Title
What do the words of the title suggest to you? The title suggests that the subject of the poem will encounter a raven
What denotations (literal meanings) are presented in the title? The literal meaning is that a raven will most likely be present in the poem
What connotations (figurative meanings) do the words possess? The figurative meaning of the title could be related to death and suffering, because those are two things that ravens are related to.
What do you predict this poem will be focused on based on this title? I predict that the poem will be about a mans encounter with a raven.
Paraphrase
Translate the poem in your own words. Work stanza-by-stanza. What is this poem about?
Stanza 1: One night I was thinking, and I heard a tapping sound
Stanza 2: I then thought of dead Lenore and was sad
Stanza 3: I then saw the curtain moving and it scared me
Stanza 4: I then go to see if there is a visitor at my door, but there is no one their
Stanza 5: I yell out Lenore, but no one answers
Stanza 6: Once again I hear a tapping sound, but I blame it on the wind
Stanza 7: I find a raven outside my window
Stanza 8: I talked to the raven and it talked back
Stanza 9: I thought about the raven's response and decided that it did not mean much
Stanza 10: I spoke to him again and once more he replied with “Nevermore'
Stanza 11: I decide that it must just be repeating some words that it heard.
Stanza 12: While I looked at him, he said “Nevermore”
Stanza 13: I looked at the raven and began to think of Lenore
Stanza 14: I then began to ask the raven for my lost Lenore
Stanza 15: The raven denies so I call it evil and ask him questions
Stanza 16: The raven denies me answers to these questions as well, so I call him evil again
Stanza 17: I tell the raven to leave
Stanza 18: The raven does not leave
Connotation
(Literary devices)
What meaning does the poem have beyond the literal? The poem is literally about a man that finds a talking raven. However, the real meaning of the poem is a man is depressed about his lost love, and finds a raven (symbolizing death). He then asks questions to the raven/death, but it will not give him any answers so he wrongly believes that the raven/death are evil things.
What poetic (literary/figurative) devices are present in the poem? Consider the following: imagery, interesting diction, point of view, allusions, symbolism, personification, metaphor, simile, irony, oxymoron, paradox, pun, etc. There is imagery, symbols, and point of view
Why are they there? What purpose do they serve in the poem? The imagery is a lot of audio imagery especially when describing the tapping. The symbol is the raven symbolizing death. The point of view of the poem is seen through the man's eyes so the reader gets a depressed, angry, and fearful look at the poem.
Attitude
Speaker
Vs.
Author
What is the speaker’s attitude? How does the speaker feel about himself, about others, and about the subject?
What is the author’s attitude? How does the author feel about the speaker, about other characters, about the subject, and the reader?The speaker's attitude is depressed, angry and fearful. He is sad about losing Lenore, he is angry at the raven when it will not give him answers about Lenore, and his is sort of fearful of the raven.
Shifts
Where do the shifts in tone, setting, voice, etc. occur? Look for time and place, keywords, punctuation, stanza divisions, changes in length or rhyme, and sentence structure. A shift occurs when the man questions the raven about Lenore, but he gets no answer.
What is the purpose of each shift? The purpose of this shift is to show the anger the man has about not getting answers to a very painful subject for him
How do they contribute to effect and meaning? They show how bad the man's mental state has gotten and emphasizes his desire for answers, and his frustration for not getting any.
Title (again)
Re-examine the poem’s title and check your guess. Were you on target? Why? Yes I was on target because the poem was about a man's encounter with a raven.
What figurative purpose does the title have? The figurative purpose of the title is to show the reader how powerful a character that the raven will be in the poem.
How does the title help to preview the figurative meaning(s) of the poem? It shows that the poem will most likely have to do with death, since ravens can symbolize death.
Theme
What patterns do you note in the poem? Repeated images, words, phrases, ideas, etc. I notice the repeating words of “Nevermore” “Nothing” “Lenore” and “Tapping”
How do these patterns help to establish an overarching focus for the poem? They show the focus of Lenore never coming back, despite memories that remind the speaker of her.
What is the universal idea or lesson of the poem? Themes must be stated in a complete sentence! The theme of this poem is that despite death being painful and sad, death is not evil and should not be questioned. Another theme is that despite death being painful and sad, one must not dwell on the death, because if they do worse emotions will fall on them.