Study Questions for Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven”
1. This is a narrative poem. Make a list of the events that occur.
2. What do you know about the speaker? Make a list. Summarize what you definitely can know about the speaker, and what you can infer (information you can assume from what the speaker says).
3. Find all references to the setting. What observation(s) can you make about it?
4. You will notice the rhymes in the poem (e.g., lore/door); what other observations can you make about the way Poe uses words? Provide examples.
5. Describe how the speaker reacts to the Raven. Do his reactions change over the course of the poem?
6. What (do you think) is this poem’s theme (main idea)?