Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, “The Raven” sets a grieving lover against the silhouette of an aloof raven whose only answer to his increasingly despairing questions is, “Nevermore.” The Theodore Roethke conversation on perspective will allow students to consider whether darkness always allows us to see or whether we can allow it to become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Does the speaker make interpretive choices that reflect his preexisting mood? What imagery, symbolism, or figurative language support or refute this idea? Students may write about at time when they allowed something or someone to confirm, interpret, or change their perceptions.
Level: Secondary English/Language Arts
Subject Area: American Literature
Author: Karina Isley
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