Understanding 'The Raven'
I can explain the meaning and context of the poem ‘The Raven’.
Understanding 'The Raven'
I can explain the meaning and context of the poem ‘The Raven’.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Edgar Allan Poe wrote brilliant ghost stories and detective fiction.
- The Gothic genre is a form of literature that emerged in the middle of the 18th century and is still popular today .
- 'The Raven’ was Poe's masterpiece and it likely draws on his own experiences of grief and devastation.
- ‘The Raven’ is about a bereaved man who is visited by a raven who torments him into madness.
Keywords
Bleak - Bleak means to be gloomy and depressing.
Macabre - Macabre means to be obsessed with death.
Grief - Grief is a feeling of deep sadness especially after a death.
Melancholy - Melancholy is a long lasting feeling of sadness
Sinister - Sinister means hinting at danger.
Common misconception
Gothic only applies to external settings like buildings and the weather.
The Gothic is about psychological states as much as setting.
Equipment
You will need a copy of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' which is available in the additional materials.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
The paragraphs in a poem
When a word sounds like its meaning
Comparison between two nouns using either "like" or "as."
Comparison between two nouns using the verb "to be"