Decode the Poem
In the opening stanza, the speaker describes himself as “weak and weary,” meaning he feels this way.
What is exhausted or tired?
This literary device occurs when an object, character, or image represents a deeper meaning beyond its literal meaning.
What is symbolism?
This literary device refers to an author's deliberate choice of words to create meaning or an emotional effect.
What is diction?
This literary device involves repeating words, phrases, or lines to emphasize an idea or create an effect.
What is repetition?
This literary device uses descriptive language that appeals to the five senses.
What is imagery?
When the speaker says, “’Tis some visitor...tapping at my chamber door,” he believes this is happening.
What is someone knocking at his door?
In The Raven, the darkness surrounding the speaker can symbolize this emotional experience.
What is grief, loneliness, or despair?
In the opening line of The Raven, the words “weak and weary” have this type of connotation.
What is negative?
This single word is repeated throughout The Raven as the bird's response to the speaker.
What is “Nevermore”?
In The Raven, the phrase “suddenly there came a tapping” appeals primarily to this sense.
What is hearing?
The speaker reads books late into the night because he is trying to escape this painful emotion caused by Lenore's death.
What is grief or sorrow?
The raven's presence throughout the poem can symbolize this idea that the speaker cannot escape his grief.
What is the permanence of loss or inescapable sorrow?
Poe describes December as “bleak,” a word that creates this type of mood.
What is gloomy, depressing, or hopeless?
The repeated word “Nevermore” reinforces this central idea about the speaker's loss of Lenore.
What is the permanence of loss or the inability to bring Lenore back?
Poe describes the “silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain.” This imagery creates this type of atmosphere.
What is an eerie, mysterious, or unsettling atmosphere?
When the speaker stands “wondering, fearing” while staring into the darkness, he experiences these two emotions.
What are curiosity and fear?
The raven perches on a bust of Pallas, the goddess of wisdom. This placement may symbolize the struggle between these two forces.
What are reason and emotion (or logic and grief)?
In the phrase “grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous,” Poe's word choices reveal that the speaker increasingly views the raven as this.
What is frightening, threatening, or sinister?
Poe repeats “still is sitting, still is sitting” in the final stanza to emphasize this about the raven's presence.
What is that the raven remains and shows no signs of leaving?
The description “each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor” creates a visual image that reinforces this gloomy emotional experience.
What is grief, sadness, or loneliness?
When the speaker screams, “Take thy beak from out my heart,” his words reveal that the raven is causing him this kind of pain.
What is emotional pain or anguish?
At the end of the poem, the speaker declares that his soul will never escape the raven's shadow. The shadow symbolizes this emotional condition.
What is being trapped in grief or hopelessness?
Poe uses the word “shrieked” instead of “said” when the speaker demands that the raven leave. This word choice emphasizes the speaker's increasingly intense emotional state.
What is desperation, anger, or emotional distress?
As the speaker becomes increasingly desperate, the raven continues repeating “Nevermore.” This repetition develops the speaker's emotional state by reinforcing this feeling.
What is hopelessness, despair, or helplessness?
In the final stanza, Poe describes the raven's shadow spreading across the floor and the speaker's soul trapped beneath it. This imagery emphasizes the speaker's inability to escape this emotional condition.
What is hopelessness or overwhelming grief?