“The death…of a beautiful woman is,
unquestionably, the most poetical topic
in the world – and equally is it beyond
doubt that the lips best suited for such
topic are those of a bereaved lover.”
Edgar Allan Poe
from “The Philosophy of Composition”
“POE”TRY TRUTHS
Poe’s professional life was full of failure
His greatest success was “The Raven,” which
brought him fame but earned him only
$14.00
Poe wrote many short stories simply for the
money; ironically he is most famous for these
stories
He saw himself as a poet but could not make
a living from writing poetry
He is the most important American poet
before Walt Whitman
Poor Poe
• After the death of his wife,
Poe went insane, desperately
trying to find someone to
take her place
• His death remains a mystery;
his final words were, “God
help my poor soul.”
Poe saw women as angelic
figures: “Women have been
angels of mercy to me.”
Poe’s characters are often
tortured by guilt
Poe’s stories are quite modern
in their psychoanalytical
components
Like many of his characters,
Poe was caught between
Rationality & irrationality
Order & chaos
“The Raven” Background
“The Raven” reflects the darkness, anger
and frustration Poe felt while watching his
wife Virginia die for five years due to
tuberculosis
During that time, Poe struggled to keep
Virginia fed and warm, and also to give her
the medicine she desperately needed
The guilt & anger he felt are expressed in the
darkness of “The Raven”
“The Raven” Critical Thinking Questions
 What is important about the title of the poem, "The
Raven"? Why does he use the title?
 What are the conflicts in "The Raven"? What types of
conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional) do
you read?
 What is the central/primary purpose of the poem? Is the
purpose important or meaningful?
How is madness or insanity explored in the poem?
“The Raven” Analysis
 Poetry Form: Narrative; 18 sestets
 Setting: The chamber of a house @ midnight
 Speaker: 1st person narrator; A man who lost
his beloved wife, a woman named Lenore
“The Raven” Analysis
 Symbolism: The raven
A glorified crow
Often appear in legend & literature as a sinister
omen.
 Theme: The death of a beautiful woman, as
lamented by her bereaved lover
 Tone: Melancholy, mournful, anxious,
suffering
“The Raven” Analysis
 Who is Lenore?: She represents Poe’s beloved
wife, Virginia, who was very sick when he
wrote this poem.
 Refrain: Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
Rhythm: Uses both internal rhyme & end
rhyme; Has a pattern of stressed syllable
followed by an unstressed syllable with a total
of 16 syllables per line.
“The Raven” Analysis
 Allusions: Pallas, Plutonian Shore, Gilead, &
Aidenn
 Personification: “unmerciful Disaster,” “his
Hope” and “lamplight gloated o’er”
Metaphor: “To the fowl whose fiery eyes now
burned into my bosom’s core”
“The Raven” Analysis
 The speaker asks the Raven 4 questions &
makes a request. What are they?
What is your name?
Will you leave me?
 How can I forget or repent about Lenore?
Will I ever see Lenore in the afterlife?
Leave my loneliness unbroken 
-The End-