Poe's The Raven

2049 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Poe's the raven essay

Raven

During a cold, dark evening in December, a man is attempting to find some solace from the remembrance of his lost love, Lenore, by reading volumes of "forgotten lore." As he is nearly overcome by slumber, a knock comes at his door. Having first believed the knock to be only a result of his dreaming, he finally opens the door apologetically, but is greeted only by darkness. A thrill of half-wonder, half-fear overcomes the speaker, and as he peers into the deep darkness, he can only say the word "Lenore." Upon closing the door, another knock is immediately heard from the chamber's window. The narrator throws open the shutter and window, and in steps a large, beautiful raven, which immediately posts itself on the bust of Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, above the entrance of the room. Amused by the animal, the speaker asks it its name, to which the bird replies "Nevermore." Believing "Nevermore" to be the raven's name, the narrator's curiosity is piqued, but the speaker believes the name to have little relevancy to his question, for he had never before heard of any man or beast called by that name. Although the bird is peaceful, the narrator mutters to himself that it, like all other blessings of his life, will soon leave him. Again the bird replies "Nevermore." Intrigued, the speaker pulls a chair up directly before the bird to more readily direct his attention on the wondrous beast, and to figure out the meaning of the bird's single monotonous reply. While in contemplation in the chair, the speaker's mind turns to Lenore, and how her frame will never again bless the chair in which he now reposes. Suddenly overcome with grief, the persona believes that the raven is a godsend, intended to deliver him from his ang...

... middle of paper ...

... end, and he made sure that no preceding stanza would "surpass this in rhythmical effect. "Poe then worked backwards from this stanza and used the word "Nevermore" in many different ways, so that even with the repetition of this word, it would not prove to be monotonous.

Poe builds the tension in this poem up, stanza by stanza, but after the climaxing stanza he tears the whole thing down, and lets the narrator know that there is no meaning in searching for a moral in the raven's "nevermore". The Raven is established as a symbol for the narrator's "Mournful and never-ending remembrance." "And my soul from out that shadow, that lies floating on the floor, shall be lifted - nevermore!"

Works Cited

Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Raven." McQuade, 1688-91.

Poe Edgar Allen. "The Philosophy of Composition." McQuade 1671-79.

Show More
Related

  • How Does Poe Use Loss In The Raven

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whenever the narrator questions the Raven on when his deceased love will return, or when he will stop grieving, the Raven responds with the repeated word “Nevermore” (Poe 102). The bird’s incessant reminders signify that since Lenore’s death is eternal, the narrator’s consequent anguish from it must be as well, which is why the narrator is incapable to ever recover from the Raven’s words on his loss. For, this leaves an everlasting impression on the narrator, prompting him to demand the bird, “‘Take thy beak out of my heart’” (Poe 101). In this metaphor, the author alludes that the Raven’s ‘beak’ is the words it is saying to the narrator, and the ‘heart’ is not representative of the narrator’s physical heart, because the bird is not physically attacking the speaker, but is making him aware of his eternal loss and irreversibly breaking him down emotionally. Therefore, Poe’s use of repetition and metaphor aid him in expressing the loss induced anguish of the

    Read More

  • Lost Love in The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    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. Subsequently, the repetition of the bird’s one worded reply makes it known that the man will never see Lenore again because there is no afterlife.

    Read More

  • Insane In Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of the poem the narrator recognizes the raven only speaks the word “nevermore”, nevertheless he continues to ask the raven questions. The narrator knows hearing “nevermore” as the answer to his questions will cause his own demise, but it doesn't prevent him from doing so. The narrator asks “Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!” Quoth the Raven “Nevermore””( Poe 13). By this he asks if, he will ever forget the memories of Lenore that continue to run through his mind, the raven confirms he won't. He is angered by this response and questions the ravens true intention. As if the raven’s answer to his question didn't upset him enough he continues to ask deeper questions. With hope that he will receive a different answer he ponders “Is there- balm in Gilead?- tell me. I implore! Quoth the Raven “Nevermore”” (Poe 14). Here the narrator is asking if he will ever be joyful again, once again he is doing this knowing the raven respond the same answer everytime. He actually believes what the raven is saying, which is driving him insane for this reason he’s causing his own demise. To make matters worse the narrator asks if “within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp Clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore” (Poe 15). He is inquiring if Lenore is in heaven, receiving no as an answer was his breaking point. Everyone definitely wants to hear the ones they love are in heaven, so why would the narrator ask the raven knowing the answer would be no? This proves the narrator is responsible for his own demise, not the

    Read More

  • The Raven Rhetorical Analysis

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, "The Raven" starts off in a dark setting with an apartment on a "bleak December" night. The reader meets an agonized man sifting through his books while mourning over the premature death of a woman named Lenore. When the character is introduced to the raven he asks about Lenore and the chance in afterlife in which the bird replies “nevermore” which confirms his worst fears. This piece by Edgar Allen Poe is unparalleled; his poem’s theme is not predictable, it leads to a bitter negative ending and is surrounded by pain. To set this tone, Poe uses devices such as the repetition of "nevermore" to emphasize the meaning of the word to the overall theme; he also sets a dramatic tone that shows the character going from weary

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Poe's Personal Life In The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poe utilises the device of trochaic octameter meaning that the trochee begins with a syllable that is stressed followed by a weak (unstressed) syllable (Study Institution, 2013). The overall aim of using trochaic octameter is to exaggerate the stressed words, creating hyperbole. Using the first two lines of the first stanza as an example, “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore…” it is evident that every pair of words is a trochee, a set of stressed and unstressed syllables (Dictionary.com, 2015). When hyperbole is apparent, it also allows the alliteration to be enhanced. In the fourteenth stanza, the first two lines exhibit these two devices working together, “Then methought the air grew denser, perfume from an unseen censer, Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted

    Read More

  • The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poe utilizes a gradual change in diction as the poem progresses. Initially, he begins the poem with melancholic diction when the narrator is falling asleep: “while I pondered, weak and weary,” “nodded, nearly napping,” and “of someone gently rapping” (1-4). The utilization of alliteration in these lines supply a song-like rhythm, which is soothing to the reader. This usage of diction conveys a mellow tone. Further into the poem, when the increasingly agitated narrator becomes vexed at the raven, he lashes out at the bird. Here, he states, “Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore! / Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! / Leave my loneliness unbroken!--quit the bust above my door! / Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” (98-101). Here, his uses archaic words and phrases such as “thee,” “Night’s Plutonian shore,” and “thy soul hath”. This usage of unorthodox language creates a theatrical, dramatic, and climactic effect, which leads to an impassioned tone. By presenting both tones, Poe is able to show the contrast between the two. This transformation from a tone that is mellow to one of frustration and anxiety represents the spiraling downward of the narrator’s mental state.

    Read More

  • once upon a midnight dreary

    565 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Raven” is a very great poem that has many literary devices and has great meaning. Edgar Allan Poe wrote many poems but “The Raven” is probably his most famous poem. “The Raven” was chosen because in 4th grade my teacher read it to the class and since then it has had a lot of meaning. This poem is about a ”rapping at my chamber door” and then he realizes a raven causes the rapping on his chamber door. The raven is always saying “Nevermore” and then he goes so crazy he kills himself. He dies because the speaker says “And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor/ Shall be lifted- nevermore!” “The Raven” contains many literary devices such as symbolism, metaphors, sensory images, and personification. The raven symbolizes the character conscious. A metaphor in “The Raven” is the raven being a “a thing of evil” which is represented throughout the poem.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Raven Of Edger Allen Poe's The Raven

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edger Allen Poe’s Raven goes to the sad man who is lamenting for his love, and says the one word that he knows, which is “Nevermore.” The Raven basically tells the man that his love will never come back, and on every statement or question, he merely answers “Nevermore!” At first, the raven is a mere guest to the man, but as the conversation continues, the man realizes that he does not want the bird with him. He tries to have the bird leave, but “Nevermore” keeps coming back at him. The poem ends with him wallowing in sorrow as the bird never leaves, and the bird represents the shadow of his grief over him, “…still is sitting…And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted—Nevermore!” (344) The raven from Native American myths seems to be naughty but at the same time helpful. The Native American myth, “Raven steals the light,” shows Raven’s naughty yet helpful side. In the story, Raven decides to get the sunlight back from a man who took it. Raven hides as a fish in a river and the man’s daughter comes for the water. When she drinks, the raven in disguise as a fish goes into her water and gets inside her. The girl gets pregnant and gives birth to a baby, who is actually Raven. Raven one day cried, and so his grandfather gave him the sun to play with. Raven took the sun outside and threw into the air, restoring light everywhere, and flew

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Poe’s Works

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    Midnight and December are both times when something is ending and something else is beginning; the end of a day followed by the start of a new day and the end of a year followed by the start of a new year. In the first stanza of the poem he uses midnight to show the start of something new, this is when the the narrator hears the faint taps on his door implying he has a new visitor and his life will never be the same (“The Raven” 282). In the second stanza, Poe mentions the time of year to be December, again symbolizing the changing of the narrator’s life forever (“The Raven” 282). The repetition of the raven’s use of the word “nevermore” is also the symbol of something ending. With every question the narrator asks, the raven simply replies with “nevermore,” meaning that there will be no more of what the narrator is referring to in each question....

    Read More

  • Of Dark Romanticism In Masque Of The Red Death And The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the text it states “But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only that one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour” (Poe). The Raven is like the afterlife of Lenore and her trying to give guilt for the things he had done. As the Raven only uses one word “Nevermore” it could be the bird following him around as a reminder of things he has done and give him guilt. After every question he would ask he would only get one reply from the Raven. This ties together with the Masque of the Red Death because he talks about darkness and fear.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poe himself tells us that the creature’s “ ‘only stock and store, / Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster” / Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore- / Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore’ ” is, in fact, “ ‘ “Never- nevermore”’” (62-66). It is interesting to note that Poe originally postulated placing a parrot in this role, but opted for a raven as “equally ... ...

    Read More

  • Poe's Life Reflected in The Raven

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe was one of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century. Perhaps he is best know for is ominous short stories. One of my personal favorites was called The Raven. Throughout his works Poe used coherent connections between symbols to encourage the reader to dig deep and find the real meaning of his writing. Poe's work is much like a puzzle, when u first see it its intact, but take apart and find there is much more to the story than you thought. The Raven, written in 1845, is a perfect example of Poe at his craziest. Poe's calculated use of symbolism is at his best in this story as each symbol coincides with the others. In The Raven, Poe explains a morbid fear of loneliness and the end of something through symbols. The symbols not only tell the story of the narrator in the poem, they also tell the true story of Poe's own loneliness in life and the hardships he faced. Connected together through imagery they tell a story of a dark world only Poe Knows exists.

    Read More

  • The Raven and The Haunted Palace by Edgar Allan Poe

    1479 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,” (“The Raven” 1). “The Raven” arguably one of the most famous poems by Edgar Allan Poe, is a narrative about a depressed man longing for his lost love. Confronted by a talking raven, the man slowly loses his sanity. “The Haunted Palace” a ballad by Poe is a brilliant and skillfully crafted metaphor that compares a palace to a human skull and mind. A palace of opulence slowly turns into a dilapidated ruin. This deterioration is symbolic of insanity and death. In true Poe style, both “The Raven” and “The Haunted Palace” are of the gothic/dark romanticism genre. These poems highlight sadness, death, and loss. As to be expected, an analysis of the poems reveals differences and parallels. An example of this is Poe’s use of poetic devices within each poem. Although different in structure, setting, and symbolism these two poems show striking similarities in tone and theme.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

    457 Words  | 1 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe?s ?The Raven? is a dark reflection on lost love, death, and loss of hope. The poem examines the emotions of a young man who has lost his lover to death and who tries unsuccessfully to distract himself from his sadness through books. Books, however, prove to be of little help, as his night becomes a nightmare and his solitude is shattered by a single visitor, the raven. Through this poem, Poe uses symbolism, imagery and tone, as well as a variety of poetic elements to enforce his theme of sadness and death of the one he loves.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Lost Love And Death In The Raven By Edgar Allen Poe

    465 Words  | 1 Pages

    He writes about an old man losing the love of his life and how the main character doesn't believe the loss of this beautiful woman was fair. The way this poem is written is with a dark vibe. Throughout “The Raven”, Poe illustrates the raven to have an evil effect on the old man. In paragraph fourteen of “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 lost Lenore!” Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”” This quote signifies what kind of character the raven is and what darkness it brings to this elderly. As much as the old man wants to forget and move on from this depressing time of his life,(the death of Lenore), the raven won't let him. The raven wants him to suffer by repeating the word, “Nevermore”. “Nevermore” is telling the old man not to forget what happened to the woman he adored. The loss of Lenore made the old man heart broken. This made his attitude on life full of anger and he was mad at the world. He didn't believe it was right for her to die. This poem showed that Edgar Allen Poe was a depressed man around this time in his life. With so much darkness the writer expresses, it almost makes the reader believe he lived this, or at least went through something

    Read More

More about Poe's The Raven

Open Document