Name: __________________________________
Period: __________
Date: ______________
“The Raven” and “Incident in a Rose Garden”
1. Interpret Narrative Poetry. Complete the following sentences:
The main characters in “The Raven” are ____________________________________________________________________________.
The setting is ______________________________________________________________________________________________________.
The main conflict is _______________________________________________________________________________________________.
The conflict is resolved when ______________________________________________________________________________________.
The main characters in “Incident in a Rose Garden” are _________________________________________________________________.
The setting is ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
The main conflict is ______________________________________________________________________________________________________.
The conflict is resolved when _____________________________________________________________________________________________.
2. Reread lines 58–59 in “The Raven” and lines 34 and 43–44 in “Incident in a Rose Garden.” How does the concept of
“friends” prove ironic in both poems?
3. Fill in the chart below concerning the themes from both stories.
“The Raven”
“Incident in a Rose Garden”
Themes found within the
text:
Themes found within the
text:
Shared Themes within both
texts: These shared themes do not have to be
themes that you have already listed in the other
boxes. They can be new themes that you find that
are shared in both poems.
Theme 1
Theme 1
Theme 1
Theme 2
Theme 2
Theme 2
Theme 3
Theme 3
Theme 3
4. Which answer best describes how the poems are alike?
A. Both poems involve someone’s death.
B. The speaker in each poem is miserable.
C. The events take place in gloomy settings.
D. Death is a character in each poem.
5. Why might the poet use italics in “Incident in a Rose Garden”?
6. In “The Raven,” the speaker’s conversation with the raven makes the speaker more and more miserable. Use two details
from the poem to explain why.
7. In “The Raven,” the bird repeatedly says, “Nevermore.” How does this repetition help tell the story?
A. The speaker must use hints to break the code of the word nevermore.
B. The raven tricks the speaker by pretending to know only one word.
C. The word nevermore answers every question the speaker asks.
D. The raven is trying to drive the speaker insane by repeating “Nevermore.”
8. What does the speaker realize at the end of “The Raven”?
A. The raven has tricked him.
B. Lenore knows that he is in misery.
C. The raven is imaginary.
D. He will never be happy again.
9. Think about the rhythm of line 19 from “Incident in a Rose Garden”: “We shook hands; he was off.” What does the rhythm
of the line convey to the reader?
A. that Death comes quickly
B. that the gardener and the master are enemies
C. that the gardener departs quickly
D. that the two men linger in the garden
10. Which idea is more significant in “The Raven” than in “Incident in a Rose Garden”?
A. Death can come to those who least expect it.
B. You never recover from the death of a loved one.
C. Some people welcome death as a friend.
D. Death can frighten even those who are not dying.
Challenge: Compare both poets’ use of the idea of death in “The Raven” and “Incident in a Rose Garden.” Use three
examples to support your answer.
The questions broken down:
(In other words, explain how both poets use death within their poems. Maybe you could discuss the role of death or how death is portrayed, but you will need to support
your answer with three examples from the text.