The Things You Can Read: Teaching Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

Writing Prompt: Listen to Christopher Walken reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven."

Edgar Allan Poe's THE RAVEN from Trilobite Pictures on Vimeo.
EDGAR ALLAN POE from CYBERIA MEDIA on Vimeo.

The Simpsons the raven from Mercè Ballabriga on Vimeo.

Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven from DTIII on Vimeo.

Image Credit: The Library of Congress

Now, see if you can create a repeating line which you would then use in your own poem or short story to create the same type of SPOOKY, CHILLING effect that Poe has created in his poem, "The Raven."

Other Raven Interpretations:

"The Raven: Lou Reed’s Adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe, Illustrated by Italian Artist Lorenzo Mattotti" by Maria Popova: Click Here

A graphic novel "meant to be heard in the mind."

Bart The Raven from SFL-TV on Vimeo.

The Tell-Tale Heart (Edgar Allan Poe), anaimated version from Michael Swertfager on Vimeo.

The Tell-Tale Heart (Edgar Allan Poe), anaimated version from Michael Swertfager on Vimeo.

The Tell-Tale Heart from Talking Animals on Vimeo.

DO NOWS

DAY 1

List as many as things as you can that you already know about Edgar Allan Poe. If you have never heard of this guy please state that fact in a sentence.

DAY 2

Now that you have been introduced to Edgar Allan Poe. Please list as many facts as you can about him as possible. In other words, do a brain DUMP!

"Annabel Lee" By Edgar Allan Poe Poem animation from poetryreincarnations on Vimeo.

Annabel Lee from Doorway Films on Vimeo.

Annabel Lee from Michael J Tinker on Vimeo.
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Annabel Lee from Doorway Films on Vimeo.

'Annabel Lee' Short Film from Matt Robinson on Vimeo.

Annabel Lee from Ronaldo Pagaduan on Vimeo.

'Annabel Lee' Short Film from Matt Robinson on Vimeo.

"Annabel Lee" - Edgar Allan Poe (Poem Version) from Gizem Senel on Vimeo.

Annabel Lee from Yanira Figueroa on Vimeo.

CAUTION ONLY PART OF THE VIDEO BELOW IS APPROPRIATE: STOP AT 1 MINUTE 30 SECONDS.

MC Lars “Annabel Lee R.I.P.” (Directed by John Sasser)

Name:

Date:

Period:

Annabel Lee

By: Edgar Allan Poe

Previewing Texts

1. Preview the poem by looking at the pictures and title. What do you predict this poem will be about?

2. Fill out the first two boxes of the K-W-L Chart below. Write down what you know about the topic in Box #1. Write down what you want to find out in Box #2. When you finish reading the story, write what you learned or discovered in Box#3.

What I KNOW now Box #1	What I WANT to find out Box #2	What I LEARNED Box #3
1. 2. 3.	1. 2. 3.	1. 2. 3.

Author’s Profile

Name: Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts

Famous Works: The Raven, Annabel Lee, The Bells, Lenore.

Writing Style: Edgar Allan Poe is known for his chilling poems and short stories. He is widely considered one of the best horror writers of all time, a talent that is perhaps due to his own tormented life. Many of his poems carry a musical rhythm, as Poe believed that music was a powerful form of expression.

Famous Quote: “I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”

Questions For Thought

Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Be sure to proofread your answers and be prepared to share.

1. Who is Annabel Lee? What is her relationship with the speaker?

2. When did the speaker and Annabel first begin their relationship? Why do you suppose the speaker emphasizes the word “child” in line 7?

3. What is allusion? What does the speaker allude to in line 11?

4. In line 14, what does the speaker mean by saying that the night “chilled” Annabel? Why do you suppose he uses this diction?

5. According to the speaker, why was Annabel killed?

6. How does the speaker describe his love? What is your opinion?

7. What does the speaker mean when he says that the “stars never rise” in line 36? Why do you suppose he continually uses celestial imagery?

8. What does the speaker do every night? What do you suppose he means by this? What is the tone of the final stanza?

Term Review

Directions: Answer the questions about the following terms.

1. What is imagery? How can you determine when imagery is being used?

2. What is diction? How can diction affect the tone of a text?

3. What is persona? What are some ways that persona can be determined?

Critical Thinking

Directions: How would you characterize the speaker’s love in the poem Annabel Lee? Do you think that this type of love is realistic? Why or why not?

Annabel Lee Name:

by Edgar Allen Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

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;
With a love that the winged seraphs¹ of heaven                                                         ¹Angels
Coveted² her and me.                                                                                                 ²To be jealous of

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman³ came                                                                           ³family
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre⁴⁴crypt for a dead person
In this kingdom by the sea.

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)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever⁵ my soul from the soul                                                                  ⁵Divide
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

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;
And so, all the night-tide⁶, I lie down by the side                                                     ⁶Night time
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Annabel Lee

by Edgar Allan Poe

Love so strong that it endured beyond the grave was an ideal topic for poetry according to Edgar Allan Poe. He wrote this beautiful lyric poem in 1847. Notice how the poet conveys his deep feelings for Annabel Lee while telling you of her death. Notice also the lyric quality of the poem—how it might easily be set to music.

THINKING IT OVER:

What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

What is one example of personification in this poem?

What is one example of alliteration in this poem?

What made life meaningful to the narrator of the poem?

What was the real cause of Annabel Lee’s death, according to the poet?

What does the poet do to deal with his pain at the loss of his love?

Which one of the following could you conclude from the poem?

The poet means to seek revenge for the death of his love.
The poet hates the sea because it reminds him of his love.
The poet will never love anyone so deeply again.
The poet has turned his back on heaven because he blames it for Annabel’s death

What would you say is the theme of this poem? Remember, theme is different than subject. What does the author want us to learn or know?

What is the tone of the poem? What words/phrases from the poem create the tone?

What is the mood of the poem? What words/phrases from the poem create the mood?

This poem was written two years after Edgar Allen Poe’s wife, Virginia, died of tuberculosis. They knew each other as children and were married when she was around 14. Many scholars argue that she is the inspiration for this poem. If this is the case, what can you assume about their marriage based on this poem? What evidence from the poem supports your claim?