2. Background
Ravens are large, loud, aggressive birds; they are keen-sighted, wary, and usually solitary. They are long-lived and, as pets, may learn to mimic several words. Ravens’ fearlessness and cleverness have earned them admiration. Poe’s raven alights on a bust of the Greek goddess of wisdom, Pallas Athena, whose symbol was the owl. Poe first considered using an owl or parrot as his bird, but chose a raven because of its symbolic associations. We will make note of these associations on the handout you’ve been given.

3. old-fashioned charm manner knowledge, learning charming, coaxing
sinister, threatening
knowledge, learning
charming, coaxing
trying to figure out
room (often bedroom
dignified manner
I thought
produced
face
incense burner
an end
coward
highest-ranked angel
asking earnestly
said
carpeted
beg
felt surprised
temporary relief
sign
ungraceful, awkward
anything that causes forgetfulness
shutter
connection with the topic
pale
long ago
peaceful
gesture of respect
songs of mourning
ominous
wise
omens
advise
sin
devil
death

4. the pattern of end rhyme in a poem a: weary b: door b: lore b: door
c: tapping b: more
Masculine: 1 syllable rhymes (heart, part)
Feminine: 2 or 3 syllables (vanity, humanity)
the use of words that sound like their meaning
rapping croaking
tapping shriek
rustling fluttered
rhyming words that fall inside a line
remember, December
3rd and 4th lines of each stanza
repeating of rhymes and of words and phrases, helps create the poem’s rhythm, emphasize ideas
4th & 5th lines of each stanza – often emphasize key idea
last line of each stanza (hook)
the repetition of initial sounds
l. 45: shorn and shaven
l. 71: grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt
near rhyme (imperfect rhyme – close, but not quite)
l. 85: evil, devil
l. 87: undaunted, enchanted
object representing something other than itself
Raven=pain of losing Lenore (will never leave)
December’s cold=the speaker’s feeling of emotional coldness

5. Other Notes / Inferences
Stanza
Summary of Events
Other Notes / Inferences 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Reading at midnight, almost nodding off, he hears tapping at the door.
It’s December. He’s trying to read to keep his mind off lost Lenore.
Is Lenore dead? (Angels name her.)
Why December? Cold, dead (like feelings, Lenore)
He’s frightened but determines it’s surely only a visitor.
Allaying his fear with explanation of sound
He musters his courage and speaks to his visitor, opens the door, and discovers no one there.
He calls out for Lenore into the darkness (daring to hope she’s alive) and only hears an echo.
He goes back inside and hears the tapping again—“It’s just the wind.”
Again trying to allay his fears by justifying the sound
Symbolism=Pallas Athena is goddess of wisdom (The speaker may attribute wisdom to this bird.)
The raven walks in like he owns the place and perches above his door on the bust of Pallas.
The raven makes the speaker smile because of its serious attitude. The speaker guesses it’s sent from the underworld & asks it its name.
The speaker is surprised at the raven’s ability to speak and notes how fortunate he is to be visited by a bird named “Nevermore.” #blessed
What does the reply “nevermore” foreshadow?

6. Other Notes / Inferences
Stanza
Summary of Events
Other Notes / Inferences 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
He says, “The raven will abandon me, just like everyone else, and like my hopes.” The bird seems to counter that.
He thinks the bird learned the word “nevermore” from an unhappy master, who only knew misfortune.
He is pondering what the bird means by “nevermore.”
Alliteration: grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt
He gets distracted by thinking about how Lenore will never again press her head to the cushion.
What personification is used?
He calls himself a wretch for failing to recognize that God sent the bird as a distraction from his pain.
A change in atmosphere = a change in the speaker’s mood
He begs the raven to tell him if he will ever have peace. He says, “Nevermore.”
He pushes further and dares to ask if he will be reunited with Lenore in heaven. The raven again says, “Nevermore.”
Since the bird doesn’t give him an answer he likes, he gets angry and tells the bird to leave. The raven refuses.
The bird will never leave. The speaker will never be able to remove his soul from the bird’s shadow.
The narrator will never again see his love. The raven represents the speaker’s pain over the loss of Lenore.