By Edgar Alan

Poe

From: The stolen

letter

2

3

SUMÁRIO

1 INTRODUÇÃO ................................................................................................................................... 4

2 THE STOLEN LETTER .................................................................................................................... 6

3 CURIOSIDADES ............................................................................................................................. 16

4 EXERCISES ..................................................................................................................................... 17

4.1 PRE READING ......................................................................................................................... 17

4.2 WHILE READING .................................................................................................................... 18

4.3 POST READING ...................................................................................................................... 20

5 REFERENCIAS BIBLIOGRÁFICAS ............................................................................................. 23

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1 INTRODUÇÃO

Trabalhar com paradidáticos é uma forma muito eficaz de inserir gramática, literatura

e conhecimento de mundo numa única atividade. Além destes estudos, Alonso

(2011) nos mostra quais são os benefícios de se tratar com clássicos adaptados

Além de proporcionar a leitura e favorecer e aprendizagem de inglês, os clássicos

literários facilitam a compreensão textual através das ilustrações e notas de rodapé

as quais explicam palavras desconhecidas e ainda, através da adequação linguística

do texto e de seu formato para o nível de inglês dos aprendizes (ALONSO, 2011, p.

61)

Trabalhar com clássicos adaptados além de trazer um tipo de leitura que estará

exatamente na medida para o aluno, senão um pouco desafiador, traz também uma

bagagem cultural, já que os clássicos são obras consagradas na literatura, ou seja,

valorizadas socialmente. Existem também alguns mecanismos de apoio que

ajudarão os alunos sempre que estiverem em dúvida de vocabulário, compreensão,

tais como ilustrações e um pequeno dicionário com algumas palavras e seus

significados.

Após uma pequena análise de alguns clássicos paradidáticos, identificamos alguns

pontos positivos e negativos das adaptações. Problemas como tamanho de fonte,

qualidade das páginas influenciam bastante no aproveitamento da leitura, o que

marca pontos positivos e negativos. O clássico adaptado que foram encontrados

uma quantidade considerável de pontos positivos foi o livro The Adventures of

Huckblerry Finn, que além da fonte de tamanho ideal, possuía páginas de ótima

qualidade, tais como imagens de boa qualidade. Um ponto negativo que apontamos

é a falta de exercícios before, during e after reading. Em nossa opinião, esta

esquematização da separação das atividades nestas modalidades influencia na

leitura e na análise de todos os componentes visuais do texto, pois a atenção dos

leitores se voltará para coisas separadamente e não apenas de forma superficial, já

que estes recursos estão disponíveis para aproveitamento e facilitação da

compreensão.

TWAIN, Mark. The Adventures of the Huckleberry Finn. Essey: Longman, 1997. P.71

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Nosso trabalho consistiu em propor exercícios com base no que achamos que seria

de melhor aproveitamento para os leitores e, através dos paradidáticos analisados,

julgarmos quais poderiam ajudar a desenvolver estratégias de leitura, senso crítico e

trazer, através da temática corrupção, assuntos que poderão influenciar na visão de

mundo do público.

O conto The Stolen Letter é um dos vários trabalhos do poeta, ensaísta, crítico

literário e contista estadunidense Edgar Allan Poe. Este conto engloba uma das três

obras que inauguraram a narrativa policial, em meados do século XIX.

O enredo narra mais um caso que Dupin precisa resolver: uma carta que foi roubada

de seu dono e que continha coisas polêmicas que poderiam colocar o ladrão em

uma ótima posição, já que seria um escândalo se a mesma fosse mostrada para

todos. O ladrão já era conhecido, mas o mistério era exatamente onde a carta

poderia estar, pegar e devolvê-la para o dono. Para isto, o chefe de polícia de Paris

vai até o detetive Dupin e seu amigo para o primeiro detetive da literatura pudesse

cumprir esta missão.

Para guiá-los na leitura, há diversos exercícios que possibilitarão à todos entender o

texto, além de trazer reflexão e exercícios para aprimoramento da ortografia.

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2 THE STOLEN LETTER

On a dark, windy evening in Paris in the fall, my friend, C. Auguste Dupin, and I were

sitting in Dupin’s library, smoking pipes. We sat in the dark for an hour, thinking

silently.

I was thinking about our earlier conversation on the subject of the rue Morgue

murders. I was surprised when monsieur G--------, the Chief of the Paris Police,

suddenly walked into the room.

There were many things about monsieur G------ that I disliked. But he was also

amusing. It was a few years since our last meeting, so we welcomed him warmly. He

wanted Dupin’s opinion about an important matter.

“ Can we have some light ?” asked the Chief.

“If you need to think seriously,” said Dupin, “it is better to think in the dark.”

“You have a lot of strange ideas,” said the Chief. (Anything was “strange” if the

Chief could not understand it.).

“Very true,” said Dupin. Hem then offered our visitor a pipe and a comfortable

chair.

“What is the problem?” I asked the Chief. “Not another murder, I hope!”

“Oh, no, nothing like that. This is really very simple. I think that the police can solve

the mystery without help. But Dup will want to hear about it because it is very

strange.”

“Simple…and strange,” said Dupin.

“Yes. That is problem. The matter is simple, but we cannot solve ir.”

“Maybe the mystery is too easy,” said Dupin.

The chief laughed. “Oh Dupin, you are strange!”

“What exactly is the problem?” I asked.

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“I will tell you,” said the Chief, as he smoked his pipe slowly.

But you must not tell me anyone about it. If you do, I will probably lose my job.”

“Continue,” I said.

“Or don’t,” said Dupin.

“Someone,” the Chief began, “has stolen a very important letter from the royal

apartments. The thief is known to us. When he took it, he was seen. We know, too,

that he still has the letter.”

“How do you know?” asked Dupin.

““Because …Things have …not happened. They well happen if the thief … uses the

letter.”

“Be clear,” I said.

“Let’s say that the letter offers its holder a … good position.”

The Chief was talking like a politician.

“I still do not understand,” said Dupin.

“Hmm. If the letter is shown to a third person, an important person will look very

bad. The thief knows this.”

“So the thief knows that he was seen,” I said. “He knows that the important person

knows about his action. Who is brave enough to put himself in that position?”

“The thief is a government minister, Minister D----------, only he is brave and smart

enough for this.”

“Tell us how he did it,” I said.

“While the important person was reading the letter in her bedroom, another

important person suddenly came in. She did not want this person to see the letter.

She tried to hide it in a drawer, but there was no time. So she had to leave the letter

on a table.”

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“Then minister D------- came into the room. He has eyes like a cat. He immediately

noticed the letter, and he knew the handwriting on it. He saw that the woman looked

worried and nervous. He guessed her secret. He talked and acted as usual, and took

another letter out of his pocket. It was similar to the one on the table. He put this

letter next to the one on the table and talked for another fifteen minutes. Then he

picked up the other letter and left.”

“The owner of the letter clearly saw him do it. But she could not say anything

because of the …other important person in the room.”

“Ah,” said Dupin to me. “So the thief really does know that the letter’s owner knows

about him.”

“Yes,” said the Chief. ”And the thief is using in the letter for his own dangerous

purposes. The important person believes that she must get the letter back. But of

course she must get it back secretly. She is very nervous it, so she came to me.”

“And who can think,” said Dupin, “of a better person for the job?”

“You are too kind,” said the Chief.

“It is clear,” said,” that the minister still has the letter. While he has it, he is in a

strong position. When he uses it, he will lose that position. And if he loses the letter,

he well also that position.”

“True,” said G--------. “And so I and the police have searched the minister’s rooms.

He is often away at night. I have keys that will open every door in Paris. We searched

his rooms every night for three months. Three months. If I find the letter, the owner

will give me a lot of money. Do not tell anyone that, that though. But we have found

nothing. The thief is smarter than I am.”

“Tell us about your search,” I said.

“We worked slowly, and we searched everywhere. Each night we searched a

different room of the building. First, we looked closely at and in all of the furniture. We

opened every drawer. We searched for secret drawers too. Then we looked all

around the building.”

“Did you look through D------‘s papers, and in his the book?” I asked.

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“Of course. We carefully opened every package, and looked at all of his papers.

We looked through every book, page by page.”

“Did you look under the floors?”

“Yes.”

“Behind the walls?”

“We did.”

“Then,” I said, “the letter is not there, as you thought.”

“I am afraid that you are right”, said the Chief. “And now, Dupin, what can ”

“Search his rooms again.”

“But I am sure that the letter is not there.”

“That is all that I can tell you,” said Dupin. “Do you have a description of the letter?”

“Of course!”

The Chief took a small notebook from his pocket and read a description of the letter

to us. Soon after that, he left. He was not happy.

About a month later, the Chief visited us again. As before, Dupin and I were

smoking pipes and sitting quietly. The Chief took a pipe and chair, and began an

ordinary conversation.

Finally, I said , “But G , what happened whit the stolen letter? Have you decided

that you cannot catch the Minister?”

“How much money will you get if you find the letter?” asked Dupin.

“a lot. I don’t want to say how much exactly. But if someone helps me to find the

letter, I will give him a check for half of that amount .”

Dupin opened a desk drawer, and took out a pen.

“write me a check, please,” he said. “When you sign it, I will give you the letter.”

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I could not believe it, and for some minutes the Chief did not move or speak. His

mouth was open, and his eyes were wide. Then he quickly took Dupin’s pen, and

wrote a check. He signed it, and the gave it to Dupin.

Dupin looked a the check carefully, and put it in his pocket. Then he went to his

writing desk and unlocked it. He took out a letter, and gave it to the Chief. The Chief

held it in a shaking

Hand, and read it quickly. Then he ran from the room without saying a word. I never

saw a happier man.

After he left, my friend explained the mystery.

“The Parisian police are usually very good,” he began. “G ----’s search was

probably the best that was possible.”

“Yes. They searched carefully, but their search did not fit the crime or the criminal.

The Chief works hard, but cannot think with a criminal’s mind, only with his. That is

enough for most they do. But if the criminal is very intelligent, the police cannot catch

him. They have no imagination.

“For example, G---- and the police searched inside every piece of furniture. Only

an ordinary man hides a letter inside furniture. But the Minister stayer away from his

rooms at night. He wanted the police to search his rooms, and then to stop. He knew

that the police only look for secret hiding places. So I believed that he used a simple

hiding place. My idea was that the mystery was too easy. But the Chief laughed at

this. Do you remember?”

“Yes,” I said. “I remember it well. He laughed until he shook.”

“The problem was too difficult for the Chief because it was too easy. Many people

cannot see something which is obvious. The minister knows that, and I know it.”

“So one morning I put on pair of dark glasses and went to Minister’s room. He was

there.”

“Then I noticed a small letter rack. It was hanging from the shelf above the

fireplace. In the rack were five or six visiting cards and a single letter. The letter

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looked old, dirty, and unimportant.it was addressed to Minister in a woman’s

handwriting.”

“I Knew almost immediately that it was the stolen letter. It seemed different from

the letter that the Chief described to us. It was too different. It was too dirty, and any

visitor to the room could see it. The Minister wanted it look unimportant.”

“I continued to talk to the Minister in a friendly way. As we talked, I looked more

closely at the letter. I saw the outside of envelope was really the inside. The address

on the outside was new . Then I knew that it really was the stolen letter. I said

goodbye to the Minister, and left. But I carefully forgot my hat.”

“The next morning, I returned for my hat. The Minister and I began to continue our

conversation from the day before. Suddenly, we heard a sound outside like a

gunshot, and then screams and shouts.”

“The Minister ran to the window. He opened it, and looked out. I stepped quickly

and quickly to the letter rack, took out the letter, and put in my pocket. In its place, I

put one that looked similar. Then I went to the window. In the street, there was man

with a gun. Women and children were scared, but there was no real danger.”

“How did you know that? ” I asked.

“I know, because the man was working for me! The man was caught by the police.

But he was freed because there was nothing in his gun.”

“But why,” I asked, “did you put a copy of the letter in the rack? You were in

danger. Why didn’t you simply take the letter on your first visit?”

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Please excuse me, but I have to wear dark glasses because of my weak eyes,” I told

him.

“With the glasses. I was able to look around the room while I talked to the Minister.

He was sitting ear a large writing table. I looked at it closely. On it were some letters,

and books. But I saw nothing that was very interesting.”

“I did not want the Minister to know that I took the letter. That was too dangerous. I

wanted to say alive. And like the owner of the letter. For eighteen months the Minister

has been able to do what he wants with her. Now, she can do want she wants with

him.”

“The Minister does not know that he does not have the letter now. But he will

continue to act in the some way with her. He will destroy himself. Soon, the lady will

not agree to his orders. Then he will open the letter. I would like to see him when he

opens it.”

“Why? Did you write something in it?”

“Of course! It was, I thought, the right thing to do. Once, in Vienna, D---- acted

badly toward me. He knows that I will never forget it. He also knows my handwriting.

So I wrote:

‘My dear D----.

You trick was brave, mine was braver.

D-----.’”

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3 CURIOSIDADES

Para uma versão animada em português de “The Stolen Letter - A

Carta Roubada”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB3X6r4dUP8

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4 EXERCISES

4.1 PRE READING

1) Analise o título e as ilustrações do conto, e teste o que se pode concluir a partir

deles.

2) Edgar Allan Poe é precursor do gênero romance policial e inspirou autores como

Agatha Christie e Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Uma característica deste gênero é a

resolução de um enigma ou crime. A história se passa em Paris no século XIX.

Estabeleça uma relação entre possíveis filmes em que você percebeu

características semelhantes às descritas acima.

3) Pense em 5 palavras que provavelmente haverá no conto e liste-as.

4) Com base na sua análise das ilustrações e com suas respostas acima, pense em

alguns assuntos que serão abordados no conto.

5) No mundo atual muitas informações são compartilhadas em seus diversos meios

de comunicação, sendo que em alguns casos, informações sigilosas são

confidenciadas em cartas. Assim sendo, quais os possíveis assuntos que uma carta

possa conter a ponto de ser roubada?

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4.2 WHILE READING

1) Com base no que você já leu, o que poderia haver nesta carta?

2) Qual o destinatário e com quem você acredita que ela esteja? Qual seria o motivo

desta pessoa para que roubasse a carta?

3) Se o ladrão for descoberto, o que acontecerá com ele?

4) Há outros suspeitos? Quais? Qual seria a motivação de cada um?

5) Observe os trechos extraídos do conto e identifique qual personagem mencionou

as orações abaixo.

a) “Let’s say that the letter offers its holder a...good position”.

b) “Of course! It was, I thought, the right thing to do. Once, in Vienna, D–––acted

badly toward me. He knows that I will never forget it. He also knows my handwriting.

So I wrote:

c) “But you must not tell anyone about it. If you do, I will probably lose my job” Chief

19

d) “You are too Kind,”

e) “ You have a lot of strange ideas,”

f) “the owner of the letter clearly saw him do it, but she could not say anything

because of the… other important person in the room ”

g) “Tell us how he did it”

h) “Hmm. If the letter is shown to a third person, an important person will look very

bad. The thief knowns this.”

6) Caracterize os personagens abaixo a partir dos adjetivos encontrados no texto e dê sua opinião a respeito da personalidade de cada um deles.

7) De acordo com sua leitura, descreva os espaços nos quais se passa a história.

Procure no dicionário também sinônimo dos adjetivos utilizados.

8) Circule e escreva as palavras contidas no texto que você desconhece contidas no

texto, depois, pesquise e coloque o significado das palavras encontradas.

Auguste Dupin

Monsieur G

Minister D

Narrador

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4.3 POST READING

1) A partir da leitura do texto, comente o que você depreendeu da história narrada.

2) Redija um breve comentário acerca da moral tratada na história.

3) O conto foi escrito no século XIX e se passa em Paris. Um dos temas recorrentes

é a política, tendo na figura do Ministro, que usa de meios ilícitos para ter o que

quer. Discorra sobre a corrupção fazendo uma analogia com a realidade

contemporânea e aponte como foi tratado e qual fim teve o político no conto.

4) Na sua opinião, por que foi tão fácil para Dupin descobrir onde estava a carta?

Em que sentido a polícia errou?

5) Assinale Verdadeiro (V) ou falso (F)

a) ( ) O ladrão é o ministro do governo.

b) ( ) O nome do narrador é Monsieur G.

c) ( ) Há um assassinato na história.

d) ( ) O ladrão é um gato.

e) ( ) O ladrão colocou outra carta em cima da mesa.

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f) ( ) Chief é o melhor amigo do detetive Dupin.

6) Preencha as lacunas abaixo de acordo com as informações contidas na

narrativa.

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7) THE STOLEN LETTER: FIND DE WORDS

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5 REFERENCIAS BIBLIOGRÁFICAS

ALONSO, kassiana F. Clássicos adaptados no ensino de inglês: um estudo de

caso das experiências dos estudantes em sala de aula 2011, p. 61

Site: <http://marilialevy.blogspot.com.br/2012/08/magia-das-cartas-em-especial-as-

de-amor.html> acesso em 01-11-2013

POE, Edgar A. The stolen letter. In:The Fall of the House of Usher and Other

Stories. London: Penguin readers, 2000, p. 42-51.

Site:

<http://www.google.com.br/imgres?espv=210&es_sm=122&biw=1360&bih=623&tbm

=isch&tbnid=-

FfuMNwV2q8R3M:&imgrefurl=http://nouvelledimensionce.free.fr/media/images/interf

ace/&docid=loO_ejPPuW-

iWM&imgurl=http://nouvelledimensionce.free.fr/media/images/interface/footer_paris.p

ng&w=821&h=457&ei=Gih9UruyL8i1kQeylIHYAw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:25,s:0,i:1

67&iact=rc&page=2&tbnh=167&tbnw=301&start=14&ndsp=25&tx=135&ty=98>

acesso em 01-11-2013

Site:

<http://www.google.com.br/imgres?espv=210&es_sm=122&biw=1360&bih=623&tbm

=isch&tbnid=o_ZQsXSgQePHBM:&imgrefurl=http://cssand-

html.tumblr.com/post/18052170419&docid=uAjG62b39CTtMM&imgurl=http://media.t

umblr.com/tumblr_lyor6qd4lR1qkv4nq.png&w=500&h=684&ei=JS19UsnOJYyskAeux

IDQCA&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:85,s:0,i:343&iact=rc&page=5&tbnh=187&tbnw=137

&start=81&ndsp=24&tx=101&ty=111> acesso em 01-11-2013

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