How Does Edgar Allan Poe Relate To The Raven

Written by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven” is a famous short poem known for the dark fantasy that it portrays. From the mindset of a first person narrative, one may experience the tale through the eyes of a haunted man who is in mourning for the death of his beloved Lenore. As this man sits in his chamber, within a dark and dreary December night, a “raven of the saintly days of yore” visits him. The raven is no ordinary bird, for it is like a ghost, silent, yet it answers every inquiry the man presents in it’s own personal way. This dark and tragic tale grabs one’s attention through the rhythmic, yet melancholy verses, through the classic references, and through the dark imagery that all play a critical role within this poem.

To begin, in Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven,” a man suffering over the loss of his love, Lenore, is sitting in his chamber reading when a bird keeps tapping at his door. As the bird keeps tapping, he finally decides to go open the door. As he peers out into the darkness, his loneliness engulfs him, evoking his “surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore- for the rare and radiant Maiden named Lenore,” who is “nameless [there] forevermore”(Poe 436). After that, the raven flies in and serves as a constant reminder of his torment. Despair and depression traps him in his own mind. Lenore was

On October 3, 1849, Poe was found unconscious, but the doctors weren’t able to find out what really happened. On October 7, 1849, Poe died in the hospital. Poe’s one of the famous works is “The Raven”, which was dedicated to the school children’s memory in the nineteenth century, first got published in New York Evening Mirror in January, 1845.This poem had an enormous success and got published in many other publications in America and Europe. Many critics connect Poe’s tragic life with his poem’s synopsis (“Explanation”, par.1). The poem is about a man who dreams about his lost love, Lenore, and how the talking bird, who only knows one word “Nevermore”, usually visits him.

Through the use of an un-named narrator in his poem entitled “The Raven”, Poe darkly conveys feeling understood by many: hopelessness, lost love, and death. The poem follows the un-named narrator, as he reflects on, as well as struggles with, the realization of his lost love, Lenore. Like many, he tries to detract his overwhelming feelings for Lenore by investing his time in studying books. Despite his greatest efforts, he is unsuccessful. Much to his surprise, his solitude is interrupted by an unanticipated visitor. Throughout the poem, Poe uses imagery, tone, symbolism, and rhyme as a means of conveying his overall themes of undying devotion and lingering grief.

The narrator can anticipate the answers of the raven, knowing that the only word it speaks is "nevermore", and tortures himself even more by asking certain questions to which the answer nevermore would devastate him. He asks if there is balm in Gilead. He even goes so far as to ask the raven if Lenore is in Paradise-"within the distant Aidenn, it shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore-" (733). The answer "nevermore" sends the narrator into a rage. He calls the raven a "prophet", but cannot place if it is a prophet of evil or of good.

Poe uses word choice that is highly appropriate for his setting and the visit of the Raven within the poem. He mentions the Raven visits in December and that during that time “each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor” (8). The actual meaning of this phrase, means that ashes are falling on the floor from the fire; however, it implies that with each moment within December the narrator experiences a new form of pain and grief. In addition, when the narrator sees the curtains move he says that the movement “filled [him] with fantastic terrors never felt before” (14). This specific phrase shows that the narrator is scared about discovering what is awaiting him. Poe also provides a list of actions the narrator was participating in while frightened by the Raven; the narrator is said to be “wondering, fearing, doubting, [and] dreaming dreams no moral ever dared to dream before” (25-26). This list includes actions that an individual would partake in during an event of extreme discomfort and while in extreme panic. In addition, Poe adds that upon the narrator’s discovery of the bird “the silence was unbroken” (27). This small yet simple phrase increases the disturbing of the Raven’s unannounced arrival because it did not specify its purpose for visiting the narrator. Poe use of word choice continually promotes fear and darkness. For example, the narrator hopes that the bird will give him some

“The Raven” is a magnificent piece by a very well known poet from the 19th century, Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was well known for his dark and haunting poetry. Along with writing poetry, Poe was also recognized for his Gothic-style short stories. “The Raven” is one of Poe’s greatest accomplishments and was even turned into recitals and numerous television appearances. “The Raven” tells a story about an unnamed narrator whose beloved Lenore has left him. A raven comes at different points throughout the poem and tells the narrator that he and his lover are “Nevermore.” Poe presents the downfall of the narrator’s mind through the raven and many chilling events. By thorough review and studying of Edgar Allan Poe’s work, one can fully understand the

He is so upset by the loss of Lenore that it leads him to the edge of insanity. The speaker then is seen throughout the poem supposedly struggling with the raven because the raven responds with “Nevermore” which gets the speaker angry as he is struggling within himself. The speaker seems to be trying to achieve "surcease of sorrow for the lost Lenore" by burying himself in books and trying to forget about her. But the Raven seems to be a messenger from the spirit world who has been sent to the speaker’s chamber door to keep reminding him of his loss. Instead of trying to forget about Lenore, he is forced to think about her more emotionally than he had been thinking before.

The nineteenth century poet Edgar Allen Poe makes use of several literary devices in order to create a gloomy atmosphere in his poem “The Raven”. Alliteration, rhyme, onomatopoeia, assonance, and repetition are used to contribute to the melodic nature of the work and provide an almost “visual” representation of his gothic setting. Poe is a master of using these writing techniques. “The Raven” is one of his most popular works. This is certainly due, in part to his use of these literary devices in this piece.

The Raven tells a story of a man with much grief over this loss of his love, Lenore. As the poem opens, the narrator is trying to find peace through his books. He states, “…while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,” (862). The setting, a chamber in a house, is described in such a way that creates a very dark, almost melancholy style. The narrator, while trying to find comfort for his loss, hears a tapping at his window. As he opens the window, a raven, a long time symbol of death, flies in, and refuses to leave. Poe uses the symbol of the raven, and his repeating word of “nevermore”, to show that the narrator will never get over the loss of his love, Lenore.

“The Raven”, being Poe’s most eminent poem, features a narrator preoccupied by thoughts of his deceased wife Lenore. Prior to Poe writing this, Virginia became ill and Lenore is furthermore utilized as her indirect symbol. Obviously, there is a formative pattern within Poe’s short stories seeing that Virginia is one recurring feature. When reading Poe’s work, no assumption is necessary, as he makes his love for Virginia exceptionally clear much like the narrator’s love for Lenore.  At the end of the poem, the narrator states, “And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting on the pallid bust just

As the raven enters the room, its presence reveals emotional suffering and loneliness. For example, the intrusion of the raven suddenly makes, “the air [grow] denser” (129). By making the air grow denser, the raven has an emotional affect on the mind, body, and spirit of

The established works of literature in society today, allow for readers to develop their own unique sense of interpretations of the deeper meanings of these texts. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, is a piece that deals with the struggle of a loved one passing and the main character’s internal and mental struggle of dealing with this scenario. Whilst, sitting amongst his gloomy, dark chamber of the hours of midnight the traumatized male is met by a dark raven, who of which is the responder to his thoughts out loud of the attempt of forgetting about his love named Lenore. The raven, has only yet to reply with a single phrase.

Furthermore, Poe emphasizes the “o” sound in words such as “Lenore” and “nevermore” in order to highlight the lonely melancholy sound of the poem and also to establish the overall atmosphere. Additionally, the repetition of “nevermore” gives the poem a circular sense while also bringing forth a larger meaning to the poem. Like in many other poems from Poe, The Raven refers to an agonized protagonist with memories of a deceased woman. Lenore, the woman he speaks of in the poem, we could assume she had a premature death which makes the narrator unable to free himself of the pain of her memory. He often asks the raven if there is “balm in Gilead” and therefore spiritual salvation for the woman. He also asks if she really exists in the afterlife, but the raven confirms his worst suspicions by rejecting his supplications. Leaving all this behind, one the most interesting things about the poem is the raven.

Within the second stanza the reader is already presented with a clue as to the narrator’s state of mind as he notes “Eagerly I wished the morrow; --vainly I had sought to borrow / From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore” (Baym 688). He is so distraught over the loss of Lenore that “in order to quell the very real pain of his loss, he attempts a mental escape into the very unreal world of books” (Jung). Poe’s unreliable narrators are also commonly known for their attempts to explain the strange occurrences they witness in some rational manner. Our protagonist within this poem provides us with a perfect example of such behavior. The narrator initially thinks nothing of the tapping at his door, waving it off as someone paying him a late night visit. Even still, when the titular raven perches itself above the door to the narrator’s bedroom, he at first laughs at it, believing its sudden appearance to be nothing more than a coincidence. However, following his attempts at rationalization, his mood is quickly shifted when he hears what he imagines to be the delicate footfalls of his beloved Lenore. His temper then proceeds to flare and his mental agitation becomes all the more apparent. By this point, he has ceased to provide any explanation for the raven aside from what he appears to have invented in his own head. More than once he bemoans the presence of the bird calling it a “thing of evil”, but continues to assault it with his questions nonetheless (Baym 690). The sudden and unprovoked manner of the narrator’s change in mood suggests that he is perhaps not the most reliable or mentally stable of