1. Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven

2. from “The Philosophy of Composition”
“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”

3. “POE”TRY TRUTHS

4. 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

5. 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.”

6. Poe’s characters are often tortured by guilt
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

7. “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”

8. “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?

9. “The Raven” Analysis Poetry Form: Narrative; 18 sestets
Setting: The chamber of a midnight
Speaker: 1st person narrator; A man who lost his beloved wife, a woman named Lenore

10. “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

11. “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.

12. “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”

13. “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 

14. -The End-