The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe
#6 What kind of healing is the speaker longing for?
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—
On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—
Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
The speaker’s question, “Is there—is there balm in Gilead?” is a biblical reference meaning, “Will I be healed?”
What kind of healing is the speaker longing for?
A. healing from his fear of the Raven
B. healing from his grief over Lenore’s death
C. healing from being startled
D. healing from a physical injury