Nagging guilt is like gray paint splashed over life’s sparkling moments.
— Sally Shannon
Unit Goals
After learning the unit, students are expected
·to learn about the Dark Romanticism and its characteristics,
·to know Edgar Allan Poe as an eminent American writer,
·to understand the theme of guilt and crime and explore minor themes in the texts,
·to be acquainted with E. E. Cummings’s poems,
·to learn some useful words and expressions from the unit, and
·to improve English language skills, communication skills and critical thinking.
Before You Read
1. The folklore surrounding black cats varies from culture to culture. Read the following paragraph and fill in the blanks with the given choices.
In 1) , black cats are a symbol of good luck. The 2) believe that a strange black cat’s arrival to the home signifies prosperity. In 3) , a fairy known as the Cat Sìth takes the form of a black cat. Black cats are also considered good luck in 4) . Furthermore, it is believed that a lady who owns a black cat will have many suitors. However, in Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of being the companions of witches, and so most of western and southern 5) considers the black cat as a symbol of bad luck, especially if one crosses paths with a person, which is believed to be an omen of misfortune and death. In 6) , some believe that black cats crossing a person’s path from right to left, is a bad omen. But from left to right, the cat is granting favorable times.
2. The Black Cat is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most memorable works of horror, and also a study of the psychology of guilt. Read the following quotes on guilt and share your understanding with your peers in the class.
a. Fear is the tax that conscience pays to guilt.
b. Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death.
c. Guilt upon the conscience, like rust upon iron, both defiles and consumes it, gnawing and creeping into it, as that does which at last eats out the very heart and substance of the metal.