Ideal for units on Gothic imagery, dark fantasy, and supernatural horror poetry (especially around fall and Halloween), this poem analysis worksheet helps high school readers interpret "The Devil's Swamp" by Robert Avrett, a piece originally published in Weird Tales about hidden paranormal dangers in natural settings that incorporates folkloric elements like vampires, witches, and werewolves. An answer key is included. By engaging with this poetry activity, students will:
Choose the most appropriate synonym for a word as it is used (e.g., fetid).
Describe tone in context.
Articulate two contradictory concepts that are referenced in juxtaposition.
Infer the intended effects of figurative language in context (e.g., the comparison of the swamp to "a vampire roused from sleep").
Discern the intended effects of descriptive phrasing in context (e.g., "pestilent lagoon").
Apply knowledge of literary devices (e.g., ambiguity, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification, and more).
Identify a symbol and articulate what it represents.
Explore themes in context.
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence.
Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google option is available.)
More Weird Tales resources for the Halloween season are available:
"Out of the Grave" by Eldridge Morton - Google and printable
"The Dogs of Salem" by David H. Keller - Google and printable
"The Graveyard Rats" by Henry Kuttner - Google and printable
"The Vow on Halloween" by Lyllian Huntley Harris - Google and printable
"The Werewolf Snarls" by Manly Wade Wellman - Google and printable
Ideal for units on Gothic imagery, dark fantasy, and supernatural horror poetry (especially around fall and Halloween), this poem analysis worksheet helps high school readers interpret "The Devil's Swamp" by Robert Avrett, a piece originally published in Weird Tales about hidden paranormal dangers in natural settings that incorporates folkloric elements like vampires, witches, and werewolves. An answer key is included. By engaging with this poetry activity, students will:
Choose the most appropriate synonym for a word as it is used (e.g., fetid).
Describe tone in context.
Articulate two contradictory concepts that are referenced in juxtaposition.
Infer the intended effects of figurative language in context (e.g., the comparison of the swamp to "a vampire roused from sleep").
Discern the intended effects of descriptive phrasing in context (e.g., "pestilent lagoon").
Apply knowledge of literary devices (e.g., ambiguity, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification, and more).
Identify a symbol and articulate what it represents.
Explore themes in context.
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence.
Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google option is available.)
More Weird Tales resources for the Halloween season are available:
"Out of the Grave" by Eldridge Morton - Google and printable
"The Dogs of Salem" by David H. Keller - Google and printable
"The Graveyard Rats" by Henry Kuttner - Google and printable
"The Vow on Halloween" by Lyllian Huntley Harris - Google and printable
"The Werewolf Snarls" by Manly Wade Wellman - Google and printable
