Introduction
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe tells a story of maddening grief and the inability to cope with losing a loved one. The poem’s protagonist, who remains unnamed, is gripped by reading, trying to distract himself from the death of the woman he loved, Lenore. On a dreary December night, he hears knocking on a door and goes to open it, expecting a late visitor.
There is no one behind the door, only the echo of the speaker’s own utterance. The knocking continues immediately on the window. Expecting the sound to be caused by the wind, the speaker opens the window, through which a raven flies into the room. Relieved, the host jokingly asks the bird for its name. The raven replies: “Nevermore.” The speaker is in shock, trying to converse with the creature. His attempts at the communication end in futility, and he banishes the raven into the night. Poe’s paramount poem excels due to its ominous tone, unique composition, stark imagery, and rich figurative language.
Analysis
Tone
The poem is riddled with mystery, thrill, grief, and slight inclusions of horror. The subject matter largely determines the tone of the text. Poe pictures a character consumed by grief, which is evident in the second stanza: “From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore” (19). Opening the door and finding no one knocking, he whispers the woman’s name into the darkness of wintery midnight. The speaker’s madness seeps onto the pages, made apparent by the constant line repetition. Additionally, the author describes the occurrence as a mystery in the sixth stanza (Poe et al. 20). The poem’s mystery and thrill are progressive, growing as the conversation between the speaker and the raven continues.
Rhythm
The poem’s unique rhythm adds to the never-ending sense of grief. The rhyme usually falls on the sound -or, as seen in the repeating words “Lenore,” “Nevermore,” and “forevermore” (Poe et al. 19-23). The author utilizes the trochaic octameter, a compositional pattern that alternates the stress every sixteen syllables. However, this composition does not dictate the entirety of the poem’s rhythm. In fact, each stanza ends abruptly on a stressed sound -or. By mixing the approach to composition, Poe achieves an effective way to reflect the perpetuating feeling of sorrow through literary composition.
Imagery
The poem uses stark imagery to convey the tone and theme of grief further. The text has three primary images: the raven, the chamber, and the bust of Athena. The raven represents the finality of Lenore’s existence. By constantly repeating “Nevermore,” the raven communicates that the speaker’s love is forever gone, breaking his inner desire for Lenore’s return from the underworld. The connection to the underworld is also apparent through the words “Night’s Plutonian shore,” as Pluto is the ancient Roman god of the said realm (Poe et al. 21). The image of Athena’s bust strengthens the link to the mythological inspiration behind the text. The bird sits on the wisdom goddess’s statue, representing how grief poisons the speaker’s rational mind. Finally, the chamber represents the mental prison grief that drove the protagonist to. He is trapped externally, locked off in the chamber, and internally, never letting go of the lament.
Figurative Language
The poem’s imagery is inseparable from its figurative language. The poem’s primary figurative vehicle is symbolism, as the major images of the poem signify something beyond themselves (Syafitri and Marlinton 48). For example, the raven is a manifestation of the protagonist’s grief, whereas the bust of Athena symbolizes his rationality and clarity of mind. These symbols, however, can refer to numerous meanings beyond themselves due to their complexity. For instance, the chamber can be interpreted as a prison or a shelter that shields the protagonist from the reality of death. Conversely, it can be argued that it signifies the speaker’s rationality, much like the goddess’s bust.
Additionally, the author employs multiple allusions to Greek, Roman, and Christian mythology. As discussed above, the image of Athena and the raven’s connection to Pluto clearly refer to the mythos outside the poem’s realm. The link to Christianity is observed in the depiction of Lenore’s afterlife and allusions to the Garden of Eden: “Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn/ It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore” (Poe et al. 23). References to Christianity also include the mention of Gilead, a place in Palestine significant to the biblical story.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is a masterfully crafted story about never-ending grief for a death of a loved one. The author employs dark and mysterious images to convey the overflowing sorrow of the protagonist. The raven, the bust of Athena, and the speaker’s chamber are the focal symbols of the poem, representing a perpetual struggle to escape anguish. The poem’s ominous, mysterious, and slightly nightmarish tone is emphasized by its language and structure. Stuck in the everlasting cycle of sorrow, the protagonist never stops lamenting, thus he remains haunted by the raven.
Works Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan, et al. The Raven. Harper & Brothers, 1884. Web.
Syafitri, Dewi, and Melisa Marlinton. “An analysis of figurative language used in Edgar Allan Poe’s poems.” Linguistic, English Education and Art Journal 2.1, 2018: 43-59.