College Prep Poetry #6
Narrative Poem
“The Raven” – pg. 940
 Complete questions 1-6
1. I think the poems speaker is sad, because Lenore is gone. He doesn’t seem like the kind
of person you would want to talk to because he is just so hung up over Lenore’s death.
2. Lenore was the love of the speaker’s life, and she died. You can infer that the speaker
loved Lenore and that they were very close.
3. The speaker describes his mood as weak and weary. Although, I would describe it as
mournful and lonely, because he misses Lenore and her company. His mood changes
when he sees the raven. At first he was happy when he saw it because it was keeping him
company, then he realized that it was saying nevermore because the speaker will never
see Lenore again.
4. The raven only ever says “nevermore.” I think if the poem were being taken literally, the
raven would just be repeating a sound, but in the figurative sense of the poem it is telling
the speaker he will never see Lenore again.
5. When the speaker first describes the raven he uses positive words that make him seem
like a good presence in the poem. The speaker then starts to think the raven is telling him
that he will never see Lenore again when it says “nevermore,” so the raven turns into a
negative character.
6. The poem would not have been as effective if Poe had used a parrot instead of a raven. A
raven usually represents death, so that gives the poem more of a fearful tone. A parrot, on
the other hand, sometimes represents life because it is a big, beautiful, colorful bird. It
would be more believable that a parrot would say nevermore, but other than that, the
parrot would do the opposite of what the raven does.
 List at least 3 poetic devices found in the poem (Name the literary device and list the
example from the poem.) EX: Simile – “And the river flows like a stream of glass” - Line 4
(from “Sympathy”)
Alliteration- “Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before”- Line 26,
Metaphor- “And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.”- Line 8,
Repetition- “Quoth the raven, “nevermore.”- Line 48,60, 84,90,96, and 102
 Rate the poem on the following scale accompanied by a 1-3 sentence specific explanation for
the rating.
Approval Rating Scale:
Liked it!
It was ok.
UGH! Did not like it!
I did not like the poem because it dragged on and was kind of confusing.
Label this page: Raven
Home Work Activity: Paraphrase the poem “The Raven” stanza by stanza.
OR
Find a song that illustrates the theme, mood, and situation of “The Raven.” Explain the
connections you see between the song and the poem, and include a copy of the lyrics.
OR
Find a piece of art work that illustrates the theme, mood, or situation of “The Raven.” Explain
the connections you see between the art work and the poem, and include a copy of the art work
or at least the title of the work and the artist’s name
Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2yStD2GWhU
Blink 182’s song “I Miss You” best illustrates the mood of “The Raven.”
"I Miss You"
(I miss you, I miss you)
Hello there, the angel from my nightmare
The shadow in the background of the morgue
The unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley
We can live like Jack and Sally if we want
Where you can always find me
We'll have Halloween on Christmas
And in the night we'll wish this never ends
We'll wish this never ends
(I miss you, I miss you)
(I miss you, I miss you)
Where are you and I'm so sorry
I cannot sleep I cannot dream tonight
I need somebody and always
This sick strange darkness
Comes creeping on so haunting every time
And as I stared I counted
Webs from all the spiders
Catching things and eating their insides
Like indecision to call you
and hear your voice of treason
Will you come home and stop this pain tonight
Stop this pain tonight
Don't waste your time on me you're already
The voice inside my head (I miss you, I miss you)
Don't waste your time on me you're already
The voice inside my head (I miss you, I miss you)
[x3]
(I miss you, I miss you) [x4]
The song is about all the things left behind that remind you of someone after they
leave. The song refers to these reminders as “the angel of my nightmare,” which
can easily compare with the raven in the poem. The raven is always there
reminding the speaker that Lenore is gone, and the “angel of my nightmare”
reminds the singer that whoever they are talking about is gone as well.