Edgar Allan Poe Flashcards
propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance
decorum
the recurrence of a rhythmic pattern in a line of poetry
meter
accustomed; used to
wont
a reference to any person, place, or thing (literary, historical, or actual)
allusion
a phrase in which Poe brings darkness together with the Roman god of the underworld, and possibly the afterlife
Night’s Plutonian shore
attractively unusual or old-fashioned
quaint
listen; give heed or attention to what is said
Hearken!
ridicule; mockery
derision
Look! See!
Lo!
the combination of stressed and unstressed syllables in a unit of meter in a line of poetry
foot
in poetry, the narrating voice
speaker
splendor; grand; magnificent
grandeur
deception
dissimulation
a healing compound made from a bush that grew plentifully in this region
balm in Gilead
a thing that suggests more than its literal meaning; but usually does not “stand for” any one meaning
symbol
to bring to an end; to stop
surcease
irritated; annoyed
vexed
rest or relief
respite
sharp; keen; penetrating
acute
charming or enchanting, sometimes in a deceptive way
beguiling
“Helen, thy beauty is to me
Like those Nicean barks of yore”
This simile in stanza 1 of “To Helen” features a comparison between Helen’s beauty and what?
ships in the ancient world
“To the Glory that was Greece
And the grandeur that was Rome.”
What rhetorical device is most noticeable here?
antithesis
What transports him to ancient Greece and Rome?
Helen’s beauty
The imager of the sea and roaming works well to convey the effect of Helen on the speaker. What effect has she had on him?
She has moved, inspired, and transported him.
“True! - nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?” What is this an example of?
foreshadowing
“Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded - with what caution - with what foresight - with what dissimulation I went to work!”
Though this story is told in ___, the narrator often slips into ___, addressing the reader (you). What might this reveal about his psychological state?
first person; second person; obsession
What does the old man have that drives the narrator mad?
a pale blue eye
“I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man’s heart.”
It was most likely the own narrator’s heart beating.
For what might the old man’s particular maddening possession (a pale blue eye) be a symbol?
a judge of the narrator’s heart
The opening line of “The Raven, “ “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,” gives us a revealing insight into what?
setting and character
“‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door”
The repetition used in the poem helps convey the narrator’s what?
despairing state of mind
What is the memorable and oft-repeated line the the poem, “The Raven”?
“Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore.’”
Where is the raven at the end of the poem?
still sitting above his chamber door
Why do you think Poe selected the raven for his poem instead of another bird or creature?
ravens are birds of ill omen and death
What is the state of the narrator at the end?
without hope
