1. While the reader cannot assume that the speaker in the poem is an avatar for Edgar Allan Poe himself, some parallels might exist between them, as Poe experienced tragedy and loss throughout his short life. How do you think these experiences informed his writing of “The Raven”? What does the poem suggest about (a) the potential lasting impacts of grief and loneliness on the human psyche, and (b) how irrational hope and desperation affect one’s emotional or mental well-being? Cite textual evidence to support your ideas.

2. Track the evolution of the poem’s tone with consideration of the speaker’s mood. How does the tone change over the course of the poem? What actions or events in the poem cause the speaker’s mood to change, and what is the resulting effect on the tone? Cite specific lines to support your thoughts.

3. In what ways is the last stanza strikingly different from the rest of the poem? Use textual evidence to support your thoughts.

4. What is the effect of Poe’s use of meter, internal rhyme, and repetition on the reader or listener? Point to specific details in the text to support your thoughts.

5. Why do you think this particular poem is still widely taught in schools today? What is its relevance to today’s culture? How can we use this poem to inform our own lives?