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Annabel Lee The Raven

Decent Essays

Edgar Allan Poe was a writer, poet, critic, and editor whose tales of mystery and horror gave birth to the modern detective story. Some of his well-known poems include Annabel Lee, Alone, and perhaps his best-known poem, The Raven. For most of his life Poe struggled with poverty and heartbreak. He often displays his experiences with heartbreak and depression in many of his writings making it relatable to many people, which is why his poems are considered among the best-known poems in American literature.
Annabel Lee is a poem that takes place in a fairy tale setting. It is narrated by a young man who describes himself as a child. The man falls in love with a young woman named Annabel Lee and they live in a kingdom by the sea. The narrator and Annabel Lee are elated and have a deep romantic love for one another. Their love for each other is so intense, in fact, that the seraphim in Heaven become jealous and murder Annabel Lee. The narrator is devastated, but does not give up on their love. He states that his love for Annabel will still continue even after her death. Every night he dreams of her and sleeps next to her in her tomb. Perhaps one of my favorite lines from this poem is in stanza five, “...And neither the angels in …show more content…

The man at first is amused by the Raven and starts asking it questions. For every question asked, the raven always replies, “nevermore”. The man takes the answer literally which causes him to slowly fall into madness. “Is there – is there balm in Gilead? – tell me – tell me, I implore!" This line shows the narrator asking the bird a biblical question, basically asking if there is hope in the future, or a possibility of comfort and peace. This line stood out to me because I think it’s a question I could find myself asking. Sometimes after experiencing something painful like a tragedy or losing someone we loved we can often wonder if we’ll

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