Persona is the word for a speaker who is a character in the poem.

A bereaved person has experienced the death of a loved one.

Semantic field is a group of words all relating to the same topic.

To be nostalgic is to think about the past with fondness.

Analysing 'The Haunted Palace'

English

Understanding 'The Raven'

Analysing 'The Raven'

Understanding 'The Haunted Palace'

Comparing 'The Raven' and 'The Haunted Palace'

Performing your chosen Gothic poem

In 'Gothic Poetry', pupils take inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe to write their own gothic poems, developing their understanding of genre and poetic devices. In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils need to write their own poems in the style of different poets throughout the unit, deepening their understanding of poetic voice and style. 

In 'A Monster Within', pupils explore the role of gothic monsters in several prose extracts. In 'Gothic Poetry', pupils focus on the work of Edgar Allen Poe to explore how gothic conventions can be used in poetry. 

In this unit, pupils read and explore two nineteenth-century gothic poems by Edgar Allen Poe. They first read and analyse 'The Raven' and 'The Haunted Palace' in isolation, before comparing them to each other and developing a personal response. Finally, they practise performing one of the poems.

Gothic poetry

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

They have been visited by something supernatural. 

They have experienced the loss of something valuable. 

They are fearful of what the future might hold.

They have experienced the death of a loved one. 

If someone is bereaved, what has happened to them?

tuneless, harsh and unpleasant to listen to

a group of words that all relate to a specific topic

a musical instrument that is a bit like a guitar

Match the words with the correct definition. 

It represents the nostalgic thoughts and feelings of the persona. 

It represents the speed at which the glory of the palace is swept away. 

It expresses how difficult it is to stay safe in this world. 

Which is the best interpretation of "like a ghastly rapid river" taken from Poes 'The Haunted Palace'?

It makes it easier for the reader to care about their troubles. 

It creates a sense of mystery in keeping with the mood of the poem. 

What might be the effect of neither the persona nor the king having a name in Poe's 'The Haunted Palace'?

If you were writing about nostalgia in 'The Haunted Palace", which quotation would you use?

The following words from the 'The Haunted Palace' belong to which semantic field: "Luminous...radiant...sparkling"?

Which word is the best antonym (opposite) for the word bleak?

The mood at the beginning is bleak and becomes more cheerful.

The mood is bleak from the beginning to the end of the poem.   

The mood at the beginning is joyous and melancholic at the end. 

The mood of the poem moves from bleak to cheerful and finally to misery. 

How does the mood of 'The Haunted Palace' change from the beginning to the end?

Both poems are examples of the Gothic genre. 

Both poems are about the loss of a loved one.

Both poems feature magnificent buildings. 

In what ways are 'The Raven' and 'The Haunted Palace' similar?

The king in 'The Haunted Palace' is presented as magnificent but also stern. Which of the following quotations support that interpretation?

Starter Quiz

What does the word sinister mean?