"The Island of the Fay" by Edgar Allan Poe Close Reading Worksheet

Help high schoolers go beyond basic comprehension and develop critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Edgar Allan Poe’s allegory “The Island of the Fay.” This piece is a surprising departure from the grotesque and instead focuses more on philosophy and spirituality. An answer key and copy of the text are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will:

• Read for literal comprehension
• Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings
• Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
• Compare and contrast two regions of the island
• Explore how a complex narrator thinks, behaves, and develops
• Make logical inferences about the author’s mindset in the context of his allegory
• Apply knowledge of literary devices including oxymoron, metaphor, symbolism, and personification
• Write about literature with clarity, precision, and accuracy
• Support claims and inferences with relevant evidence and sound reasoning
• Come to class better prepared to discuss literature