Annabelle Lee Poetry Practice (Credit: commonlit.org)

Part A: Which of the following best describes a central theme of the text?

• Love can sometimes be so strong that it cannot be stopped by death

• Jealousy and envy can corrupt people’s intentions

• Youth, especially young emotion, leaves a strong imprint on our memories

• Sometimes bad things happen to good people

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Part B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?

• “I was a child and she was a child / In this kingdom by the sea; / But we loved with a love that was more than love— / I and my Annabel Lee” (Lines 7-10)

• “So that her highborn kinsman came / And bore her away from me / To shut her up in a sepulcher / In this kingdom by the sea.” (Lines 17-20)

• “The angels not half so happy in heaven / Went envying her and me— / Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know / In this kingdom by the sea)” (Lines 21-24)

• “And neither the angels in heaven above / Nor the demons down under the sea / Can ever dissever my soul from the soul / Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.” (Lines 30-33)

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

Which of the following statements best summarizes how the speaker describes Annabel Lee?

• The speaker describes her as coming from a wealthier family, which is why she is taken from him

• The speaker describes her as fragile and dainty, which is why she becomes sick so easily

• The speaker idealizes her, describing her as beautiful and seemingly having no other purpose than to love him

• The speaker idealizes her and describes her as perfect, but he also holds a lot of resentment for the way she treated him

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Part A: What effect does the personification of nature have on this poem?

• It proves that the speaker is unbalanced, and that he is suffering from paranoia and delusions

• It specifically gives the speaker and the audience hope that there is an afterlife

• It supports the speaker’s claims that Annabel Lee was purposefully taken from him due to jealousy from the heavens

• It makes nature seem invested in humanity, as opposed to being indifferent and random, which the speaker fears more than anything

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.6.4

Part B: Which of the following quotes best embodies an example of the answer to Part A?

• . “It was many and many a year ago / In a kingdom by the sea” (Lines 1-2)

• “Yes!—that was the reason [as all men know / In this kingdom by the sea] / That the wind came out of the cloud by night / Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.” (Lines 23-26)

• “And neither the angels in heaven above / Nor the demons down under the sea” (Lines 30-31)

• “For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams / Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; / And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes / Of the beautiful Annabel Lee” (Lines 34-37)

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

What does the rhyme scheme reveal about the speaker?

• The rhyme scheme, as it is very basic and inconsistent, reveals little about the speaker but does suggest he may be an unreliable narrator

• The end rhyme scheme is simple and mostly involves words rhyming with Annabel "Lee"; this suggests the speaker is trying to recreate a childish rhyme, to draw attention to his youth

• The end rhyme scheme is simple and mostly involves words rhyming with Annabel "Lee"; this suggests that the speaker is still very focused on his relationship with Annabel, and she is never far from his mind

• The rhyme scheme mostly relies on internal rhyme (for example, "Chilling and killing" in Line 26); this suggests that the speaker has been bottling up his grief since his childhood and he can barely speak of his pain

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5