[designed by Mercedes Ariza]
Read this summary to know what the poem is about:
It is midnight on a cold evening in December in the 1840s. In a dark and shadowy bedroom, wood burns in the fireplace as a man laments the death of Lenore, a woman he deeply loved. To occupy his mind, he reads a book of ancient stories. But a tapping noise disturbs him. When he opens the door to the bedroom, he sees nothing –only darkness. When the tapping persists, he opens the shutter of the window and discovers a raven, which flies into the room and lands above the door on a bust of Athena (Pallas in the poem), the goddess of wisdom and war in Greek mythology. It says “Nevermore” to all his thoughts and longings. The raven, a symbol of death, tells the man he will never again (“nevermore”) see his beloved, never again hold her –even in heaven.
Listen to the poem:
Watch this short animation film by Tim Burton and answer the questions:
Watch the trailer of the 2012 film “The Raven”
What do you think it is about?
Now listen the film’s review by the English Professor Scott Peeples and answer the questions below:
1 Does professor Peeples recommend the film “The Raven”?
2 In what sense is the main character in the film similar to the real Poe?
3 In what aspects are they different?
4 How many films based on Poe’s stories are there?
