” technique and write a 4-line poem about a secret fear or an “inner monster.”
Option 1: Use Poe’s internal rhyme (at least 2 rhyming words in ONE line). Option 2: Use Dickinson’s slant rhyme (two words that almost rhyme).
Checkpoint (after Background Check)
Before you move to the Style Lab, which statement BEST explains how an author’s background can influence their writing?
Checkpoint (after Style Lab)
You’re ready for the Exit Ticket when you can do which of the following?
If Dickinson only used perfect rhymes (like Cat/Hat), her writing would MOST likely feel…