The Murders in the Rue Morgue

In which ways does Dupin exhibit the characteristics of a good detective? In which ways does he not? Compare and contrast Dupin’s characteristics with one of the detectives that you selected in your response for the Personal Connection Prompt.

Teaching Suggestion: This Discussion/Analysis Prompt invites students to recontextualize their responses to the Personal Connection Prompt to Poe’s story. In their responses, students should define what they believe a good detective is, as well as compare Dupin’s ability to their chosen detective in such matters as gathering evidence, respecting boundaries, and solving cases. This prompt works well as either an in-class discussion or a take-home assignment; for a differentiated prompt with a focus on oral presentation, please see the suggestion below.

Differentiation Suggestion: For an opportunity related to argumentative exercise, this Discussion/Analysis Prompt may be amended to an in-class debate where students must argue either for or against the following assertion: Auguste Dupin is the preeminent literary detective in exhibiting The Power of Rationality.

Use this activity to engage all types of learners while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

CREATIVE WRITING: “The Second Case of Detective Dupin”

In this activity, students will write a subsequent adventure for Dupin in a creative writing assignment.