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“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe: Analysis

The narrative poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, originally published in 1845, is a renowned masterpiece of American Gothic literature.

• Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
• Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
• While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
• As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
• “‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
• Only this and nothing more.”
• 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.
• And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
• Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
• So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
• “‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—
• Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;—
• This it is and nothing more.”
• Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
• “Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
• But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
• And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
• That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—
• Darkness there and nothing more.
• Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
• Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
• But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
• 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.
• Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
• Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
• “Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;
• Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—
• Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
• ‘Tis the wind and nothing more!”
• Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
• In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;
• Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
• But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—
• Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—
• Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
• Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
• By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
• “Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,
• Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—
• Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
• Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
• Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
• Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;
• For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
• Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door—
• Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
• With such name as “Nevermore.”
• 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.
• Nothing farther then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—
• Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before—
• On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”
• Then the bird said “Nevermore.”
• Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
• “Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its 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
• Of ‘Never—nevermore’.”
• But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,
• Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
• Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
• Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—
• What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
• Meant in croaking “Nevermore.”
• This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
• To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
• This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
• On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er,
• But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er,
• She shall press, ah, nevermore!
• Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
• Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
• “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!”
• “Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—
• Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
• Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—
• On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—
• Is there— is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”
• “Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!
• By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—
• 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.”
• “Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting—
• “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!”
• And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
• On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
• And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
• And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
• And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
• Shall be lifted—nevermore!

Introduction: “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

Table of Contents

The narrative poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, originally published in 1845, is a renowned masterpiece of American Gothic literature. The poem’s evocative imagery, complex structure, and exploration of grief and the supernatural have cemented its enduring legacy. “The Raven” established Poe’s reputation as a master of the macabre and continues to resonate powerfully with readers today.

Annotations of “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

Narrative of “the raven” by edgar allan poe.

• The poem begins with the narrator, who is sitting alone in his chamber, feeling weak and weary as he reads old books of forgotten lore.
• As he nods off, he hears a tapping at his chamber door and assumes it is just a visitor.
• The tapping continues, and he begins to feel anxious about who could be knocking on his door so late at night.
• He works up the courage to answer the door and finds only darkness outside.
• When he returns to his chamber, he hears a whisper of the name “Lenore” and assumes it is just his imagination.
• He tries to shake off his fear and convince himself that the tapping was just the wind.
• Suddenly, a raven appears in his room and perches above his chamber door.
• The narrator is surprised by the bird’s presence and begins to ask it questions.
• He observes the raven’s somber countenance and admires its regal appearance.
• He asks the bird its name, but it only replies “Nevermore.”
• The narrator becomes obsessed with the bird and continues to ask it questions, even though he knows it can only answer with the word “Nevermore.”
• He reflects on the sorrow he feels for the loss of Lenore and wonders if the raven was sent to him as a divine messenger.
• The narrator starts to feel hopeless and believes that he will never be able to escape his grief.
• He decides to ask the raven if there is any hope for him to find peace, but it only replies with the same word, “Nevermore.”
• The narrator realizes that the raven is a symbol of his despair and that he will never be able to escape his sorrow.
• The poem ends with the narrator being haunted by the raven’s presence and feeling trapped in his own grief.

Literary Devices in “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

Sound and poetic devices in “the raven” by edgar allan poe, functions of literary devices in “the raven” by edgar allan poe.

• Creating Atmosphere: Poe uses descriptive language and repetition to create a melancholic and ominous atmosphere throughout the poem. The opening lines set the scene with a sense of dread and unease, while the repeated tapping at the chamber door builds tension and suspense. The use of vivid imagery and sensory details, such as the “quaint and curious” volumes of forgotten lore and the “ghost” of dying embers, further contribute to the overall atmosphere of darkness and foreboding.
• Establishing Theme: The main theme of the poem is the narrator’s grief and despair over the loss of his beloved Lenore. Poe uses symbolism, such as the raven representing death and the bust of Pallas representing wisdom, to reinforce this theme. The repeated refrain of “Nevermore” serves as a haunting reminder of the narrator’s inability to escape his sorrow and the inevitability of death.
• Creating Tone: The use of rhyme and meter, as well as the repetition of certain phrases and sounds, contributes to the overall tone of the poem. The frequent use of internal rhyme and alliteration gives the poem a musical quality that contrasts with its dark subject matter. The raven’s monotonous repetition of “Nevermore” creates a sense of hopelessness and despair that pervades the poem.
• Developing Character: The narrator’s character is revealed through his thoughts, actions, and dialogue. His obsession with Lenore and his descent into madness are conveyed through his erratic behavior and his interactions with the raven. Poe also uses irony, such as the narrator’s attempts to reason with the bird, to create a sense of absurdity that adds to the overall tragicomic tone of the poem.

Themes in “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

• Loss and Grief: One of the central themes of “The Raven” is loss and grief. The narrator is mourning the death of his beloved Lenore and is unable to find solace in anything. This is shown in the lines, “Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow/From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore” (lines 9-10). The Raven itself can also be seen as a symbol of grief, as it comes to represent the narrator’s inability to move on from his loss.
• Madness and Despair: Another major theme in “The Raven” is madness and despair. The narrator is clearly struggling with his mental state, as shown in lines like “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,/Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before” (lines 25-26). As the Raven continues to haunt him, the narrator becomes increasingly unhinged and begins to question his own sanity.
• Death and Mortality: Death and mortality are also recurring themes in “The Raven”. The Raven itself is often associated with death, and the narrator repeatedly asks it about the afterlife. This is shown in the lines, “Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!” (line 47). The narrator is clearly preoccupied with the idea of death, both as it relates to his lost Lenore and to his own mortality.
• Isolation and Loneliness: The final major theme in “The Raven” is isolation and loneliness. The narrator is alone in his chamber with only his grief and his thoughts for company. This is shown in lines like, “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing” (line 25). The arrival of the Raven, while at first seeming like a comfort, only serves to increase the narrator’s sense of isolation, as the bird refuses to offer any comfort or companionship.

Literary Theories and Interpretations “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

Essay topics, questions and thesis statements about “the raven” by edgar allan poe, 1. topic: the symbolism of “the raven”.

• Question: How does Edgar Allan Poe use symbolism in “The Raven” to convey the narrator’s sense of loss and grief?
• Thesis Statement: Through the use of symbolism, Edgar Allan Poe masterfully conveys the narrator’s overwhelming sense of loss and grief in “The Raven.”

2. Topic: The Narrator’s Mental State in “The Raven”

• Question: What is the true nature of the narrator’s mental state in “The Raven,” and how does Poe use language and tone to convey it?
• Thesis Statement: Edgar Allan Poe’s use of language and tone in “The Raven” suggests that the narrator is not only grieving, but also struggling with his own mental state, ultimately leading to his descent into madness.

3. Topic: The Gothic Elements in “The Raven”

• Question: How does Edgar Allan Poe use gothic elements in “The Raven” to create a haunting and eerie atmosphere?
• Thesis Statement: Edgar Allan Poe’s masterful use of gothic elements in “The Raven” contributes to the poem’s haunting and eerie atmosphere, immersing the reader in the narrator’s world of grief and despair.

4. Topic: The Theme of Death in “The Raven”

• Question: What is the central theme of “The Raven,” and how does Poe use the raven as a symbol of death to explore this theme?
• Thesis Statement: In “The Raven,” Edgar Allan Poe explores the theme of death through the use of the raven as a powerful symbol, ultimately revealing the narrator’s acceptance of his own mortality.

Short Question-Answer about “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

Literary works similar to “the raven” by edgar allan poe.

• “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: This long narrative poem shares “The Raven”‘s focus on the supernatural, a brooding atmosphere, and themes of guilt, despair, and isolation. Both poems explore the consequences of a single act and the psychological toll it can take.
• “Lenore” by Gottfried August Bürger: This German ballad was a significant influence on Poe. It explores the devastation of losing a beloved and features a similar sense of longing and unremitting grief as found in “The Raven.”
• “Sonnets to Orpheus” by Rainer Maria Rilke: Though written later, these sonnets grapple with similar themes of death, mourning, and the transformative power of grief. Both “The Raven” and Rilke’s sonnets explore the human struggle to make sense of loss in a vast and indifferent universe.
• “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe: Another of Poe’s own works, this poem also focuses on lost love and a haunting sense of longing after death. It shares a similarly mournful tone and explores the idea that love can persist even beyond the grave.
• “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe: While a short story, it shares thematic similarities with “The Raven” in its exploration of a character’s descent into madness and guilt. Both works delve into the darkest corners of the human psyche.
• Gothic Novels ( Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole): These novels often share a similar focus on the supernatural, macabre settings, and the psychological torment of the characters. They all contribute to the same literary tradition that valued emotional intensity and the exploration of the darker side of the human experience.

Suggested Readings: “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

• Bloom, Harold, editor. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” Chelsea House Publishers, 2003.
• Hayes, Kevin J. The Cambridge Companion to Edgar Allan Poe. Cambridge UP, 2002.
• Silverman, Kenneth. Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. Harper Perennial, 1992.
• Dauner, Louise. “The ‘Vanity’ of Human Wishes: Hardy’s ‘The Convergence of the Twain’.” *The Thomas Hardy Journal, *vol 1. no. 1, 1981, pp. 11-23.
• Peeples, Scott. “Poe’s ‘constructiveness’ and ‘The Raven.'” Studies in Short Fiction , vol. 29, no. 1, Winter 1992, pp. 1-12.
• Ramazani, Jahan. “Hardy’s Elegies for an Era: ‘By the Century’s Deathbed.’” Victorian Poetry , vol. 31, no. 3, 1993, pp. 253-264. JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/40002205
• Poetry Foundation. “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe. Poetry Foundation , https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47266/the-convergence-of-the-twain . Accessed 13 March 2024.
• The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore , https://www.eapoe.org/ . Accessed 13 March 2024.

Related posts:

• “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray
• “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe
• “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy: Analysis
• “The Lady of Shalott” by Lord Tennyson: Analysis

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General Education

"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most well-known poems ever written. It brought its author worldwide fame and has frequently been analyzed, performed, and parodied. But what about this poem makes it so special?

In this guide, we give you a complete overview of "The Raven," discussing everything from the sad stories behind its creation and what is actually going on between the narrator and the raven, to its themes and the poetic devices it uses so effectively.

The Raven Poem: Full Text

Below is the complete text of The Raven poem, written by Edgar Allan Poe and published in 1845. It consists of 18 stanzas and a total of 108 lines.

What Is "The Raven" About?

"The Raven" is a poem about a man who is heartbroken over the recent death of his beloved Lenore. As he passes a lonely December night in his room, a raven taps repeatedly on the door and then the window. The man first thinks the noise is caused by a late night visitor come to disturb him, and he is surprised to find the raven when he opens the window shutter. After being let in, the raven flies to and lands on a bust of Pallas (an ancient Greek goddess of wisdom).

The man is amused by how serious the raven looks, and he begins talking to the raven; however, the bird can only reply by croaking "nevermore."

The man reflects aloud that the bird will leave him soon as all the people he cared about have left him. When the raven replies "nevermore," the man takes it as the bird agreeing with him, although it's unclear if the raven actually understands what the man is saying or is just speaking the one word it knows.

As the man continues to converse with the bird, he slowly loses his grip on reality. He moves his chair directly in front of the raven and asks it despairing questions, including whether he and Lenore will be reunited in heaven. Now, instead of being merely amused by the bird, he takes the raven's repeated "nevermore" response as a sign that all his dark thoughts are true. He eventually grows angry and shrieks at the raven, calling it a devil and a thing of evil.

The poem ends with the raven still sitting on the bust of Pallas and the narrator, seemingly defeated by his grief and madness, declaring that his soul shall be lifted "nevermore."

Background on "The Raven"

Edgar Allan Poe wrote "The Raven" during a difficult period in his life. His wife, Virginia, was suffering from tuberculosis, Poe was struggling to make money as an unknown writer, and he began drinking heavily and picking fights with coworkers and other writers. It's easy to see how he could have conjured the dark and melancholy mood of "The Raven."

It's not known how long Poe spent writing "The Raven," (guesses range from anywhere to a single day to over a decade) but it's thought most likely that he wrote the poem in the summer of 1844. In his essay, "The Philosophy of Composition," Poe stated that he chose to focus the poem on the death of a beautiful woman because it is "unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world." He hoped "The Raven" would make him famous, and, in the same essay, stated that he purposely wrote the poem to appeal to both "the popular and the critical taste."

"The Raven" was published in the newspaper The New York Evening Mirror on January 29, 1845 (depending on the source, Poe was paid either $9 or $15 for it). "The Raven" brought Poe instant fame, although not the financial security he was looking for. Critical reception was mixed, with some famous writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Butler Yeats expressing their dislike for the poem. Despite those initial mixed reviews, The Raven poem has continued its popularity and is now one of the most well-known poems in the world. Countless parodies have been written, and the poem has been referenced in everything from The Simpsons to the NFL team the Baltimore Ravens (their mascot is even named "Poe").

Major Themes in "The Raven"

From The Raven summary, we know it's definitely a melancholy poem, and most of its themes revolve around grim topics. Here are three of the most important themes.

Theme 1: Grief

Grief is the overwhelming emotion in "The Raven, " and the narrator is absolutely consumed by his grief for his lost love, Lenore. At the beginning of the poem, he tries to distract himself from his sadness by reading a "volume of forgotten lore", but when the raven arrives, he immediately begins peppering it with questions about Lenore and becomes further lost in his grief at the raven's response of "nevermore." By the end of the poem, the narrator is seemingly broken, stating that his soul will never again be "lifted" due to his sadness.

Poe stated that the raven itself was a symbol of grief, specifically, that it represented "mournful and never-ending remembrance." He purposely chose a raven over a parrot (a bird species better known for its ability to speak) because he thought a raven suited the dark tone of the poem better.

Edgar Allan Poe had experienced a great deal of grief by the time he wrote "The Raven," and he had seen people close to him leave, fall gravely ill, or die. He would have been well aware of the consuming power that grief can have and how it has the ability to blot everything else out.

Theme 2: Devotion

It's the narrator's deep love for Lenore that causes him such grief, and later rage and madness. Even though Lenore has died, the narrator still loves her and appears unable to think of anything but her. In the poem, he speaks of Lenore in superlatives, calling her "sainted" and "radiant." In his mind, she is completely perfect, practically a saint. His love for this woman who is no longer here distracts him from everything in his current life. With this theme, Poe is showing the power of love and how it can continue to be powerful even after death.

Theme 3: Rationality vs Irrationality

At the beginning of the poem, the narrator is rational enough to understand that Lenore is dead and he will not see her again. When the raven first begins repeating "nevermore," he realizes that the answer is the bird's "only stock and store," and he won't get another response no matter what he asks. He seems to even find the bird vaguely amusing.

However, as the poem continues, the narrator's irrationality increases as he asks the raven questions it couldn't possibly know and takes its repeated response of "nevermore" to be a truthful and logical answer. He then descends further into madness, cursing the bird as a "devil" and "thing of evil" and thinking he feels angels surrounding him before sinking into his grief. He has clearly come undone by the end of the poem.

In "The Raven," Poe wanted to show the fine line between rational thought and madness and how strong emotions, such as grief, can push a person into irrationality, even during mundane interactions like the one the narrator had with the raven.

The 7 Key Poetic Devices "The Raven" Uses

Edgar Allan Poe makes use of many poetic devices in "The Raven" to create a memorable and moving piece of writing. Below we discuss seven of the most important of these devices and how they contribute to the poem.

Alliteration

An allusion is an indirect reference to something, and Poe makes multiple allusions in "The Raven." Some key ones include:

The bust of Pallas the raven sits on refers to Pallas Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom.

Nepenthe is a drug mentioned in Homer's ancient epic The Odyssey, and it is purported to erase memories.

The Balm of Gilead is a reference to a healing cream mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah in the Bible.

Aidenn refers to the Garden of Eden, although the narrator likely uses it to mean "heaven" in general, as he wants to know if that's where he and Lenore will reunite.

Ravens themselves are mentioned in many stories, including Norse mythology and Ovid's epic poem Metamorphoses.

The majority of "The Raven" follows trochaic octameter, which is when there are eight trochaic feet per line, and each foot has one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable.

However, Poe actually used several types of meter, and he is said to have based both the meter and rhyming pattern of "The Raven" off Elizabeth Barrett's poem " Lady Geraldine's Courtship." Meter is very prominent in "The Raven," and, along with other poetic devices, helps make it such a popular poem to recite.

The rhyming pattern in "The Raven" follows the pattern ABCBBB. The "B" lines all rhyme with "nevermore" and place additional emphasis on the final syllable of the line.

There is also quite a bit of internal rhyme within the poem, such as the line "But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token," where "unbroken" rhymes with "token."

Internal rhyming occurs in the first line of each stanza. It also occurs in the third line and part of the fourth line of each stanza. In the example "Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!/Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!" "token" and "spoken" in the third line of the stanza rhyme with "unbroken" in the fourth line of the stanza.

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is when the name of a word is associated with the sound it makes, and it occurs throughout "The Raven," such as with the words "rapping," "tapping," "shrieked," and "whispered." It all helps add to the atmospheric quality of the poem and makes readers feel as though they are really in the room with the narrator and the raven.

What's Next?

"Ozymandias" by Percy Shelley is another famous and often-studied poem. Learn all about this poem and its famous line "look on my works, ye mighty, and despair" in our complete guide to Ozymandias .

There are many more poetic devices than those included in "The Raven." Read our guide on the 20 poetic devices you need to know so you can become an expert.

Taking AP Literature? We've got you covered! In our expert guide to the AP Literature exam, we've compiled all the information you need to know about the test and how to study for it to get a top score.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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1.1: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven"

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Here, you will find the "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, a Video Lecture on the text, and a Video of the Reading from The Simpsons.

The essay is is a ..docx file. I recommend either saving to your drive for future use. Otherwise, you will not have the file to look at later. Either way, you should taking notes on the digital copy on your computer, or taking notes on the story on a separate piece of paper.

Author's Bio:

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Within a year, his alcoholic father deserted his mother and three infant children. When his mother died of tuberculosis in Richmond, Virginia, three-year-old Edgar was adopted by John Allan and his wife. Allan, a prosperous businessperson, spent time in England, where Poe began his education at private schools.

Back in the United States, Allan forced Poe to leave the University of Virginia in 1826 when Poe incurred gambling debts he could not pay. He served in the U.S. Army from 1827 to 1829, eventually attaining the rank of sergeant major. Poe next attended West Point, hoping for further military advancement.

Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Allan died of tuberculosis. Poe angrily confronted his foster father about his extramarital affairs; for this candour, he was disowned. Believing that Allan would never reinstate him as heir, Poe deliberately violated rules to provoke his dismissal from the Academy. In 1835, Poe began his career as editor, columnist, and reviewer, earning a living he could not make as a writer of stories and poems. That same year, he married his thirteen-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm, and lived with her and her mother during a period marked by illness and poverty. Virginia died of tuberculosis in 1847. Poe died, delirious, under mysterious circumstances, in 1849.

He perfected the Gothic horror story with “The Fall of the House of Usher” and originated the modern detective story in “The Gold-Bug” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”

While going over the reading , keep these questions/ideas in mind:

• What are some themes/ messages that you see in the text?
• What does this speech make you feel/think of?
• What does a raven represent to you?
• Do you see examples of Ethos(credibility), Pathos(emotion), Logos(Logic), and Kairos (Rhetorical Situation)?
• Do you see examples of the rhetorical strategies from the Rhetorical Strategies PowerPoint?
• What are some ways this text is convincing?
• Can you begin to connect to the words in the text. What about these word choices, imagery, allusion, makes you feel a particular way? Explain.

Essay 1 Prompt

What does it mean.

How does the text use specific rhetorical strategies to deliver its intended theme/message?

TITLE/AUTHOR+THEME +STRATEGIES=Thesis

Requirements:

• Proper MLA Format
• 3-5 pages (Full pages)
• Works Cited Page

Lecture-Rhetoric- "The Raven" 00:08:19

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Essay On The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Literature , Beauty , Poem , Edgar Allan Poe , Death , Love , Poetry , Theater

Published: 01/16/2020

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This free full essay is the property of WowEssays and is meant to be used as an example only. 

The Raven is a dramatic monologue, a narrative poem and one of the most popular poems of Edgar Allan Poe. The poem shows different stages of the speaker’s mood which is pensive and sorrowful throughout as his beautiful beloved has died. Loneliness and alienation as well as beauty and death are the themes of the poem. The speaker is reminiscent of the beauty of his beloved, and also her untimely death. The speaker shouts out in the end, “Leave my loneliness unbroken!” because it also helps him reflect upon himself.

It is certainly a long poem of eighteen stanzas comprising of six lines each. The meter of the poem is trochaic octameter. The poem has a supernatural and grave tone, but a remarkable imagery. The repetition of words like “nothing more” and “nevermore” give the poem a musical lilt and emphasize the rhyming pattern. The setting of the poem seems very Gothic as the speaker lives in a lonely apartment, the fire is dying, and it’s a “bleak December” night. The use of a ‘devil bird’ such as raven also suggests this as it represents death and darkness. It’s a dreary night, the speaker is feeling “weak and weary” and is tormented by the loss of love. Poe creates a spooky and creepy atmosphere of horror and suspense. It’s dark, cold, late and bleak. The rustling sound of the curtains is also sad for him. The protagonist is grieving the loss of his love Lenore, whom he describes as "the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore”. He is visited by a mysterious bird that speaks, but only one word ‘Nevermore’. When he hears some tapping in the house he is startled and has “fantastic terrors never felt before”, but his “soul grew stronger” and he calls out to the visitor, thinking it is Lenore but it is unexpectedly a raven, an overbearing intruder so to say. He describes the raven as “Ghastly grim and ancient” which is an embodiment of grief. He wonders if the bird is a devil or a prophet who can tell whether he and his beloved will ever meet in heaven and if there is “balm in Gilead” meaning respite and hope in future. To this the bird replies ‘Nevermore’ which is the only word it knows. Every time the speaker asks or says something, the bird only responds by saying ‘Nevermore’. This word is used as a refrain at the end of each stanza, giving the lines a different meaning. The speaker assumes that the bird will go away like everyone else and leave him alone the next day. He is drowned in grief for his beloved who is no more and finds it difficult to overcome the loss. Throughout the poem we see the speaker’s depression and the melancholy side is emphasized by the darkness of the cold night of December. With the speakers growing tension revealed in his thoughts and questions, the stanzas become more and more dramatic. Gradually in the poem we observe that he becomes growingly agitated both mentally and physically, the ending of every stanza with “Nevermore” just adds to the despair of his soul. Some critics call the poem one of the bleakest poems written by Poe, because of the negative answers repeated throughout. The poet uses literary devices such as alliterations like ‘while’, ‘weak’ and ‘weary’ in the first line which produces an effect of unsteadiness. The symbol used in the poem is that of the raven itself that has a dark and gloomy countenance similar to the narrator’s mental turmoil. The Bust of Pallas is also symbolic of the goddess of Wisdom and the speaker’s beautiful chamber symbolizes the beauty of his beloved, Lenore. The narrator can’t avoid thinking of his beloved and her memories just add to his pain and sorrow. It’s interesting to see in the poem how the raven stimulates his nostalgia for Lenore and he expresses his grief through the medium of a creature that has no feelings or consciousness. The poet Edgar Allan Poe uses a number of folk and classical references such as the bust of Pallas, night’s Plutonian shore, Gilead, distant Aidenn, etc. The main theme of the poem as we can understand is undying love and devotion of the narrator towards his beloved Lenore, whom he desires to both forget and remember at the same time. He experiences a conflict here that simply adds to his grief. This suggests some ambiguity in the mental state of the narrator as it dwindles between forgetting and remembering. However, he wishes and hopes that one day he will be united with his beloved in heaven. But it’s strange to note that inspite of missing his beloved so intensely, the poet doesn’t describe Lenore in detail in the poem. The other themes in the poem are the death of the young beautiful woman and the helplessness and grief of the narrator. The poem tells of the poet’s remarkable imagination and deft command of the language which he uses so beautifully to bring out the larger meaning of the poem. He uses words such as weary, bleak, dying, mystery, stillness, grave, which contribute to the overall meaning and melancholic tone of the poem. It’s a dramatic poem possessing a tragic element and expressing deep human pain of the loss of love.

The Raven. 2012. ENotes. 6 December 2012. Poe’s Poetry Summary and Analysis. 2012. Gradesaver. 6 December 2012

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“The Raven” Poem by Edgar Allen Poe Research Paper

The Raven is one of the most remarkable poems written by Edgar Allen Poe as it represents the author’s unique style and distinctive narrative where mystery is combined with misery. The work was first published in 1845, revealing the dark gothic atmosphere central for dozens of writers of that period; it has no direct relation to specific events of Poe’s life (Lewis 280). Nevertheless, the poem was written in the first person and resonated with grief every individual could experience.

The Raven is melancholic, and its main theme is a description of the feelings and emotions of an unfortunate person. Indeed, a beloved person’s death is the main reason for the character’s misery, which he lives through without trying to replace it or forget it (Muhilly 227). The main character’s experience with grief is displayed through their thoughts that change from a rational understanding that losses were inevitable in their life to the desire to ask a raven questions. “Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore! Quoth the Raven “Nevermore” (Poe). The main character’s suffering is seen through the dark atmosphere and the hopelessness about the future without their love.

In The Raven, Poe used multiple literary and poetic devices to emphasize the character’s melancholy, hopelessness, and heartbroken sadness. Metaphors and imageries fill the poetry with descriptions that make readers see the pain and grief through phrases such as “rustling of each curtain” (Poe). Furthermore, personification, as the character communicates with a bird, and simile, as they compare experiences to flight, are the literary devices that make the raven a fully engaged participant of the poem (Fletcher 7). Poetic tools include sophisticated internal rhyme and the general ABCBBB scheme. The raven’s “Nevermore” throughout the poem is a repetition that enhances the poem’s lyrical mood and emphasizes the main character’s hopelessness.

Works Cited

Fletcher, Richard M. The Stylistic Development of Edgar Allan Poe . De Gruyter Mouton, 2018.

Lewis, Paul. “The Raven” Imitated, Admired, and Sometimes Mocked.” The Edgar Allan Poe Review, vol. 22, no. 2, 2021, pp. 274-311.

Muhilly, Maryann. “A Raven Named Grip: How a Bird Inspired Two Famous Writers, Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe.” The Catholic Library World, vol. 92, no. 3, 2022, pp. 227-228.

Poe, Edgar Allan. The Raven . Poetry Foundation, n. d.

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IvyPanda. (2023, November 29). "The Raven" Poem by Edgar Allen Poe. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-raven-poem-by-edgar-allen-poe/

""The Raven" Poem by Edgar Allen Poe." IvyPanda , 29 Nov. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/the-raven-poem-by-edgar-allen-poe/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '"The Raven" Poem by Edgar Allen Poe'. 29 November.

IvyPanda . 2023. ""The Raven" Poem by Edgar Allen Poe." November 29, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-raven-poem-by-edgar-allen-poe/.

1. IvyPanda . ""The Raven" Poem by Edgar Allen Poe." November 29, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-raven-poem-by-edgar-allen-poe/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""The Raven" Poem by Edgar Allen Poe." November 29, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-raven-poem-by-edgar-allen-poe/.

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Artist Statement

The relationship between the being and the object is a complicated one. I am unraveling the silent dialogue between individuals and the furniture they interact with daily – as a channel for human interaction. My fascination lies in the subtle nuances of body language as it intertwines with the utilitarian aspects of furniture. Ultimately my work serves as a reflection of the human experience – exploring connection, intimacy, and the intrinsic value of the objects that shape our lives.