Bibliographic Entry of the Poem ( Author, Title, Publication, Place, Date)
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Raven." The Elements of Literature - Fifth
Course - Holt
Rinehart and Winston. Austin, Texas : 1997.
Find and state (in the author's words) a "defining" passage, one
which best summarizes
the direction of the poem -its theme.
"And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
. . .
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!
Paraphrase this passage (in your own words):
The raven, note the capital in Poe-it represents the hurt of loss, is here
to stay,
forever,
Over coming Pallas, the goddess of wisdom (Athena), the former companion;
And the author will never overcome the loss, not now not ever, thus
Nevermore!
Paraphrase three subsidiary, supporting ideas, images or symbols using complete
sentences.
The bust of Pallas Athena represents the authors pursuit of wisdom.
"And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me -"
The urge to understand the unknown excited the author fearfully.
"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird
or devil!"
The black bird, croaks of a dismal, dismayed and lonely future.
Make a list of and name the poetic devices you have found in the poem, supply
a
characterizing quotation and tell why you think the author used the device.
Device Name
Quote the text!
Why used?
1
Alliteration
And the silken, sad, uncertain
rustling of each purple curtain
Emphasis on the "s"
sound adds to the
suspense here.
2
Internal Rhyme
And the Raven, never flitting,
still is sitting, still is sitting
The rhyme unifies the
lines and stanzas.
3
Personification
"Quoth the Raven,
'Nevermore.'"
It animates his fear
and forboding.
Embodies creepiness.
4
Hyperbole
"Prophet!" said I, "prophet still
if bird or devil,"
He exaggerates the
role of the bird to
heighten the fearful
experience.
Summarize the poem noting: The speaker is the author who in his lonely study,
on a
December night encounters a visiting raven which says but one word, "Nevermore."
This the author interprets as a sign of his lost Lenore, a former, presumably
dead,
love. Literally, the poem describes and decries the torment of losing a dear
one.
Figuratively it alludes to the difficulty of the human search for knowledge
and
wisdom, symbolized by Athena's bust above the door, within a 'vale of tears,'
the
mortal, physical world. Poe's diction is erudite, precise and heavily connotative,
especially on the dark side of the human mood. The tone is dark, mysterious,
tormented, tense and "other worldly."
Speaker:
Situation:
Literal meaning:
Figurative:
Diction:
Tone and Attitude
Explain (on the back) your view on the issue raised in the poem. Do you agree,
disagree
or partially agree with the author? Give at lease three reasons you believe
as you do.
As an adolescent, a lonely teenager, I suppose, my feelings resonated with
"The
Raven." That which Nature fills us with, the search for love, mating,
generation,
had for the teenage me a sharp, cutting edge which often left me painfully
aware of
even the minor losses I suffered. Sometimes it was absolutely impossible for
me to
"get on" in my life because feelings were overwhelming me. Of course,
a girlfriend
made it better, but she also made it worse because adolescence is by its nature
transitory as is all that the adolescent encounters. That includes affection.
So I
couldn't study many times. Why? I suppose I was in love or suddenly fallen
out of
love. Poe gives voice to that adolescent angst but elevates the sentiment
to a raging
battle between his narrator and the portentous bird. He does not elevate the
theme
into maturity.
My adult self, having as an adult lost the dearest of loved ones - a loved
wife, a
father and a mother - says, "Get over it! That is life." I know
the shock of loss as
well as its weight over time. But I know, too, of the healing hands of time,
that there
is more than one mate out there, that a father and mother must pass but in
another
sense never pass, that specters come, too, that they leave around 3:30 or
after a nice
hot chocolate. So, yes, the loneliness and hurt of life is awesome and portentous
of
our final end, but in a busy, full and loving life, they are relegated to
the witching
hours and, if one allows them ample space and kind attention, then only once
a
week.
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