Discussion Questions

First name:

Last name:

Period:

1. Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” was published in 1839. Clearly, the modern-day teens in Jennifer Dignan’s play were not in Poe’s original story. Why do you think Dignan might have added the teens for her adaptation? (author’s craft)

2. In Scene 2, how does the setting help create an eerie mood? (mood)

3. Besides the setting in Scene 2, what is something else in the play that helps create an eerie mood? (mood)

4. In Scene 3, why is the detail that Madeline’s illness causes her to go into trancelike states important? (text structure)

5. Poe decided to call his story “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and the Usher family house definitely plays a big part in the story. You might even think of it as a character. Describe what the house is like and why it’s so important to the story. (key ideas and details)

6. What do you think kills Roderick and Madeline at the end? (critical thinking)