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.

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

The entire poem including the first stanza, as scanned here, is octametre with mostly trochaic feet and some iams. The use of a longer line enables the poem to be more of a narration of the evening's events. Also, it enables Poe to use internal rhymes as shown in bold. The internal rhyme occurs in the first and third lines of each stanza. As one reads the poem you begin to expect the next rhyme pushing you along. The external rhyme of the "or" sound in Lenore and nevermore at then end of each stanza imitates the haunting nature of the narrator's thoughts. The internal rhyme along with the same external rhyme repeated at the end of each stanza and other literary devices such as alliteration and assonance and

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

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.

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.

Many people often dislike hearing scary noises in a desolated place where there is no one around. Any noise can be very frightful to the mind and to the heart. Our mind can sometimes create an image that does not exist and would essentially make anybody go crazy at the moment of hearing those scary noises. Edgar’s Poem, “The Raven’’, basically tells the story of a man that has lost everything including his beloved wife who he misses very much to the point of having hallucinations of the wind calling her name “Lenore“. He experiences realism and fantasy with a raven that shows up in his chamber door. The person in the story appears to be alone in his house and depressed about the loss of his wife Lenore. Then, standing at the chamber door, a raven will respond to the narrator’s arguments with the word “Nevermore” making the story more allusive and suspenseful as it develops. Each time, the raven becomes more mysterious and it is scary to hear the raven say the word “nevermore”.

It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore.” In other words, Poe is asking if he will ever again be able to his wife. From a depressed person talking about another depressed person, everything takes on different meaning when someone is depressed. Pictures, places, smells, sounds, voices of loved ones; they all remind us constantly of what was lost and will never be found again. It feels like random occurrences happened just to remind, torture us of the pain. The narrator heard the raven say “nevermore” frequently and interpreted it differently until he settled on the belief that it was referring to Lenore. Perhaps the “raven” symbolizes how Poe must deal with the day to day realities of someone suffering a great loss.

Edgar Alan Poe’s poem “ The Raven,” major themes are: loneliness, paranoia and morning. These themes are having a dialogue with each other. Loneliness, sends the author of this poem into paranoia and fear. There is also a deep internal struggle to establish reality over the imagination. The language of the poem contemplates with the author’s struggle, “ Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,/ Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before.(trans.Poe, 5.1-2). The author is trying to get an emotional hold on himself. The ending of each stanza is ended with evermore, Lenore, and nevermore. The author is having a dialogue with himself, thinking he is speaking to a Raven. When each stanza ends, with nothing more and nevermore, because he is speaking to no one, but can not help himself to continue the conversion with the Raven. The words in this poem have a spiral that ends with each verse, it gains speed and momentum towards the end of each stanza.

The raven symbolizes darkness in the poet “The Raven”. Firstly, The raven always taps or calls upon the speaker. “As of someone one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.” The Raven is mysterious and calls him out while the speaker confused calling out “Lenore” thinking of his ex. Secondly, The Raven calls out “Nevermore” after almost every stanza in other words saying he'll never stop. “What's this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore meant in croaking nevermore.” It means no matter how much poe is annoyed the raven will never stop poking at his heart. To conclude this poet, The raven is a symbol of darkness and dread he doesn't stop visiting the speaker in his phrase “nevermore.”

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