Thanatopsis
At the end of the story, how does Bryant view the idea of Death?
He welcomes the idea of death and thinks you should wrap it around yourself like a blanket.
“By unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams” (79-81)
Why did Usher decide to keep Madeline's "body" in the basement rather than burying it?
He wanted to keep her at a distance because of the unknown origin of her illness that he was afraid of catching, as none of her doctors could identify it.
What does the raven symbolize in the poem?
The raven symbolizes the grief and the lost souls of the people who have died.
Name one thing Bryant is fearing when he dies.
He fears he will be forgotten
No one will care
No one will react to it
They will easily move on
When the narrator and Usher are painting, what does the painting the narrator describes represent?
The painting is described as 'somewhere where the dead may be placed', with plain, white walls. This could be connected to the coffin that they later put Madeline in, hinting that she is alive.
In this poem, how does Edgar Allan Poe portray death?
He portrays death by using different symbols and setting the scene in the poem. The poem takes place around midnight which is when it is very dark out, the raven resembles the effects of death and the grief people go through, and the name Lenore is used to represent the death of his wife.
How did Bryant describe what happens after you die in the middle of the poem?
He believes they will resolve back into the earth and become a part of the natural world as a tree, rock, etc.
When the narrator and Usher are putting Madeline's body in the basement, what are two indicators showing that she is alive?
1) She is described as being 'still soft and warm'
2) She had blush on her cheeks.
How does the poem parallel Edgar Allan Poe’s life with the mention of the name Lenore?
Lenore represents his wife Virginia Clemm who was continuously dying and then coming back to life. He asks the bird different questions like if he’ll see her again and is she in heaven etc. He wants to know everything about his wife and what’s going to happen when she dies and when he dies.
In the middle of Thanatopsis what does Bryant say to make what with death in order to join the “sons of men”?
He says to make a "bed with thee" (death). As in, to make peace with it.
What ended up killing Usher at the end of the story?
His own fear when he sees Madeline alive.
How does Edgar Allan Poe feel about death according to the poem?
Because Poe had experienced so much death and tragedy in his life, he wanted answers from the raven. He could believe that the occurrence of death had his answers that he searched for. In the poem it informs you of the questions he asked the bird about Lenore/Virginia.
According to Bryant what happens to your age or social rank in society after you die? (Are they split up by rank or are they all together?)
The people who die gather together side by side, the young, the strong, the weak, the old, are all together.
How did Usher and the Narrator view death?
Usher continuously walked a line between life and death. In a way he was prepared for it because he knew when his sister came out of the tomb he knew she would “kill him”.
The Narrator feared death.
How does Poe act at the start of the poem compared to the end?
In the beginning of the poem, Poe is making logical conclusions and not acknowledging the bird whatsoever. But he starts questioning it and starts to be almost afraid of the raven because he lets his emotions and intuitions control him.