The Raven Edgar Allan Poe Essay

The Raven By Edgar Allen Poe
Poetry has long been an art form that has entertained readers for many years. Edgar Allen Poe, a
poet from the 1900's, is known for his deep dark poems. He wrote many poems that are now
considered classics. One of his greatest works, "The Raven", was written in 1845; just two years
before his wife Virginia Clemm died of Tuberculosis. The entirety of "The Raven" is confined in a
man 's chamber. It is a December winter and it is midnight. The narrator, the person who resides
in the chamber, is reading a book: glooming over the recent death of his wife Lenore when he
hears a sound at his door. After finding no one there, he hears a whisper that says "Lenore." He
returns to what he was doing, but a bird flies in. The bird is a black raven, a bird one would
typically find menacing. He is inquisitive and begins to ask the bird questions : "What is your
name" to which the bird responds "Nevermore." Near the end of his questioning he asks, "Tell this
soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels
name Lenore – Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels name Lenore?" This questioned
if he ever get to meet Lenore again and the bird replies "Nevermore." Finally, the man asks the
bird if he will ever leave and once again the bird replies "Nevermore." Throughout the poem, Poe
uses literary elements to produce an aura of wackiness and despair. Poe's literary structuring of "The
Raven" is well thought out and can be observed
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The Raven
Psychoanalysis of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
"The Raven" can be observed from numerous different perspectives, including what
"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 poems,
which makes this work one of its own. Poe 's method of thinking and feeling through his writing
shows a profound and mournful significance on how his character is depicted. The love of the
character 's life, Lenore, recently died...show more content...
This bird of yore intrigues
Poe and "beguile [s his] sad fancy into smiling" (Poe 46), which is unknown to him because the
torment his soul goes through every day yearning to be reunited with his lost love is so excruciating
that he may have thought of attempting suicide over it.
3. The raven symbolizes death in many cultures and religious beliefs, and the raven in this poem
is no different. Though this raven does not symbolize actual physical death, it can easily
represent the emotional or spiritual death that Poe is feeling is going on inside of himself. It can
be said that the raven also does not represent an actual raven that has flown into Poe 's chamber,
rather, the raven can symbolize Poe 's inner thoughts and conscience. Poe is making conversation
with his own mind and asking it what he thinks about the subjects that he brings up. Looking
back at when Poe converses with the raven and asks it if there is a heaven to be found, and the
raven said "nevermore," it only insinuated a deeper hole in Poe 's mind that there is no heaven,
and that he is losing faith in something he once loved. This is saying that Poe has lost all sense of
belief in the afterlife and eternal happiness due to the fact that he is in such disrepair. He does not
believe that there is a place so fantastic that you will forget all of your worries, and that you may
live in desolation for all eternity, as he feels his soul feels at this moment. He also dwells

The Raven Essay
"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...show more content...
Lenore's absence also furthers to another absence that mimics the human's incapability to know
and understand what is happening (Freedman). Along with darkness, Poe uses a vivid language
to achieve his single effect. Poe arranges time, place, and other details rapidly and clearly. He
chooses each word carefully and requires that its meaning relates to the poem as a whole. Stanza 2
enhances and distinguishes the vivid effect Poe has already made ("Edgar Allan Poe" 52). "The
Raven" is narrated from a first person tone which has a tone in the language of sorrow, weariness,
and self–destructive thinking (Edwards). The contradictions of the poem and also the reflections
that haunt the speaker are mostly unavoidable circumstances of the language that Poe chooses. Poe
uses phrases such as "dying embers," "Midnight dreary," and "in bleak December" to agonize and
satiate the reader's view of the setting. These carefully chosen words assume intriguing and
fascinating shapes and forms in the poem. These opening pictures help draw the readers into the
speaker's deteriorating mind. The tone of the poem is appropriate and well chosen for the subject,
and the rhythm is also exquisite. Poe, with this tone and rhythm, uses wild but also tender
melancholy in his lines. Mr. Willis claims "It is the most effective single example of fugitive poetry
ever published in this country, and unsurpassed in English poetry for subtle conception, masterly
ingenuity of versification,

Lost Love in The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Essay
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....show more content...
Beyond that, however, the man is also dying. The stages of dying, as previously stated, are:
denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Individuals dying do not have to go through
these stages in this order, though acceptance is usually last, and not every stage is always fulfilled.
Characteristically, the main character does not go through his process of dying in this exact order,
and it is also unclear whether or not he accepts his death at the end of the poem. At the start of the
process, the man is in denial of his death. He hears a knock on the door, and his immediate thoughts
go to Lenore's death. He then tries to quell his emotions by reminding himself, "Tis some visitor
entreating entrance at my chamber door/ Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door
/ This it is, and nothing more" (16–18). He repeats over and over that it is just an average late–night
visitor and not death coming for him. Luckily, when he opens the door, he is only greeted by the
emptiness of the night. The man notes, "Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me
burning (31). The man goes back into room with his soul intact, death is not at his doormat just yet,
but he still has yet to accept the coming of his end. The progressions of the next stages are aided by
the raven. As the man continues to interact with the raven, he becomes increasingly interested

The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe
Essay 1 In the poem "The Raven", Edgar Allan Poe expresses a current state of drunkenness, drug
use, and depression as existing in a dark and dreary prison like setting, tormented by the memories
of a lost love. Poe's literary career was undoubtedly influenced by the many tragedies he suffered
in his life. These misfortunes are evident in the correlation between his characters in his writings
and real life events. It is clear that Poe had a problematic life from a young age; he struggled with
mental illness, depression, and substance abuse including alcohol and opium use. Poe's suffering is
present in his dark, depressing, and tormented poem "The Raven". In the third stanza of the poem,
Poe describes a "purple curtain that thrilled him and filled him with fantastic terrors never felt
before" this represents opium use, as opium is a dark purple, heavy–scented addictive drug.. In
"Soldier Poe" (p. 329), Philip Beidler points out that "In biographical legend Poe is remembered as a
tortured aesthete, a solitary, unrecognized, romantic genius, adrift in a cash–and–carry society; less
flatteringly he is recalled as a drunkard, an opium addict, a wastrel, a philanderer." Opium causes
hallucinations, which caused Poe to believe that the raven was talking to him and taunting him.
Also, opium triggered him to "doubt and dream dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before" (Poe
5). The purple curtains in the poem may have symbolized as a haze of smoke from the drug.
Alcoholism,

The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe Essay
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. Poe's
description of the setting creates the mood for the story, which in...show more content...
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

Edgar Allan Poe The Raven Essay
Joe Spencer
Mita Sen
English 111
12 May 2016 Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston in 1809. He was born itinerants actors. His
father abandons the family when he was a baby. His mother dies almost a year later. He became
an orphan; he later gets adopted by John Allan, a Richmond importer. John Allen was urged by
his wife, Frances In 1826, Poe went to the University of Virgina for one year. There were issues
with John Allan over money, which incurred by him gambling. Poe leaves Richmond for Boston.
He tells John Allan could make a mark in the world either as a soldier or as a poet. He enlists in
the United States Army in 1827. It was at this time that his writing was finally recognized and was
published. In 1829, Frances dies, Poe...show more content...
His works deal with death, buriel, questions of death, including its physical nature, transcendental
doctrine, finality of death, suicide, mouring. (Silverman 114–15). "The Raven" was first published in
print in the Mirror on January 29, 1845. Its publication made Poe widely popular in his lifetime.
(Silverman 237). Poe selected a raven as the symbol in the poem or story because he desired a
"non–reasoning" creature capable of speech. He decided on a raven. Poe said, the raven is meant to
represent "Mournful and Never–ending Remembrance" (Silverman 240) Poe stateed that every
element of the poem is based on logic: the raven comes in the chamber to avoid a storm (the
"midnight dreary" in the "bleak December"), "No one point in its composition is referrible either to
accident or intuition", he claimed. (Silverman 296) Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I see nothing in it."
(Silverman 295) Edgar Allan Poe creates the mood of melancholy in "The Raven" Poe was great at
choosing words in his poetry. In the Raven, he uses words like: "darkness," "doubting," "echo,"
"nothing," It makes this reader that think there is silence in the poem. He writes, "deep into the
darkness," "stillness gave no token," "silence was unbroken," "nothing more." These lines are
repeated in the poem. The narrator repeats words like "dreaming" "dreams" three times in the
work. The word whisper is repeated too. Poe writes about the narrator feeling alone. He whispers
the name "Lenore." The speaker also uses words like "weary," "dreary," bleak,"It makes this
reader observe that there must have been some kind of silence. He also uses a raven that says
"nevermore. Lenore is dead. The poem shows grief dealing with death. The imagery also draws dark
and mournal picture in this reader's

Theme Of Love In The Raven
What does a stereotypical raven symbolize? In The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe creates a dreary
mood through the usage of subject matter, rhyme and meter, symbolism and word choice. His long
lost Lenore who died at a young age turned his bright life into a dark gloomy life. Edgar Allan Poe
creates a long lost love subject matter in The Raven. Lenore, the main characters young beautiful
wife in the prime of her life died.The man was very sad and dreary that he lost his young Lenore.
He said " For the rare and radiant maiden for whom the angels named Lenore– Nameless here for
evermore.(2)" The main character lost his love and a young age. The theme or subject matter is
long lost love just for this reason. One day a raven showed up at the man's house.The man is
asking the raven many questions about his wife who passed. The man is not getting the news he
is looking for, he says, "Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!(4)" Edgar
is so curious about his long lost love and really wants to her again. He has been curious about his
Lenore since she died and has also done nothing since she died. The man was so fixated on Lenore
that when he was not hearing what he wanted to he got very sad and disgusted about his love. He is
not hearing the things he wants about his long lost love lenore.
Edgar Allan Poe uses rhyme and meter to emphasize the darkness and gloominess of the poem. He
is a very fearful and curious man at this point he is wondering what will ever

Analysis of вЂњThe RavenвЂќ Essay
Noted for its supernatural atmosphere and musically rhythmic tone, "The Raven" by Edgar Allan
Poe was first published in 1845. Once published, "The Raven" made Edgar Allan Poe widely
popular, although he did not flourish financially. Poe received a large amount of attention from
critics, who not only interpreted, but critiqued his work. He claimed to have structured the poem
logically and systematically, so that the poem would appeal to not only critical tastes, but popular as
well. The writing of the poem is like no other. The mysterious mood it conveys and deep meaning
take you beyond the text into an almost nightmare–like illusion. Poe claimed that the poem was
inspired by a talking raven in Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of...show more content...
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) What

Monologue In Poe's The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe is a famous poet who specialises in gothic style poetry. In his most famous poem
The Raven he depicts a character who is at the edge of deep sleep when he is interrupted by a
tapping at his door. Although when he goes to find the source of the sound he discovers there is
nothing there, instead he hears another sound. This however turns out to be an ebony raven which
becomes the centre point for the narrator's monologue throughout the poem. The motive of The
Raven is often debated amongst scholars, however my thesis on this poem is to argue for the state
in which the narrator finds himself. Is what the protagonist experiences really all a dream, or is it
all grand delusions a symptom of grief? Or is this the symptom of him becoming...show more
content...
This is used in the context of the narrator looking out of his doorway and seeing nothing, no trees,
no grass. All there is to him is nothingness and silence. This can be interpreted as a sign of a dream,
because when you are in a dream you cannot see, feel or hear anything that is not directly within
your scope of focus. Since this dream is focused on the interaction between the raven and the narrator
and because the landscape outside the house is of no focus, this part gets lost and so the narrator
explains it as nothingness. The theme of nothingness is repeated several times throughout the poem
with the quote "This it is, and nothing more,'" (Stanza 8, line 6). This points to it that the whole
incident could be a dream since the raven only says the absolute minimum possible due to the
narrator not remembering the rest because it was not important, therefore not within his focus and so
the narrator would not be able to recall this.
As previously mentioned, the author of this poem, Edgar Allan Poe, was notorious for his ghost
stories and so his poems and works might have been made as a tribute to the ghastly, unknown
world of the undead. This would then disprove the idea that it was a dream and instead point
towards the poem being a story of ghost encounters. There is also sequences when all seems normal
"And each separate ember wrought its ghost

Brief Summary Of The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe
It was a cool evening night. Poe was enraged about his book on cooping, which was not published.
In order to calm down, he needed some time alone. So, he decided to take a walk through
downtown Baltimore. A gang lurking in an alleyway recognized Poe, who they knew had great
popularity and was very wealthy. "Hey, is that poe?", said one of the gang members. "Yeah, I think
it is," another says. They decided to follow him for several minutes. Then the gang attacked Poe,
dragged him violently into an alleyway and beat him up. They proceeded to knock him out and put
him in a horse–drawn carriage. They transported him to a polling place. Poe was badly injured and
when the gang forced him to put on different clothes. He immediately realized what they were
planning to do and naturally refused. After causing the gang much trouble, they punished him and
they took him to an alley to do some more beating. After Poe was badly injured, he was left on the
cold streets all night, slowly dying....show more content...
Poe thought to himself that he would be fine, though it was hard to think through his delirium.
Little did he know that he would die days later. Meanwhile, a man who was on his daily walk
heard a deep, deathly moan. The man went to investigate and found a confused man with
disheveled clothes, who identified himself as Edgar Allan Poe. The stranger asked Poe if he knew
anybody that could help him. Poe said, "I know a man with the last name of Snodgrass.". The man
penned this name quickly, with the knowledge that this famed poet was in real danger. Luckily,
Snodgrass had some medical knowledge,but not

The Melancholic Tone of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," is representing Poe's own introvertedness, which is strangely
moving and attractive to the reader. In his essay entitled "The Philosophy of Composition," Poe
reveals his intent in writing "The Raven" and also describes the work of writing the poem as being
carefully calculated in all aspects. Of all melancholy topics, Poe wished to use the most understood,
death, specifically death involving a beautiful woman.
The tone in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" represents a painful state of mind, a mind that is
vulnerable to madness that is brought upon by the death of his beloved lady. Which is representing
Poe's own personal problems, with those of the...show more content...
The raven patronizes Poe that he will never see his lost love again when uttering, "forget this lost
Lenore" (Thompson, 83). Alcohol taunts Poe into never–ending depression and caused Poe to have
a life–long problem with alcoholism, which led to his death. In a similar way that the alcohol
explored Poe's inner devastation, the raven gives a look into the narrator's innermost fears that he
will never see his Lenore again. In the first stanza, questioning from what direction the "tapping"
came, he throws open the door, the narrators' nemesis not to be found. In fact it was some other
realm that must have been opened up about his lost love and the noise, which is driving him insane.
The narrator then opens the shutter, which could be interpreted as opening his soul to the outside
world. To his surprise, he discovers a raven, a "beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber
door" (Thompson, 53). The raven directs all further action in the poem, it ridicules and patronizes the
narrator throughout the poem and its evil force creates a sense of suffering and anguish within the
character. The climax of the poem is when the narrator faces his confused and disordered world and
in the narrator's madness he cries out, "Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian
shore!" (Thompson, 98).
Poe's use of symbolism was influential in making the literary reputation of "The Raven". The raven
is symbolized as the narrator's

1. Alliteration: A word that follows another word with the same consonant sounds is alliteration.
Alliteration is used quite often in poetry as it helps create a certain tone or mood for a poem.
Words that use alliteration are effective as it uses sound to bring focus to specific parts of a poem
that are vital in making an idea or an emotion known. The use of alliteration is very clever as it is a
simple trick authors use to grab a reader's attention and help readers understand what they are
trying to say. Edgar Allen Poe uses alliteration quite often in his poem "The Raven" to create a
somber and ominous mood. Poe uses phrases like "weak and weary" and "doubting, dreaming
dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before" to emphasize the darkness of the poem. The
alliteration used also gives readers a sense that nothing good will come at the end of "The Raven" as
the phrases that use alliteration are dreary and unwelcoming.
2. Imagery: A descriptive word that creates a vivid image in one's mind is imagery. Imagery is
used in all different forms of literature like short stories, dramas, and poems. Words or phrases that
use imagery can describe the senses such as sight, taste, or even smell. Poets use imagery in their
poems as it helps readers connect to the poem. Readers can create their own personal images and
pictures in their head with the assistance of imagery. Imagery also has readers look at and analyze
poems through their own individual experiences with the imagery used. Imagery can also set the
mood for a poem. If words like "sunny" or "soft" are used in a poem they'd set a happy mood, but
if words like "rainy" or "foggy" are used they'd set a sad mood. "The Love Song of J.Alfred
Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot uses plenty of imagery to give readers insight as to what exactly the speaker
sees and feels. The speaker in the poem takes what seems to be the woman he loves on a walk
through, what he describes, "streets that follow like a tedious argument/ of insidious intent" (Eliot
759). The imagery that the speaker uses to describe the street is strange because instead of taking the
woman he loves through a romantic and nice street, he describes the street as an argument, which is
something that can be annoying,

Dark Romanticism In The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven is a poem written in January of 1845 by Edgar Allan Poe. It was written during the
period of romanticism, a time when many people took the opposite ideology of rationalism,
believing that imagination, nature, feeling, and nature are more important than logic and society.
These ideas are infused into Poe's poem, The Raven. However, this work is placed into the sub genre
of Dark Romanticism, whose works deal with feelings rather than reason, and viewed events as
symbols pointing beyond menial life. There are many elements in The Raven that correctly identify
the poem in the Dark Romanticism genre. Incorporations of elements such as the supernatural, the
search for truth in nature, and the exploration of evil in the poem The Raven rightly classify the
work in the genre of Dark Romanticism.
One of the elements that helps classify The Raven as a work in the Dark Romanticism period is its
use of the supernatural. One of the characteristics of the Romanticism realm of literature is that it
explored the world of the supernatural. This aspect is heavy in the Raven. One example is in lines
28–30, reading "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." This
quote is interesting, because in the beginning of the poem, it mentions the setting is his bedroom.
The narrator is home alone, and his love, Lenore, is dead. This raises the question, who was the
narrator

Edgar Allan Poe Influence On The Raven
"Deep into that darkness peering, long, I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming
dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." This excerpt from the famous poem "The Raven"
shows Edgar Allan Poe's notoriously dark style that still intrigues people to this day. Poe was
born January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up to be a world famous poet. He died
October 7, 1849 at the age of 40. Poe's poetry created an uproar in the world of poets encouraging
a darker mind set for both poems and short stories. The dark demeanor comes from a not so happy
life. At the age of 3 Poe's parents died leaving him and his two siblings all alone. He was separated
from his siblings when John and Frances Allan decided to foster him. He lived in Richmond,
Virginia and went to the best boarding schools and later the University of Virginia. He excelled
academically, however after one year of schooling at the University he had to drop out due to
financial problems. Poe had built up quite a debt to pay his tuition because John only gave him
enough for a third of the expenses. He went home to Richmond, however soon left due to John and
his relationship becoming hostile. Amongst all of this Poe had found out his fiancee Elmira Royster
was engaged to another man....show more content...
During his service he released 2 collections of poems, sadly they didn't get significant critical or
public attention. After his service he went to the United States Military Academy, but dropped out
because of lack of financial support. He then moved to Baltimore, Maryland and moved in with
his aunt Maria Clemm and his cousin Virginia. He started to sell short stories to magazines and in
1835 he moved back to Richmond to become the editor of "Southern Literary Messenger". He
began his fame with his 14 year old cousin Virginia by his side as his

Tone Of The Raven
Edgar Allen Poe: The Raven
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...show more content...
In the first stanza, questioning from what direction the "tapping" came, he throws open the door, the
narrators' nemesis not to be found. Some other realm must be explored if he is to ascertain
something about his lost love and the noise which is driving him insane. The narrator then opens the
shutter, opening his soul to the outside world. To his surprise, he discovers a raven, a "beast upon
the sculptured bust above his chamber door" (53).
The raven directs all further action in the poem, it ridicules and patronizes the narrator throughout
the composition and its evil force permeates the air and induces suffering and anguish within the
character. Emotions culminate with the attainment of a climax as the narrator faces his confused and
disordered world. The narrator, in his madness, shrieks, "Get thee back into the tempest and the
Night's Plutonian shore!" (98). Poe's calculated use of symbolism was influential in establishing the
literary reputation of "The Raven". The raven is established as a symbol for the narrator's mournful
and ceaseless remembrance of his lost love. The raven is of significant importance to the melancholic
theme because it is often seen as being a harbinger of death.
Another obvious symbol is the bust of Pallas, the Goddess of Wisdom. This use is symbolic as it
leads the narrator to believe that the raven speaks

Analysis Of The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe
Kinnedy Kriso
Audrey Holod
English 106–3107
30 October 2017
Edgar Allan Poe(m): Formalist Approach
In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", the speaker grows mentally unstable over the loss of his love.
Poe's poem has many references to death and popular mythology through the speaker and raven. The
speaker has lost his beloved Lenore which in turn drives him mad. The speaker and the raven begin a
narration, both using cryptic language. The speaker's grief manifests itself into a conversation with
the raven. The poem "The Raven," by Edgar Allan Poe creates powerful language and symbolic
character placement to bring forward how powerful grief is. The speaker's narration and Poe's use
of language and symbolism shows how this poem continues to be iconic literature. "The Raven,"
highly symbolizes death and grief, which is expertly written by Poe; the importance of knowing
these symbolic and language is an attempt to recognize the importance of death.
Poe uses trochaic octameter to write "The Raven," which stresses syllables and pairs in eights. He
manipulates the octameter and language, creating his own dark rhyme scheme. Using this type of
rhyme scheme adds to the creative language, an example, "' Tis some visitor,' I muttered, 'tapping at
my chamber door–/ Only this, and nothing more'" (lines 5–6). Using this octameter adds to the
haunting rhyme of "The Raven". The poem attaches melody and simple rhyme scheme adding to
the speaker's grief. The rhyme scheme adds to the importance of language along with small
references: Poe references an ancient Greek drug, "... Respite and nepenthe from thy memories of
Lenore! / Quaff, oh quaff this kind of nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!" (lines 82–83). The
reference to nepenthe in "The Raven," is used by the speaker to forget his grief and Lenore,
commonly used in ancient Greece as an anti–depressant. The use of language from Poe is always
mysterious, but he uses little terms or phrases to intensify his stories. Nepenthe is an educational
Easter egg to show the reader how devastated the speaker is over his grief, referencing to
anti–depressants. Not only did Poe reference Greek mythology, he also uses the phrase: nights
plutonian shore. Nights plutonian shore is a nod to roman

The Raven Essay
The Loss of a Loved Maiden
In "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, one sees the internal torment of a man in mourning for the
lost love of a maiden, named Lenore that has died. The narrator expresses a sea of emotions over
the vision of a raven haunting and taunting him. As the man sits in his chamber he only seems to
notice the negativity of his surroundings in a depressive state of mind over his lost. "..A midnight
dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary". He was, as many people seem to be when they are
depressed, in a lethargic and calm state nearly sleeping. He then was disturb by a tapping noise and
slowly grew from slight excitement into fear and nervousness over the commotion. "And the silken,
sad, uncertain rustling...show more content...
The raven seems to amuse the narrator, "Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into
smiling, by the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore". In a jocular manner the
narrator initiates a conversation with the raven, still intrigued by its appearance, mannerism, and
specially its name, Nevermore. The raven then becomes a materialized symbol of the narrators
own inner self, "The Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only that one word, as if his
soul in that one word he did outpour". Furthermore, the narrator is in the same manner sitting
lonely in his chamber chair surrounded by all the things that remind him of his lost love. The
narrators own soul is also being outpoured in that one word, for the permanent lost of his Lenore
that he will "nevermore" see again. The speaker does not seem to have any hope and drowns in
his own sorrow as he does believe the raven to stay, "On the morrow he will leave me, as my
Hopes have flown before". Just as Lenore has left him and since he put all his life, soul, and
"Hopes" on her he has no aspirations and positive outlook on anything anymore. The speaker tries
to rationalize the replies of the Raven just as he tried to rationalize the noises heard before. The
speaker then starts to question what the raven means by "nevermore". Now as the narrator sits
reclining, looking at the raven and feeling uneasiness as its stares back at him as if it was looking
into his soul,

Edgar Allan Poe (the Raven)
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" Poe's "The Raven" is not only an American classic, it's a favorite of
high school students around the world, as well as their teachers. That being said, it's still poetry and
therefore can be difficult to understand. Read this summary to review the contents and get a better
understanding. * Stanzas: 1–2 Make everyone in class think you're really smart when you bust out
everything you've learned in this summary: Stanza 1: It's late. The poem's speaker is tired and
weak, reading an old collection of folklore (note that Ravens are prevalent in folklore). As he's about
to fall asleep, he hears something tapping at his door. The speaker, somewhat startled, consoles
himself by muttering "tis some visitor" and...show more content...
It could be a demonic movement of the curtains, which would cause even the most stalwart
individual to mutter to himself, or the speaker could be crazy. Stanza 4: The narrator musters the
courage to speak to the "visitor" at his door. Nobody answers. He opens the door and sees only
darkness. Analysis: Things are getting stranger by the stanza. Poe builds suspense by delaying
the unveiling of the "visitor." Stanza 5: The narrator stares into the darkness. He stares. He stares
some more. He starts dreaming about the impossible and finally whispers "Lenore." "Lenore" is
echoed back. Analysis: We begin to sense the heartbreak experienced by the narrator. He so longs
for his lost love that he begins whispering her name, desperately hoping for a response. Does he
actually hear a response or is he hallucinating? * Stanzas: 6–9 Stanza 6: The narrator returns to his
chamber and soon hears a louder tapping, this time at his window. He decides to explore the noise,
telling himself it is merely the wind. Analysis: Like the narrator, you're probably wondering when
something's going to happen. The narrator is in denial. He knows something is there, but refuses to
acknowledge it. Stanza 7: The narrator opens the shutter and a raven flies in. He ignores the
occupant and perches himself on a statue of Pallas Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom. Analysis:
The mystery has been solved. It's just a bird! Something tells me this bird is no

Analysis of Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven Essay
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most well–known gothic writers around. He has written many form of
writing from poems to short stories. One of his most famous narrative poems is "The Raven."
There are many reasons to read the "The Raven." One reason to read the poem is because it is a
classic. Secondly, reading "The Raven" can give sight to Poe's thoughts and feelings towards his
life. Thirdly, the poem is a good example of the mind set of someone who has faced a loss.
Another reason would be that the poem can represent trochaic octameter form. It can also represent
narrative poem form. Of these reasons, the most important one is that it is a poetic classic. The
main reason to read "The Raven" is simply because it is a classic, which means...show more content...
He married Virginia in 1836 and it is believed that the couple lived very happily together. Alas,
in1847, Virginia passed away due to a case of tuberculosis, which is what claimed the lives of his
mother and foster mother the years before. Poestories.com states in the article titled "The Biography
of Edgar Allan Poe", "After losing his wife, Poe collapsed from stress but gradually returned to
health later that year" ("Biography of Edgar..."). For the next two years, Poe tried starting a
relationship with a married woman, Nancy Richmond, but she did not share the same feelings.
He attempted to marry Sarah Helen Whitman, but the engagement did not last. He finally became
engaged again to his previous fiancГ©e, Elmira Royster, but disappeared shortly after. Many of
Poe's best works are based on the loss of a loved one, especially a woman. "The Raven" is a prime
example of this and is also a good example of the things that can happen to a person's sanity after a
loss that great. The poem is a must read for a poetic look at hallucinations. Hallucinations are
occurrences that happen inside the mind but not in reality. "The Raven" shows the narrator
experiencing, what seems to be, a hallucination. Jake Fling explains in his article, "The Raven by
Edgar Allan Poe Literary Analysis", "He [the narrator] is "weak and weary" (par 1), in a debilitated
state, and mentally unable to do much of anything at this point"

The Raven Edgar Allan Poe Essay

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The Raven Edgar Allan Poe Essay