Use “The Black Cat” by American Gothic/Dark Romantic writer Edgar Allan Poe to teach your students the elements of literary analysis, get them thinking deeply about the short story's text, and provide opportunities for real-world connections to this grisly story via a 2009 newspaper article (link included) and critical reading activity. This two-day lesson plan includes a full-text copy of the story, a 10-question deep-thinking exercise (with detailed answer key, of course), and a real-world inf