Vocabulary
What does the word accompany mean?
To go with someone or something.
What is the name of the first cat in The Black Cat?
Pluto
What point of view is The Black Cat told from?
First-person point of view.
Which figurative language is used in this sentence?
“The cat followed me like my own shadow.”
Simile.
Who wrote The Black Cat?
Edgar Allan Poe.
If someone shows bravado, what are they pretending to have?
Confidence or bravery that is fake.
How does the second black cat differ from Pluto?
The second cat has a white mark and is more fearless of the narrator.
Where does most of the story take place?
The narrator’s house, then a prison cell.
Which figurative language is used in this sentence?
"Pluto patiently perched on the piano."
Alliteration
What literary genre is The Black Cat?
Gothic fiction / horror.
Which word means "doing something carefully in great detail"?
Rigorous
What is the significance of the white mark on the second black cat?
The white mark resembles gallows, or something sinister.
What does the black cat symbolize?
The black cat symbolizes guilt, superstition, and fate.
What type of figurative language is used in this sentence?
“The furious flames devoured the house in an instant.”
Personification (the flames are given the human ability to “devour”).
How does Poe’s life influence The Black Cat?
Poe struggled with alcohol and loss, themes present in the story.
If a person is docile, how do they behave?
Calm, submissive, or easy to manage.
How does the narrator’s personality change over the course of the story?
At the beginning, the narrator describes himself as kind and fond of animals, but as the story progresses, he becomes increasingly violent, cruel, and consumed by guilt and paranoia.
Read this passage and identify the mood and tone:
"I grew, day by day, more moody, more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others. I suffered myself to use intemperate language to my wife. At length, I even offered her personal violence."
Mood: dark, hopeless; Tone: regretful, disturbed.
Word choices like "moody," "intemperate," and "violence" create an ominous and aggressive mood.
What type of figurative language is used in this sentence?
“I was overcome by a spirit of perverseness.”
Metaphor – The narrator describes perverseness as a “spirit,” making it seem like a supernatural force controlling him.
What other famous short story by Poe also features a narrator who commits murder?
The Tell-Tale Heart.
How does rigorous describe a difficult experience?
It means strict, harsh, or demanding—like the consequences the narrator faces in jail.
What is the final crime that the narrator commits?
(What does the narrator do that gets him caught?)
He kills his wife.
How does the setting contribute to the mood of the story?
The dark and eerie setting makes the story feel more suspenseful and terrifying.
What type of irony is present when the narrator believes he has hidden his crime perfectly?
(Hint: The narrator feels confident that his secret is safe, but the outcome proves otherwise. What type of irony is at play here?)
Dramatic irony—readers know the narrator will be caught, but he does not.
How does The Black Cat reflect themes of gothic literature?
It has supernatural elements, madness, and a dark setting.