Summary Of The Poem 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.

Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents David and Elizabeth Poe were professional actors. They had three children: Henry, Edgar, and Rosalie. When in 1817, Mrs. Poe died, Henry was taken to be raised with his grandmother, Edgar was adopted by the wealthy couple, Frances and John Allan, and Rosalie was taken by another couple. The luckiest one became Edgar because his new parents were very wealthy people, so he was able to go to different schools. When he was seventeen, he entered the University of Virginia, but because of his gambling and drinking problems he was dismissed from there.

The poem tells of a narrator who is reading an old book in his parlor when he is interrupted by a knock at the door. The protagonist is in a period of grieving over the loss of his love, Lenore. At first, he wonders who the visitor might be and resolves to inform him or her that he is indisposed at the moment. The narrator finally opens the door only to find no one there. He returns to the chair (which Lenore will no longer occupy), only to hear the rapping again. He decides that the sound may be coming from the window, so he opens it. A raven enters through the window and lights upon a bust of a mythological figure that the narrator has in his room. The narrator questions the raven concerning its name, the bird answers “nevermore”. This startles the speaker, and he wonders aloud if the bird will leave him just as all of his friends seem to do. Again, he is answered by the raven “nevermore”. As the protagonist progressively

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:

The poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe shows a man coping with harsh times with the help of the raven. The poem begins with the man alone where he hears something tapping on his door. He continues to hear the tapping until he sees the raven and lets him into his chamber. The speaker begins to talk to the raven and realizes that the bird can only say the word “Nevermore”. In the beginning of the poem the man sees the bird as a burden and wants him gone. However, as the poem goes on the speaker wants the bird there and begins to alter his questions so that the correct answer will be “Nevermore”. As the poem goes on the speaker sees the bird as more of a friend than a burden and does not want him to leave. For example, it states “But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only That one word, as if his soul in that one

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.

The poem, “The Raven,” written by Edgar Allen Poe shows the deep depression and confusion that the narrator is experiencing since the death of his beloved wife. The gloomy setting of the poem predicts the visit of the Raven, whom is a sign of misfortune, darkness, and death. Throughout the poem, the narrator is continually mourning his wife, Lenore. He secretly hopes that the Raven will bring good news regarding his wife and his future; however, the Raven informs him that he will forever remain depressed. Furthermore, Poe uses setting, strong word choice, and symbolism to illustrate the Raven as the messenger of darkness and explain the narrator’s emotional state.

“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

The literary analysis poem “ The Raven” is by Edgar Allen Poe. The poem was written in 1845. The theme of "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe is undying devotion, loss and lingering grief. The main characters in the story is Lonore , the narrator, and the bird. The narrator uses Personification , conflict the speaker struggles through, and symbolism of the raven to connect to his reader/audience .

Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of a bereaved man who is grieving for his lost love in the poem, “The Raven.” During a dark and gloomy night, the man hears a knock at his door. Hoping that it is Lenore, his dead lover, coming back to him, he goes to open the door. Unfortunately, he is only met with emptiness and disappointment. Shortly after, a raven flies into the room through the window and lands on the bust of Pallas. The man begins to converse with this dark and mysterious bird. In response to everything the man says, the raven repeats one dreadful word: “Nevermore.” The symbolism of the raven being connected to death, and the man’s interaction with the dark bird reveals to readers that he is going through the stages of dying.

It is about how a man should be happy that a beautiful young woman is dying. He should exalt the fact that the woman is going to a better place, also known as Paradise or "Aidenn" in this poem. Thus, the echoing of "Lenore" first hints to the reader that this "Lenore" represents Poe's suffering wife, but in this poem, she is characterized as the speaker's already dead wife. The reader knows that the speaker's wife is already dead since later in the poem the speaker says he wants the raven to leave him in "unbroken loneliness." That is, Poe is trying to imagine getting news of the death of his wife through the speaker in his poem so that when his wife does die, he will not be terribly traumatized. Later, the speaker hears more rapping at his door. This time when he opens it, he finds a raven so noble and majestic that it would even dare to perch on Pallas Athena's, the Goddess of Wisdom and War's, bust, or breast. The first question he asks the raven is what its name is since he believes it to be from the "Night's Plutonian shore," which means a messenger of Ares, the God of the Underworld and dead. God Ares. The raven simply replies "Nevermore" and answers every question with this word. The raven's name as "Nevermore" also furthers the statement that it is a symbolization of death. At first the speaker makes himself believe that when the raven says "nevermore," he is muttering the fact that

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 man then asks the Raven for his name. Surprisingly the Raven answers, and croaks “Nevermore.” The man knows that the bird cannot speak from wisdom. He assumes that the bird was taught by “some unhappy master.” The man is so lonely that he decides to welcome the raven in, although, he is sad that the friend he just made will be gone in the morning (1174). He says out loud, “Other friends have flown before- On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.” Then the bird replies, “Nevermore.” Surprised the man smiled and pulled up a chair, interested in knowing what the raven meant when he croaked, “Nevermore.” The chair he sat in brought back painful memories of his love, Lenore and how she used to sit in that chair. Knowing that the raven’s speech is irrational he still asks the raven questions. Since the narrator already knows that the raven can only speak one word, he assumes the bird’s responses. The man asks, “Is there balm in Gilead?" The bird replies, "Nevermore." Can Lenore be found in paradise? - "Nevermore." The man becomes angered and yells, “Take thy form from off my door!" Of course the bird replies, "Nevermore."(1175) Lastly the man surrenders, realizing that continuing the conversation with the raven would be pointless. And his "soul from out that shadow" that the raven throws on the floor, "Shall be lifted -- Nevermore!" (1175)

The Raven analyzes the theme of death. In the poem, the narrator is seeking hope and wisdom after the death of Lenore. “Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there… But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, and the only word spoken was the whispered word, Lenore? This I whispered, and an echo murmured back Lenore? Merely this and nothing more,” describes how the narrator believed he heard the name of his love, but then his hope fades as nothing more is said. The narrator had to face that his love was no longer there with him because she was dead. “Nevermore” is the only response the raven gives to the helpless narrator, and it makes him increasingly agitated because he is