The Raven

Question of the Day 9/22**READ The first two stanza1. What motivated Poe to write “The Raven”2. What kind of mood is created in the poem? Provide evidence.3. What does a raven symbolize?4. What is the setting of the

story?

Question of the Day 9/23**Answer questions in

your notebook

How does the Raven reply to every question the man asks?

What specific questions does the man ask in which the Raven answers “Nevermore”

What is the Raven overshadowing in the story? (think about where the Raven in perched)

Question of the Day 9/26

What indication is there that the man may have dreamt the entire episode?

In “The Raven”, what is the speaker hoping the raven can tell him?

What things contribute to the “mood” of the story?

Stanza 1

The narrator is someone who feels tired and weak and who has started to fall asleep while reading in the middle of a gloomy December night. He passes the time by reading a strange book. Suddenly, he thinks he hears someone at his door. He explains to himself that it is nothing more than a visitor knocking at his door.

Stanza 2 It is December, and a fireplace had

been lit, but now the fire was going out, and it cast an scary glow. To escape his sadness, the speaker has been reading to find something in his books that would take his mind off his lost love, Lenore. He reveals that Lenore has died when he says that the angels call her by name.

Stanza 3

The sound of the curtains as they move makes him nervous. The speaker tries to calm down by telling himself that the tapping noise (introduced in stanza one) is only the sound of a visitor knocking on his door.

Stanza 4

The speaker calls out to the supposed visitor. But when he opens the door he finds only darkness and nothing else

Stanza 5

He stands looking out of his door, at the “darkness”. It is silent and still outside, so his imagination increased. Finally he whispered the name of his dead lover, “Lenore,” and he heard it echoed in the night.

Stanza 6

He returns to his room, but the tapping sound continues, even louder, and the speaker goes to the window to investigate

Stanza 7

The speaker finally reveals the source of the mysterious tapping noise—a bird. Upon opening the window, the speaker discovers a Raven who flies in and sits on top of the speaker’s “bust of Pallas.”(goddess of wisdom).

Stanza 8

The bird’s presence makes the speaker forget his sadness for a while. He also suggest that the bird may come for the underworld (land of the dead). He asks the bird name. The bird replies “Nevermore”.

Stanza 9 & 10

He talks about the bird’s reply to his previous question making no sense; however, he feels lucky to have the bird there.

He asks the bird if he will leave him, just as other friends have. The bird replies “nevermore”

Stanza 11 & 12

The man thinks the raven has been taught this one word, “nevermore”, by a previous master.

He pulls up a chair and sit wondering what the Raven means by “Nevermore”

Stanza 13

The speaker thinks about the Rave as he sits in Lenore’s chair

Stanza 14

The speaker thinks he smells Lenore’s perfume, and he thinks it is a gift from the angels. Most likely, he smells her because he sits in her chair. He starts to become depressed again and asks the angels to give him a potion of forgetfulness (nepenthe)

Stanza 15

He gets mad at the raven for the response to his last question and accuses the raven of being evil or the devil. However, he ask him another question - Is the balm in Gilead? (meaning will he ever get over his sorrow). The raven tells him NO.

Stanza 16

He then gets upset again, but ask the raven yet another question. “will he see Lenore again (afterlife)?” The raven responds NO

Stanza 17

The speaker is at his angriest and ask the bird to leave. The speakers has decided to continue to be alone in his miserable state of mind.

Stanza 18

He ends the poem by telling us that the raven (which symbolizes death and evil) did not leave and still sits above his door. It still sits on the bust of Pallas (knowledge) indicating that death and evil have overpowered the speakers wisdom and his ability to get over the death of Lenore

Summary (on next available left page in notebook. Write at least half a page)

Write a summary of the story. Make sure to include the key elements of the plot.

In addition, explain how this story closely mirrors Poe’s life (do not just say because his wife past away)

Processing On the top of your summary use a plot

diagram or flow map and label each part as (exposition, rising action (4 events), climax, falling action and resolution > put the stanza number next to the part and give a brief summary)

Audio

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

http://legacy.teachersfirst.com/share/raven/st1.html

http://dotsub.com/view/58591756-7128-488c-bfe9-22463d46d907

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