Starter quiz
- Which is the best definition of the word 'sinister'?
- creating anger
- suggesting danger ✓
- experiencing sorrow
- showing power
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- If you are full of melancholy, you are full of...
- fear
- cruelty
- sadness ✓
- hope
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- Which of the following statements best summarises what happens in 'The Raven'?
- A lonely man is comforted by a visit from a raven.
- A lonely man is surprised by a visit from a raven.
- A lonely man is annoyed by a visit from a raven.
- A lonely man is tormented by a visit from a raven. ✓
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- In 'The Raven', which adjective best describes the man's mood?
- heartbroken ✓
- disappointed
- annoyed
- angered
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- Choose the word to fill in the blank: The Gothic genre was a form of literature that emerged in the middle of the ______ century.
- '18th' ✓
- Which feeling does the Gothic genre aim to create in readers?
- fear of the unknown ✓
- anger at injustice
- distress about world events
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Exit quiz
- Which is the best description of symbolism?
- Using a simile to express an idea or a feeling.
- Using a noun to represent an idea or feeling. ✓
- Using bird imagery to represent an idea or feeling.
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- What does setting mean?
- Time and place ✓
- Time and place ✓
- Place and months
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- Pick examples of symbolism in 'The Raven'.
- the lost Lenore
- the speaker
- the raven ✓
- the weather
- the setting ✓
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- When we analyse symbolism, what are we aiming to do?
- We identify the symbol and try to picture it.
- We identify the symbol and describe what it is.
- We identify the symbol and explain what it represents. ✓
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- What is the most likely interpretation of the symbolism in the word 'midnight' in Poe's 'The Raven'?
- loneliness
- supernatural ✓
- anger
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- What is the most likely interpretation of the symbolism of December?
- endings ✓
- beginnings
- disappointment
- enjoyment
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The poem is about a man who is visited by a foreboding raven, in the night.
- In the poem, the raven symbolises death and the speaker’s grief.
- Poe presents the narrator as griefstricken; he has perhaps been influenced by the tragedy in his own life.
- The poem links to the Gothic through the dark, isolated setting.
- The poem links to the Gothic through its portrayal of a speaker, in a state of heightened emotion.
Common misconception
Students may misuse the varying forms of the word "symbolism."
Explicitly teach them how the various forms are used in sentences.
Keywords
Symbolism - a literary device where a noun represents an abstract quality
Turbulent - confused and disordered
Entreat - to entreat someone is to beg them
Myth - a traditional story, often about a fact of nature
Melancholy - a long lasting feeling of deep sadness
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