Early American Literature 4

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Early American Literature

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Edgar Allan Poe - The Raven

Recap Edgar Allan Poe's works and life

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Question 1

Summarise the story the poem tells

The Raven

It's late at night, and late in the year (after midnight on a December evening, to be precise). A man is sitting in his room, half reading, half falling asleep, and trying to forget his lost love, Lenore. Suddenly, he hears someone (or something) knocking at the door.

He calls out, apologizing to the "visitor" he imagines must be outside. Then he opens the door and finds…nothing. This freaks him out a little, and he reassures himself that it is just the wind against the window. So he goes and opens the window, and in flies (you guessed it) a raven.

The Raven settles in on a statue above the door, and for some reason, our speaker's first instinct is to talk to it. He asks for its name, just like you usually do with strange birds that fly into your house, right? Amazingly enough, though, the Raven answers back, with a single word: "Nevermore." Understandably surprised, the man asks more questions. The bird's vocabulary turns out to be pretty limited, though; all it says is "Nevermore." Our narrator catches on to this rather slowly and asks more and more questions, which get more painful and personal. The Raven, though, doesn't change his story, and the poor speaker starts to lose his sanity.

(Credits: Shmoop)

Question 2

What is the rhyme scheme in this poem?

And what about the rhythm?

Question 2

The rhyme scheme is ABCBBB (this is end rhyme), but A and also C come back in the internal rhyme scheme. 

Once upon a midnight dreary (A), while I pondered weak and weary (A), 

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore (B), 

While I nodded, nearly napping (C), suddenly there came a tapping (C),

As of some one gently rapping (C), rapping at my chamber door (B). 

'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door (B)

 - Only this, and nothing more (B).'

Question 3

Check out the alliterations and give examples.

Question 3

Stanza 7:

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter

In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.

Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;

But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -

Perched upon the bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -

Perched and sat and nothing more. 

N.B.: Form often (always?) emphasises content!

Question 4 & 5

4. Are there any passages you like the most? Why?

5. After watching the Simpson's version do you understand the poem better?

Lesson goals - Edgar Allan Poe

At the end of the lessons you can

• give a brief description of the context of Edgar Allan Poe's life 
• outline the major events of his life
  
• describe the characteristics of a short story
• summarise the plot line of The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart
• summarise the gist of the poem 'The Raven'
• describe at least two characteristics of the stories/poem
• analyse their effect on the reader
• give your well-founded opinion of the works

Literary aspects

Short story:

'a relatively short work of prose fiction, approx. 500 to 10,000 words, that, according to Edgar Allan Poe, can be read in a single sitting of two hours or less'. 

The short story works to create a single effect. 

(The Norton Introduction to Literature, 2013)

Test

50 multiple choice questions

10 True/False questions with explanations 

3 Personal explanation questions 

Looking ahead

7/12: 

BBC One Minute World News/ Alquin text 3: Me and my ‘she shed’. 

9/12 and 10/12: 

Early American Literature ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ by Washington Irving.