Title - Atmosphere & Symbolism in "The Raven"
By - Margaret Rhyne
Primary Subject - Language Arts
Secondary Subjects -
Grade Level - 6-12
You will need multiple copies of the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe for this activity.
Write the following words on the board and ask the students to describe the feelings that come to mind after reading them.
Dreary;Bleak;Ghost;Lost;Sorrow;Terrors;Darkness;Melancholy;Stern;Dirges;Grave;Stillness
Tell them that these words are from a very famous poem. Ask them to make some guesses about the setting and atmosphere of the poem such as: What time of day is it? What time of year? What is the author feeling? Is he alone or with other people?
1. After discussing the above, give students a copy of The Raven to read. Allow them to read he poem to themselves first. Then read it aloud to them (or visit your local library to find a copy of the poem on audio or videotape).
2. Ask students to pick out some of the other word(s) in the poem that reinforce the
feelings of bleakness and hopelessness.
3. Discuss what Poe wants the reader to believe has happened to the author of the poem before the night that is the setting for the poem.
4. Ask students why Poe used a raven instead of another bird as the major symbol of this work. (You could also ask students to draw a picture of a raven from memory.)
5. Comment that the universal appeal of the poem comes from its expression of the feeling of loneliness we are all subject to at some time in our lives due to separation from friends and/or family. Emphasize that these feelings, although at the time they may feel as inescapable as the hopelessness that seems to envelop the author, will pass and be replaced again by happiness and hope.
6. Culminating activity: Ask students to describe the "chamber" suggested by Poe's poem. They may either:
1) Compose a written description of the room or
2) Draw a picture of the room
This is a great activity for Halloween - particularly if you can supplement it with an audio or videotape of Vincent Price or another actor reading this poem.
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