Words to Describe Edgar Allen Poe Essay

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 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

As mentioned before, his poem, The Raven, refers to an agonized protagonist’s memories of a decreased women and the Fall of the House of Usher, tells the story of a woman who returns from the dead after being buried alive, both share a common thread that is found in Edgar Allan Poe’s writing. Poe’s writing tells share the common theme of death and loss. In The Raven, it states, “‘Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee Respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore; Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this

The Raven is the accumulation of tragedies in Edgar's’ life, constantly the name “Lenore” is brought up. This is supposed to be his wife, (who was dying at the time) Virginia. She was also happened to be his first cousin and 13 at the time of the marriage. Losing the life of his wife/cousin at an alarming rate he wrote down whatever words came to mind. In the poem “The Raven” the raven itself represents the depression of the narrator, it will stay there until the man gets over his fallen lover. One way the reader can see not just how he thinks of his wife, this can also be used to prove the fact that he thinks she won’t make it with the use of the term “angel”. The term “angel” is used two ways here one for the how she is now an angel, but one also for how he thought of her an angel to come save him from his dreary world. It is obvious that the narrator is full of “sorrow for the lost Lenore”. This mainly relates to the poem because it wouldn’t have been even written if it weren’t for the tragedies in his life. The entire poem is about the fact that he doesn’t want his wife to die.

Lenore is thought of to be a representation of Poe’s deceased wife Virginia. He did not want to get over the loss of his wife. “Leave my loneliness unbroken! – quit they bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take they form from off my door!” (The Raven). In the poem, To My Mother, Poe writes about his own mother taking care of Virginia in heaven and becoming her mother as well. The death and mourning of his wife did, in fact, come out in his writing. Poe is very lonely at this point in his life and misses his wife Virginia. “For ‘mid the earnest cares and woes That crowd around my earthly path, (Sad path, Alas, where grows Not even a lonely rose!)” (To One Departed). Death is a time in life that scares Poe and he thinks of it as being evil, because the two women he loved dearly died. He did not always think of death as being an evil thing. In Tamerlane, Poe knew that death was a part of life and he seemed content with the idea of dying. “Father, I firmly do believe – I know – for Death, who comes for me…. Else how, when in the holy grove” (Tamerlane).

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.

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.

“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

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most recognizable literary figures in 19th century American literature. Poe is most well known for his short stories that focus on a psychologically unhinged character who murders an innocent person without motive and eventually cracks under pressure before the police, ultimately turning himself in for the crimes he committed. Two such stories that follow this theme are "The Imp of the Perverse" and "The Tell-Tale Heart."

Edgar saw himself smile at the sight of his lovely wife; this was the happiest point in his life. He viewed the magazine he worked for, just making it by with the little money he made; this is where the light turned grey. Edgar Allan Poe sparked inspiration when he revisited his past. “The Raven” was the product of his dark imagination from his heartbreak, “Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow, From my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore- For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore- Nameless here for evermore…” (Poe

The gothic nature of “The Raven” gives the poem a much darker and negative tone, compared to “Annabel Lee,” which expresses the sorrow the narrator feels after his loss. Poe uses words in “The Raven” that makes the narrator appear weak, helpless, and desperate to know if he will see his wife, Lenore, again in the afterlife. In the early stanzas of the poem, the narrator hears a tapping at his bedroom door; he then reveals who he believes is trying to come into his room when he states, “And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?” \ This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!” - \ Merely this and nothing more” (Poe, 28-30). This quote is an example of how Poe sets the tone of the poem when the speaker whispers into the darkness, calling for his wife who he knows is deceased. This reveals to the audience that the man is not yet at peace with the reality that his wife is no longer with him. On the other hand, in “Annabel Lee,” Poe sets a more hopeful tone by exhibiting how the narrator feels about his deceased wife. Near the conclusion of the poem, the narrator