Question

Read the passage.

“Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the
distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels
name Lenore—
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels
name Lenore.”
In this excerpt from “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, what is the speaker asking the raven to tell him?


when the raven will leave him to fly to Aidenn

whether he and Lenore will be united in heaven

when he will experience an end to his earthly sorrow

if it is possible that his beloved Lenore is still alive

Answer 1

Answer: whether he and Lenore will be united in heaven.

In this excerpt, the speaker is talking to the raven. Thinking that the raven is a messenger from the underworld, he assumes he has information about the fate of the speaker and of Lenore. He, therefore, asks the speaker whether he will, in the future, be able to once again hold his beloved Lenore.