Poetic Structure and Conventions-The Raven

Poetic Structure and Conventions-The Raven

Multiple Choice

What rhyme scheme appears in the first stanza?

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore —

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

“ ’Tis some visiter,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door —

Only this and nothing more.”

• A, B, C, D, E, F

• A, A, B, B, C, C

• A, B, C, B, B, B

• A, B, C, A, B, C

Multiple Choice

Does this rhyme scheme pattern continue throughout the poem?

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow; — vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow — sorrow for the lost Lenore —

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore —

Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me — filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating

“ ’Tis some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door —

Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door; —

This it is and nothing more.”

• Yes

• No

Open Ended

Identify the internal rhyming words Poe uses in the first stanza.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore —

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

“ ’Tis some visiter,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door —

Only this and nothing more.”

Open Ended

In what ways does the internal rhyme contribute to the poem’s effect or emphasize meaning?

Multiple Choice

How many metrical feet appear in each line of each stanza? (Besides the last line?)

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore —

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

“ ’Tis some visiter,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door —

Only this and nothing more.”

• 8

• 10

• 5

• 6

Multiple Choice

What is the effect of Poe ending each stanza with a shorter sixth line?

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore —

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

“ ’Tis some visiter,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door —

Only this and nothing more.”

• They repeat the last line other times throughout the poem to create a sense of lunacy, the narrator keeps repeating themselves.

• It's interesting.

• The effect of the shorter line is that it stands out. It's clearly different from the other lines, so its content stands out and you pay extra attention.

Open Ended

What rhyme scheme appears in the first stanza? Does this pattern continue throughout the poem? Explain.