Mercedes Zuniga Essays (779 words) - Literature, Fiction

Mercedes Zuniga Professor Juarez English 1B: 9363 May 11, 2017 Poetry Analysis In the poem, "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, the setting is described in such a manner that it leaves one with the feel of anxiety and curiosity. It is made known that the narrator is home alone at night, trying to forget about his never-ending sadness for the loss of his desist wife, Lenore. H e believes that she is st ill with him and so the rustling curtains and mysterious knocking seems to oddly excite him. He even later thinks he hears his beloved's footsteps and smells her perfume. His grief is affecting hi s mind into thinking that Lenore is in fact with him , when really she is gone. It is understandable to assume that the pain one goes through when such tragedies occur is immense but , who knew the hurt could be ever so large to make one become mad . Throughout the poem, "The Raven" , there is evidence of loneliness, an evil spirit and madness . It appears to have been hard for the speak er to handle Lenore's death and that has unbalance d his emotional and mental state. As the poem goes on, the narrator gets carried away with his imagination when he believes he has witnessed a talking raven . This raven is described black and is commonly viewed as a symbol for evil, death and even the supernatural. Wh ile trying to cope with his loss , the raven only comes to crush the narrato r's hopes of ever being with Lenore again . "What this grim, ungainly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore Meant in croaking "Nevermore."" (71-72). The raven is not only symbolizing death; it is symbolizing a death without heaven. If there isn't a heaven, then death simply jus t means the end with no afterlife. The raven makes the narrator feel unease with the constant reminder of what happens after death. The raven even has a scary looking feature to him that makes him wonder if it really is just a bird or some sort of devil, as Poe has noted, " And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming " (105). The end image of the bird is quite different from his beginning entrance. In the beginning he just flew in as a normal bird would and in the end he is seen as a demon with burning eyes. The narrator is now completely terrified with the bird, as he's now the symbol of pure evil. The raven is everywhere in the poem, with only repeating one word over and over again. The famous line being, "Quote the Raven, Nevermore ." ( 48) . As this word is being said to him continuously, it begins to destroy him, and turns him from a sad, anxious guy into an insane man experiencing hallucinations. He can't seem to admit to himself that his beloved has passed on and for that reason he asks the raven questions. "Tell this soul with sorrow laden if within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore" (93-94) . Questions that he knew would be answered with nevermore', but he hoped for Lenore's wellbeing. For even j ust the thought that maybe death isn't permanent. From a connotative perspective, it is possible to say that the raven's v oice was all along an illusion the narrator experience d. Going mad from grief is a very powerful theme all throughout the poem. The grief the narrator undergoes is caused by the loneliness and separation he feels for the loss of his wife. When the bird says nevermore' for the first time he thinks it's nonsense but after a while the bird convinces him into thinking what he is saying is true. The horrifying pr ophecy startles the speaker and leads him to the edge of insanity. "And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted - nevermore!" (107-108). The narrator's insanity can also be blamed on th e setting in which the poem takes place. As he is in the house, all alone,