Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

DURING READING

The Raven

1. lore—facts, stories, beliefs.

2. entreating—asking for.

3. implore—beg.

4. peering—looking carefully.

5. obeisance—bow or curtsy.

6. mien—the appearance.

7. beguiling—deceiving.

8. countenance—face.

9. craven—coward.

10. marvelled—was amazed.

11. relevancy—relationship to the matter at hand.

12. placid—calm.

13. burden—chorus or refrain.

14. betook—started.

15. ominous—fateful.

16. ghastly, gaunt—shockingly thin.

17. divining—discovering.

18. censer—jar or bowl for burning incense.

19. respite—rest, relief.

20. quaff—drink deeply.

21. quoth—said.

22. tempest—storm.

23. plume—feather.

AFTER READING

Answer the Questions to Consider in the book as a way to deepen your interpretation of the selection.

1. Describe the poem's narrator and the scene as the poem opens.

2. How does the narrator react when he finds no one at his chamber door?

3. Describe the raven. What do you think that the raven symbolizes? Explain.

4. What significance does the raven have in the narrator's life?