Edge Level B Unit 5 - Division of Language Arts/Reading

Raven from the ancient days of yore….Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my bedroom
door…” Option I is incorrect because it does not agree with the content of “The Raven.” It
shows a person who is suffering greatly in agony. Although the narrator in “The Raven” is
mourning for Lenore, Poe does not tell the reader that he is suffering to the degree shown in the
illustration.
9. Read the stanza from the poem.
So I sat engaged in guessing, but without a word expressing
To the bird whose fiery eyes now burned into my spirit’s core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining which the lamp-light shined all over,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light shining o’er,
She shall touch, ah, nevermore!
What form of figurative language does Poe use in these lines?
A. symbolism by comparing his love to a cushion
B. pun by using divining and guessing to mean the same thing
C. personification by portraying a bird as someone with which to have a conversation
D. metaphor by comparing the gaze of the Raven to a fire
LA.910.2.1.7
The correct answer is D.
Options A, B, and C are incorrect because they represent inaccurate
interpretations of descriptive language or figurative language.
This stanza is found on page 463 and includes lines 73-78. Option A is incorrect because the
excerpt does not contain an example of symbolism. A symbol is a word or phrase that serves as
an image of some person, place, thing, or action but that also calls to mind some other, usually
broader, idea or range of ideas (page 851, Literary Terms). Option B is incorrect because the
excerpt does not contain an example of a pun. A pun is an expression, used for emphasis or
humor, in which two distinct meanings are suggested by one word or by two similar-sounding
words (page 849, Literary Terms). Option C is incorrect because the excerpt does not contain
an example of personification. Personification is figurative language that describes animals,
things, or ideas as having human traits (on page 848, Literary Terms). Option D is correct
because the excerpt contains an example metaphor. Metaphor is a type of figurative language
that compares two unlike things by saying that one thing is the other thing (page 847, Literary
Terms).
10. The short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” and the poem “The Raven” are similar in many ways
EXCEPT
F. The narrators both show signs of insanity.
G. Both works focus on death.
H. Sound plays a pivotal role in each work.
I. The narrators are both mourning the death of someone dear to them.
Hampton Brown Edge Level B, Unit 5, Cluster 3 6 of 7