Understanding 'The Raven'

English

In 'Gothic Poetry', pupils take inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe to write their own gothic poems, developing their understanding of genre and poetic devices. In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils need to write their own poems in the style of different poets throughout the unit, deepening their understanding of poetic voice and style. 

In 'A Monster Within', pupils explore the role of gothic monsters in several prose extracts. In 'Gothic Poetry', pupils focus on the work of Edgar Allen Poe to explore how gothic conventions can be used in poetry. 

In this unit, pupils read and explore two nineteenth-century gothic poems by Edgar Allen Poe. They first read and analyse 'The Raven' and 'The Haunted Palace' in isolation, before comparing them to each other and developing a personal response. Finally, they practise performing one of the poems.

Gothic poetry

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

What did readers think of  'The Raven' when it was published?

In which century did Gothic fiction emerge?

Which of the following is **not** a feature of Gothic stories?

'The Raven' is typical of Gothic stories for which of the following reasons? 

Firstly with curiosity and finally with despair

Firstly with disbelief and finally with anger

Firstly with anger and finally with aggression 

How does the speaker respond to the raven in Poe's 'The Raven'?

Which are the most likely things you would find in a poem?

Comparison between two nouns using either "like" or "as."

Comparison between two nouns using the verb "to be"

Match the words on the left with the correct definition on the right. 

We mark each line with letters of the alphabet starting with A.

We mark each line with numbers starting with 1.

We mark each line using letters and numbers.  

How do we identify the rhyme scheme in poetry?

What do we call a long poem that tells a story?

If a poem was written in the 1800s, what century was it written in? 

When we talk about the context of a poem, what do we mean?

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Adult supervision recommended

Introduction

What will you need for this lesson?

Are you ready to learn?

Equipment

Content guidance

Supervision

Worksheet