Item description

Gothic fantasy is a genre that maximizes many high school students’ engagement with literature. “The Tomb” by H.P. Lovecraft is one such short story. It features elements such as a padlocked mausoleum, necromancy, and an institutionalized narrator who slept in empty caskets—calling to mind the works of Edgar Allan Poe and making the narrative a fitting read during the Halloween season. This rigorous worksheet on “The Tomb” helps English teachers support the development of close reading analysis skills and save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. A detailed answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
• Make logical inferences about the author’s inspiration
• Examine how the protagonist is introduced
• Explore the functions of given paragraphs
• Examine cause-and-effect relationships
• Discern the intended effect of the author’s diction
• Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text
• Examine the connotative significance of words or phrases
• Apply knowledge of various literary devices including personification and onomatopoeia
• Draw parallels between the narrator and the mythical figure Theseus
• Articulate how a particular paragraph contributes to character development
• Explore the symbolic importance of incidents and objects including the extinguishing of light and a lightning bolt
• Examine the nature of the relationship between the narrator and his family
• Explain an example of situational irony in the context of a given paragraph
• Consider the role of an unreliable narrator in the context of the plot
• Justify responses with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence
• Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision