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Category: Poetry and Literature

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Edgar Allan Poe: Using Primary Sources from the Library of Congress to Deepen Understanding of “The Raven”

Posted by: Cheryl Lederle

Because of his tendency toward the macabre, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe are frequently associated with Halloween, but his writing has had a far deeper reach than connections to the holiday. As National Poetry Month approaches, students can explore his work and its cultural impact through primary sources from the Library of Congress.

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Frederick Douglass: Activist and Autobiographer

Posted by: Cheryl Lederle

Last November, we published a post addressing the controversies associated with Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A recent comment pointed out that Huck's views on slavery are those of the dominant society of the time. Because the post featured a letter from Frederick Douglass as a supplement to the novel, the commenter wondered "why not present the experiences and views of the oppressed rather than the oppressor?" That struck me as an intriguing question, so here are a few places to start exploring those views and experiences with your students.

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

See You at NCTE: Resources for English Teachers from the Library of Congress

Posted by: Danna Bell

This year's NCTE conference: Story as the Landscape of Knowing will take place November 20-23 in our hometown, Washington, DC. You will find us at Booth numbers 236 and 238 in the exhibit hall Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Teachers Page from the Library of Congress offers ideas and resources for English educators. We have rounded up a few of our favorites.

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Storytelling and Songwriting: Making Connections through Primary Sources

Posted by: Stephen Wesson

In July 2014, when Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced that Billy Joel would receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, he described Joel as being, "a storyteller of the highest order." Talented songwriters can be great storytellers! Not only do their songs often include elements of a short story, but they do so in ways that listeners can easily imagine and relate to.

Poster Alerting Blacks of the presence of slave catchers in Boston

Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Fugitive Slave Act

Posted by: Cheryl Lederle

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe was widely influential when it was published in 1852. The Library's “Sources and Strategies” article in the May 2014 issue of Social Education, the journal of NCSS, discusses the influence of the novel. Perhaps just as important as its effect, however, was Stowe’s original impetus for writing it.