“The Raven” Discussion Questions
“The Raven” Discussion Questions
1. Describe the setting of the room.
1. Describe the setting of the room.
2. Describe the speaker.
2. Describe the speaker.
3. What does the narrator expect to find when he opens the door?
3. What does the narrator expect to find when he opens the door?
4. What does he find instead?
4. What does he find instead?
5. What is his first reaction to the raven?
5. What is his first reaction to the raven?
6. When the raven first say “Nevermore” what is the speaker’s guess
6. When the raven first say “Nevermore” what is the speaker’s guess
as to why?
as to why?
7. What is his next guess as to why the raven is saying “Nevermore”?
7. What is his next guess as to why the raven is saying “Nevermore”?
8. Near the end of the poem what two questions does the speaker ask
8. Near the end of the poem what two questions does the speaker ask
the Raven to which it responds “Nevermore”? [One of the questions
the Raven to which it responds “Nevermore”? [One of the questions
is not Lenore?]
is not Lenore?]
9. The theme of The Raven best described as the pain of
9. The theme of The Raven best described as the pain of
10. The speaker’s tone toward the raven undergoes what transition?
10. The speaker’s tone toward the raven undergoes what transition?
11. We can infer from the ending of the poem that the speaker
11. We can infer from the ending of the poem that the speaker
12. What does the raven symbolize?
12. What does the raven symbolize?
13. Find an example in the poem of onomatopoeia. Write the word(s)
13. Find an example in the poem of onomatopoeia. Write the word(s)
here.
14. What does the speaker feel when he first thinks that Lenore may be
at his door?
15. What does the speaker mean when he says, “nameless here for
evermore”?
here.
14. What does the speaker feel when he first thinks that Lenore may be
at his door?
15. What does the speaker mean when he says, “nameless here for
evermore”?