Teaching The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Instructions for You

Objective: Poe's story seems to close on a happy note, what with Dupin getting his chum de Bon off the hook and the sailor managing to avoid punishment. And who doesn't love seeing an orangutan sailing off into the sunset?

But the whole story is about a horrific crime, and it seems slightly underwhelming that no one's punished for the brutal murder of two women. Surely someone has to pay the piper.

In this activity, which can take place once everyone has finished the story, the students will break into groups and imagine they're either Dupin, the sailor, or the Prefect of Police. The Prefect will interview the sailor and then write a recommendation for trial, while Dupin will try and get the sailor off the hook. In this way, they'll be looking at the different evidence in the case and considering themes of guilt. It's justice time.

Dun-dun.

Materials Needed: a copy of the text and/or our Shmoop summary page

Step 1: Get the class to split into groups of three, with each member choosing to be Dupin, the sailor, or the Prefect of Police. They can pick their roles. Dupin and the sailor are trying to get the latter off the hook, while the Prefect demands retribution for the mother and daughter who were slaughtered by the orangutan.

Step 2: Then, it's time for some differentiation for each role. Over the course of 20 minutes, set the students lose to do their own thang.

The Prefect of Police: The student playing the Prefect of Police will prepare five questions that they'll ask the student playing the sailor. These questions should inquire about recent events and how the orangutan behaved.

Dupin: While this is going on, the student playing Dupin should prepare a statement explaining why the sailor shouldn't face any punishment for the orangutan's murder of the mother and daughter (this story is kind of crazy). Here's what the statement should focus on:

• Detailing how the murders came about
• Arguing that the sailor isn't to blame for the murders, and never intended for the orangutan to leave the closet it was locked in
• Showing how the sailor couldn't have stopped the orangutan
• Stating that the sailor's only crime is being afraid to tell anyone what happened

The Sailor: The sailor will write answers to each of the Prefect's five questions.

Step 3: Have each student share their independent work from Step 2 out loud, so they're all on the same page.

Step 4: Now it's time to prepare an argument for whether a judge should go ahead with a trial or let the sailor sail off into the sunset (yep, pun intended). The Prefect of Police will present a statement to the judge suggesting the sailor should go on trial for the murder of the women, while Dupin and the sailor will team up to argue the opposite.

Again, it's time for some separate group work:

The Prefect of Police:

Here's what the Prefect of Police should include in the statement:

• A summary of events proving that the sailor is responsible for his orangutan's behavior
• Detailed reference to the interview that the Prefect held with the sailor, which acts as further evidence for his guilt in the matter
• Suggestion that his refusal to come clean about events is withholding of evidence and obstructing the course of justice
• A recommended punishment, such as a lengthy custodial sentence

Dupin and the Sailor:

Meanwhile, Dupin and the sailor have to compose a statement of their own for the judge, to show there's no need to go through all the hassle of a trial. Here's what they should focus on:

• The sailor's delay in coming forward as a natural human response to such an event
• The sailor's eventual revelation of the truth, showing his willingness to bring the matter to a close
• The sailor's selling of the orangutan to the zoo, showing that he has no desire to keep the animal or expose further people to danger, and that he has learned his lesson
• Dupin's earlier statement showing how the sailor isn't to blame for the murders

Here are some guidelines for all the statements:

• The statement should be 100 – 200 words long.
• It should include at least three quotes from the text.
• It should be written informatively and in the third person.
• They've got 20 minutes to put it together…together, and they'll want to make two copies.

Step 5: For homework, the Prefect and Dupin/sailor tag-team must swap statements, about why there should or shouldn't be a trial for the murders of the mother and daughter.

Each student has to imagine they're the judge reading the statement and write a 200-word response to the piece, explaining why they either support or reject the argument to go to trial. The analysis should be written informatively and use direct reference from the text and the work from class to support all ideas.

Once everyone has handed in their responses, you can let the class know where the consensus fell and if the sailor is going to be meeting an (imaginary) jury of his (imaginary) peers.

Instructions for Your Students

Poe's story seems to close on a happy note, what with Dupin getting his chum de Bon off the hook and the sailor managing to avoid punishment. And who doesn't love seeing an orangutan sailing off into the sunset?

But the whole story is about a horrific crime, and it seems slightly underwhelming that no one's punished for the brutal murder of two women. Surely someone has to pay the piper.

Today you'll break into groups with two other students and imagine you're Dupin, the sailor, and the Prefect of Police. The Prefect will interview the sailor and then write a recommendation for trial, while Dupin will try and get the sailor off the hook. It's justice time.

Dun-dun.

Step 1: Split into groups of three, with each member playing either Dupin, the sailor, or the Prefect of Police. You can go ahead and pick your roles. Remember: Dupin and the sailor are trying to get the latter off the hook, while the Prefect demands retribution for the mother and daughter who were slaughtered by the orangutan.

Step 2: Then, it's time for some differentiation for each role. Over the course of 20 minutes, set the students lose to do their own thang.

The Prefect of Police: The student playing the Prefect of Police will prepare five questions that they'll ask the student playing the sailor. These questions should inquire about recent events and how the orangutan behaved.

Dupin: While this is going on, the student playing Dupin should prepare a statement explaining why the sailor shouldn't face any punishment for the orangutan's murder of the mother and daughter (this story is kind of crazy). Here's what the statement should focus on:

• Detailing how the murders came about
• Arguing that the sailor isn't to blame for the murders, and never intended for the orangutan to leave the closet it was locked in
• Showing how the sailor couldn't have stopped the orangutan
• Stating that the sailor's only crime is being afraid to tell anyone what happened

The Sailor: The sailor will write answers to each of the Prefect's five questions.

Step 3: Now it's time to prepare for an argument as to whether a judge should go ahead with a trial or let the sailor sail off into the sunset (yep, pun intended). The Prefect of Police will present a statement to the judge suggesting the sailor should go on trial for the murder of the women, while Dupin and the sailor will team up to argue the opposite.

Again, it's time for some separate group work:

The Prefect of Police:

Here's what the Prefect of Police should include in the statement:

• A summary of events proving that the sailor is responsible for his orangutan's behavior
• Detailed reference to the interview that the Prefect held with the sailor, which acts as further evidence for his guilt in the matter
• Suggestion that his refusal to come clean about events is withholding of evidence and obstructing the course of justice
• A recommended punishment, such as a lengthy custodial sentence

Dupin and the Sailor:

Meanwhile, Dupin and the sailor have to compose a statement of their own for the judge, to show there's no need to go through all the hassle of a trial. Here's what they should focus on:

• The sailor's delay in coming forward as a natural human response to such an event
• The sailor's eventual revelation of the truth, showing his willingness to bring the matter to a close
• The sailor's selling of the orangutan to the zoo, showing that he has no desire to keep the animal or expose further people to danger, and that he has learned his lesson
• Dupin's earlier statement showing how the sailor isn't to blame for the murders

Here are some guidelines for all the statements:

• The statement should be 100 – 200 words long.
• It should include at least three quotes from the text.
• It should be written informatively and in the third person.
• They've got 20 minutes to put it together…together, and they'll want to make two copies.

Step 4: For homework, the Prefect and Dupin/sailor tag-team must swap statements, about why there should or shouldn't be a trial for the murders of the mother and daughter.

You'll have to imagine that you're the judge reading the statement you've received and write a 200-word response to the piece, explaining why you either support or reject the argument to go to trial. The analysis should be written informatively and use direct references from the text and the work from class to support all ideas.

Once everyone has handed in their responses, your teach will let the class know where the consensus fell and if the sailor is going to be meeting an (imaginary) jury of his (imaginary) peers.