The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Kimberly Sherrer

Rodgers

English 102

28 November 2015

“The Raven”

        “The Raven”, by Edgar Allan Poe is a narrative poem about a man who is upset and trying to cope with the death of a woman that he loved. The speaker has a weary, sorrowful state threw out the entire poem. The bird quotes the words “Nevermore” which we can assume that this is a sign of hopelessness that Poe is trying to convey to the readers. The poem tells of a lost love, and a raven who brings back memories of a lost love. The narrator of the poem is a lonely man as a result of this love lost and finds company in a raven that he fears will be gone by morning.

        The raven arrives at the man’s door as he seeks comforts in books and try’s to occupy his mind while it is great despair and loneliness. He answers the door while he whispers Lenore. The raven has a dark shadow which leads to the gloom and sets the sadness for the poem. Nevermore is the only word that is known to the bird and this delivers a hopeless and does not inspire anything but darkness to the man. The man ask many painful questions knowing that the bird will answer “Nevermore”. The predictable answer provokes the grieving lover to a state of madness. The man then ask bluntly whether his soul would be reunited in heaven and he receives the answer “Nevermore”.  “The Raven” Is almost a nightmare type poem and could have many interpretations.

        “The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe uses repetition and alliteration almost trying to mesmerize the reader into the darkness that he is trying to portray. The poem is also very descriptive so that the reader can empathize with the man in the poem. The overall mood is quickly established with the setting when Poe says that the “midnight dreary” and the setting was established with “bleak December”.  “Weak and weary”, the man also seems trapped almost in his furnished prison.

        This bleak look at a lover’s loss can show us the grim despair one may feel at the loss of a loved one. One’s mind can play tricks on us and almost overtake us as we live our lives. You can see that this man is hurting and is just looking for a glare of light and hopes for morning to come. When he demands the bird be gone and to quit torturing his heart he then goes into a state of madness as anyone can and gives up all hope. When someone gives their all to someone and then that love is gone it leaves a whole in your heart that can take over the persons mind and lead him to a questioning state of madness. Our mind is what affects our life and can control our well being and our overall happiness.