Literary Devices Used By Edgar Allan Poe

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.

The rhyme scheme and musicality is a big influence on the poetic structure that contributes to the pathos. The chosen language used is a also a contributor to the pathos based writing in this poem. Because “The Raven” is a poem and not a complete piece of writing, the use of pathos is used to connect. Poe wanted this piece to be viewed as very dynamic and forthright, which is the way his language was portrayed in his work. He did not his work to be left to interpretation, he wanted his language to reflect his true meaning and feeling. Readers can gain a better understanding behind his words, and that creates the understanding of what the poem is about; allowing a deeper connection to be formed. This piece is almost song-like, as words are connected rhymingly, allowing the piece and the audience to meld into more than just a story. It also appeals on a bigger scale because of this structure of rhymes and it’s very continuous flow of words. Giving this poem more attention for the reason that it can be enjoyed for its poetic scheme alone and doesn’t need to lure in the sense of literature. This piece appeals to readers due to its emotionally driven story. The reader can relate to the emotions of the story that Poe is portraying. From the loss of Lenore, to the madness and insanity the man faces from this loss. A

“Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,”,(“Raven”) is an example of how Poe uses imagery to help establish the dark and scary mood in most of his stories. It is showing that when he came back in his dorm he was very scared. “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,” (“Raven”) is another good example of how he uses imagery to set the mood of darkness in “The Raven”. The point is that imagery helps you see a dark and scary setting and action in your mind, which helps how you understand what the text means and what it looks like. Diction helps how you can imagine things in your head more

Creating the Melancholic Tone in “The Raven” Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Raven," representing Poe’s own introverted crisis of hell, is unusually moving and attractive to the reader. In his essay entitled "The Philosophy of Composition," Poe reveals his purpose in writing “The Raven” and also describes the work of composing the poem as being carefully calculated in all aspects. Of all melancholy topics, Poe wished to use the one that was universally understood, death; specifically death involving a beautiful woman. The apparent tone in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” seemingly represents a very painful condition of mind, an intellect sensitive to madness and the abyss of melancholy brought upon by the death of a

At the end of the first paragraph Poe uses foreshadowing when he writes “And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour” (1). I see this as foreshadowing the event that ends the party and the lives of all those present. The entire thousand assembled die when the Red Death came. The “last chime had utterly sunk” (3) also foreshadows the end where each individual “died in the despairing posture of his fall” (4). Combining both these instances together shows that the whole situation or incident, from the “presence of a masked figure” (3) to “one by one dropped” (4), ended before the clock chimed the next passing hour. The “seventh apartment” (1) also foreshadow the presence of the Red Death. The entire apartment was “shrouded in black velvet tapestries” and the window “panes here

I chose Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” for my poem. In the poem there is a gloomy tone set for the entirety of the poem. How does Poe do that? What poetic devices does Poe use? Poe is well known poet that has many poems that are set in this type of mood. I do believe this one is different than the rest. Poe uses the raven as a symbol of weariness. I would argue Poe had a lot of demons at the time of this poem that he was fighting, and the raven itself, Poe speaks about in the “The Philosophy of Composition”, is meant to symbolize Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. Poe is using the raven to symbolize the loss of many loved ones that Poe had to endure. Poe immediately sets the tone of the poem by writing in the very first line “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary...” he is describing the night as dull and depressing by the word choice he uses. The narrator of “The Raven” is dealing with the death of his wife, Lenore, and is constantly trying to forget his lost love as Poe shows:

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

In most of Poe’s stories the setting is set in a dark or dreary place. A dark or dreary place is usually associated with suspense, just look at some of the most famous horror films, the settings of these films are set in a dark or dreary place. The best horror films are so suspenseful that they make you imagine what no mind has ever imagined before, as said in the Raven by Poe. The black cat is set in a very wet and dark place, not only literally but figuratively as well because of the narrators dark mind. In this story the setting helps to establish the mood of suspense because it is so tragic and dark. You realize that the narrator's mind is in such a dark place that nothing is too weird or disgusting for him to do it. This adds suspense seeing you do not know what will happen next. Also in The Raven the setting is at night, which is almost always associated with creepy. The setting in the raven is at night, by himself, reading a book, and almost falling asleep. All of a sudden he is startled by a mysterious visitor knocking at his door. This is around one o’clock in the morning and a person or something is knocking at his door. You do not know what it, is so this builds suspense due to the fact that it is a mystery and makes you excited. As you can see Edgar Allan Poe uses the setting of his stories and poems to build

In some ways, "The Raven" shows Poe at his greatest image-making power, in which part of his life serves as a blueprint. His perfect illustration of the prison-like environment, on top of the inner turmoil of the narrator, creates a detailed, terrifying picture for the reader. At first glance, it is easy to see that Poe wrote this poem in reference to someone he truly loved. The problem is to know exactly who that person, Lenore, is, because without having that information, it would be impossible to understand the four points Poe is trying to make.

“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

Both stories, “The Raven”, by Edgar Allen Poe, and “Beware: do not read this poem”, by Ishmael Reed, represents symbolism that connects to the attraction of fear. Ismael Reed writes, “tonite, thriller was abt and ol woman, so vain she surrounded her self w/ many mirrors it got so bad that finally she locked herself indoors & her whole life became the mirrors” (Beware, 1). Ishmael Reed displays symbolism through the mirrors in this poem. The mirrors represent how one can become self-obsessed and a sinful temptation. However, Edgar Allen Poe shows symbolism as he writes, “What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore Meant in croaking ‘Nevermore’” (The Raven,71). Poe portrays symbolism throughout his writing through the raven. Poe represents the raven as darkness and evil. The raven symbolizes loss and obsession that directs one with a deep depression that causes them to be self-tortured and destructive. Reed also provides symbolism as he addresses, “each

In “The Raven”, by Edgar Allan Poe, he uses many different types of imagery. Imagery represents different of a sensory. Two of the type of sensory he used throughout the poem is authority which is hearing, and visual imagery which something is seen in the poem. Edgar Allan Poe used imagery to let the reader feel emotion and to feel like they are literally in the poem.

Edgar Allan Poe was one of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century. Perhaps he is best know for is ominous short stories. Two of these stories were "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Raven." In these short stories Poe uses imagery in many different forms to enhance the mood and setting of the story. In my essay I will approach three aspects of Poe's use of imagery. These three are when Poe uses it to develop the setting, to develop the mood, and to develop suspense. Through out all of Poe's stories he uses imagery to develop the setting. If the setting is established well, you can understand the story better. Some examples of when Poe used imagery to develop the

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” symbolizes to Poe, why this poem is so deeply credited for this author, and what made him decide to write the poem. People wonder what truly went on in the mind of Poe as he was writing one of his many great works. His dynamic use of figurative language, color symbols, and illusions truly bring out a state of mind that he has not expressed in any of his other