The Raven Comprehension Qs

As the poem progresses, the narrator becomes more and more furious with the raven. Why does he become so angry?

As the poem progresses, the narrator's fury with the raven increases, because the raven is refusing to give him a straight answer, or a pleasant one at that. For example, when he asks if he will ever be reunited with Lenore, the raven again responds with "nevermore", which upset him.

Where is the raven at the end of the poem (stanza 18)? What does the raven's presence tell the reader about the narrator's grief?

At the end of the poem, the raven continues to perch on that statue of Athena. I think that its presence is significant in relation to the grief of the narrator, because it will always be there, the loss of Lenore, just like the raven.

Edgar Allan Poe is famous for using symbolism in his stories and poetry. How could the raven be a symbol in this poem? What clues does Poe give you to imply that the raven is a symbol rather than a literal creature?

I think that in this poem, the raven is a symbol of death and sadness. First of all, the raven is black. The color black is often associated with death, which is why people always wear it at funerals. Secondly, one of the lines in the poem is "take thy beak out from my heart". If the loss of Lenore is still figuratively in his heart, it is caused by her death, which fits the topic of death.

How would you describe the atmosphere created by the setting? Which images in the beginning of the poem create this atmosphere?

I would describe the atmosphere that Mr. Poe creates in this setting as sort of melancholy, and dark. The first example that supports this is that the poem starts off with a mysterious tapping at the speaker's door, at 12:00 am. Secondly, the only character, apart from the narrator, in this poem, is a raven. This is mysterious, because a raven is a bird of prey, and it seems bizarre that a symbol of evil would be in someone's house at midnight. Thirdly, some of the setting characteristics include purple, which is a romantic color, billowing curtains (which aren't strange, but add to the creepy theme nonetheless), et cetera.

In stanza 7, the raven flies into the narrator's chamber. Where does the raven perch?

In the seventh stanza, when the raven flies into the narrator's chamber, it perches onto a statue/bust of Pallas, or Athena, in the library.

In stanza 12, the narrator sits down in front of the raven. What is the narrator thinking as he looks at the bird?

In the twelfth stanza, as the narrator is sitting down in front of the raven, he is wondering what exactly the the raven means by "nevermore".

What is the first question the narrator asks the raven (stanza 8)?

The first question the narrator asks the raven, in the eighth stanza, is "tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!", or, to be paraphrased, "what is your name?".

The narrator of the poem is sad because his lost love is dead. What is her name and how does he try to escape his sorrow?

The name of the narrator's lost love is "Lenore", and he tries to escape his sorrow by reading a book about ancient traditional knowledge.

What fills the narrator's heart with terror in stanza 3?

The narrator's heart is filled with terror in the third stanza, because somebody is trying to enter his house at midnight.

What is the raven's only answer to the narrator's questions?

The only answer that the raven will give the narrator is "nevermore".

List three verbs that show what the poem's narrator is doing in the first stanza.

Three verbs that show what the narrator is doing in the first stanza are "pondered", "nodded", and "muttered".

Poe is also famous for using allusions in his writing. Then find and write down two examples from "The Raven." Next to each example you provide, write down the type of allusion it is (literary, mythological, biblical, etc.).

Two examples of allusions that Mr. Poe uses in his writing are a) the statue of Pallas, or Athena, in the library, which is a mythological reference to Greek gods, and b) the word "Aidenn", which refers to the Garden of Eden, which is a reference to the bible.

What does the narrator see when he first opens the chamber door (stanza 4)?

When the narrator first opens the chamber door in the fourth stanza, he sees only darkness, and nothing more.