which of his short stories would be best to read to kids at halloween,scary but not terrifying!!
2007-06-30 04:37:14 · 6 answers · asked by markybartfast 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I don't know about that one. Edgar Allan Poe writes very rich Victorian-era literature; very hard for contemporary readers to grasp, especially children; however, if you must have Poe I recommend "The Tell-tale Heart." The story is a short and scary one (not terrifying), and would put the kids in that spooked, Halloween mood that makes for some really memorable experiences.
2007-06-30 05:20:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
"The Tell-Tale Heart." I was in cub scouts when I first heard this and we were doing a sleep over in a cabin (I don't think of one night as camping). As one of our den mothers, my mom checked out a book of Poe stories to read us a good ghost story. Ended up trying "The Tell-Tale Heart" out on me to see if it would be too scary for a bunch of ten year old boys. Loved it, but I kinda recall us being too active for her to read it to us that night. Not sure if she even started or not. Oh well, but this is the story that got me into Poe.
Anyway, this does deal with murder and dismemberment, which is quickly depicted in the story. It's Poe's depiction of the killer's heart beat that makes this one scary, but it shouldn't be too terribly scary unless the kids are real small.
"The Black Cat." The last Poe story I had read to me and the only one read in school. My seventh grade teacher read this to the class as a special Halloween deal (don't recall if we had to discuss it afterwards or not).
Again this story deal with murder, but unlike the previous one, this time there's no dismemberment. A bit more macabre as the cat is found eating the body of the murdered person after both were walled up. Might be even worse for little kids than "The Tell-Tale Heart."
"The Cask of Of Amontillado." Very good, again it's murder, although this time the person is entombed alive to die later. Supposed to be based on a true story Poe learned of during his short time in the military.
"The Masque of the Red Death." I typically think Poe based this one on the Black Death.
"The Devil in the Belfrey." Perhaps the least scary of the group (in fact may not be scary at all).
2007-06-30 14:29:25 · answer #2 · answered by knight1192a 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Tell-Tale Heart. Nice a gruesome, but not likely to traumatise.
2007-06-30 19:03:35 · answer #3 · answered by silenagigwatsthegig 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Tell-Tale Heart. You have to tell it right for it to be scary though.
2007-06-30 13:11:02 · answer #4 · answered by Sunshine 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Cask of Amontillado
You can find the entire work here: http://www.poemuseum.org/selected_works/amontillado.html
2007-06-30 12:21:19 · answer #5 · answered by margecutter 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM or THE BLACK CAT
2007-06-30 11:59:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋