Edgar Allen Poe’s Annabel Lee: Never a Happily Ever After

625 Words2 Pages

Fairy tales are usually associated with elegant dresses, fancy shoes, and a happily ever after for the protagonists, presenting the tale itself as if it is too good to be true, because it is. In reality people cannot have a fairy tale ending because the majority of the population has difficulty paying bills, providing for their families, and, in many cases, relationships fail. Edgar Allen Poe’s “Annabel Lee” shows readers exactly that: All Fairy Tales must be brought to an end and there is nothing that can stop this.

Within the first two stanzas of Poe’s “Annabel Lee” the speaker emphasizes the fairy tale era of the speakers relationship with Annabel Lee. In stanza one Poe uses many poetic elements to differentiate between reality and the speakers view of his and Annabel Lee’s relationship, making the story seem very much like a fairy tale. “That a maiden there lived whom you may know/By the name of Annabel Lee.” Through the diction of the line “That a maiden there lived whom you may know” Poe helps the speaker show the reader that the speaker sees Annabel Lee as more than Annab...

Open Document