Main Motives in The Raven by E.A.Poe - Essay Example

The Raven Written by Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven is a narrative poem which was published in 1845, and is known to be one of the poems with the strongest musicality, language and a supernatural atmosphere. The poem narrates about a talking raven that set off to a mysterious visit to a worried lover who was a student and was grieving the loss of his love. Sitting with him, the raven seems to further prompt the lover’s distress by constantly repeating the word “nevermore”. On many such occasions, the writer has used immense folk and classical references which enriched the poem. The writer has used many of the attributes to include in his poem logically and methodically, and intended to create a poem that would attract to both critical and popular tastes. This is seen in the critical analysis of the poem discussing the literary review of the poem (Schlegel 48). The writer has used many melodic and dramatic qualities to form the writing and which is why the poem is notable till today and is Poe’s most famous poem. The meter of the poem has mostly eight stressed-unstressed two-syllable feet per lines. The rhyme scheme has been combined with the ABCBBB end rhyme and there is a frequent use of the internal rhyme. All this and the refrain of the phrases “nothing more” and “nevermore” that are constantly used are giving the poem a musical rhythm which is prominent when read aloud. The writer has also emphasized further on metaphors and the sound of “O” in some words such as “Lenore” (the name of the lost love of the student) and “nevermore” in order to create the melancholy and lonely sound of the lover who is mourning over his love, and this is how the writer has established the overall atmosphere (Lippmann). The whole use of musical tone and repetitive sounds gives a clear circular sense to the poem and these attributes have contributed to the unity of effect, that according to Poe, is where each and every word of the poem and every line adds up to the larger meaning of the poem. On the other hand, the unnamed narrator has been appeared in a typical Gothic setting in a lonely apartment studying his books and trying to distract himself from his troubles. He thinks of Lenore but most of the times try to control his emotions and in an effort to do so, he is tired and, hence, becomes slow and pacified (Zimmerman 112). However, as the narration unfolds, the character becomes more and more restless in terms of both, his mind and his actions. He demonstrates a progression through his rationalizations and through his increasingly exclamation-ridden monologue. In every stanza towards the end, the writer has used similes and however, his exclamations are written down in a key tone which describes and reflects the despair of his soul. Through poetry, the writer has described many of the characteristics of the protagonist and his memories. As the story unfolds the writer delivers the memories of the deceased love of the protagonist. The writer has made the death of the deceased woman aesthetic and the narrator is unable to let go off her memories. The narrator asks the raven for ‘balm in Gilead’ and spiritual salvation, and talks about Lenore in the afterlife, but the raven tends to confirm his worst suspicions and rejects his supplications. The writer has created a spiritual atmosphere and the aspects including the fear of death and the usage of alliterations to form his poetry. Furthermore, the spiritual atmosphere has been enhanced by using the facts that the narrator does not mourn or cry over his deceased as he is confident that he will meet her in the heavens. To form the poetry, the writer has used many of the alliterations and the tone that creates a poetic feel (Lippmann 75). The choice of the characters and the memories that are created regarding those characters are also an appropriate characteristic of the poem. The choice of the writer of a raven as the bearer of the bad news seems to be proper for many reasons. Originally the writer thought that only a dumb beast was capable enough to create the human like sounds without understanding the word’s meaning. Other thoughts on the animal included the use of a parrot. Thus, in this sense, the choice of a raven seemed to be very important as it allowed the narrator to be both the deliverer and the interpreter of the disturbing message without the existence of a manifestly supernatural intrusion. At the same time, the delivery of the classical references given in the poetry by the writer includes the raven’s black feather that has traditionally been considered as a magical sign of ill omen. It is also featured that the writer is referring to the Norse methodology where Odin, the god had two ravens that were named Hugin and Munin meaning ‘thought’ and ‘memory’. The narrator is known to be a student and, thus, he follows Hugin, and Munin continually interrupts his thoughts taking in the poem a physical form which alludes to Athena, the Greek goddess of learning. The critics appraised the referencing and the use of classical thoughts by the poet and made it one of the best poems (Kennedy 13). Due to the poem’s setting in the climax and to the narrator’s mental confusion, the poem has called the narrator’s reliability into question. As the poem started, the narrator attempted to give his experiences a rational explanation, but as the climax unfolded, he has been close down to give the raven any interpretation that lies beyond that which he invents in his own mind. Each figure of the poetry describes the Marxist theory and represents its respective characters and their subconscious that instinctively understands the need to obsess and to mourn. Feminist views are also discussed in the mythology of the memories and the explanation of the feminine character that has passed away. In this way, the writer has created a poem that enriches and enhances the views of feminism and poetry. Works Cited Kennedy, Gerald. A Historical Guide to Edgar Allan Poe. USA: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print. Lippmann, Babette. Edgar Allan Poe - "The Philosophy of Composition": An Analysis of His Work. Germany: GRIN Verlag, 2007. Print. Schlegel, Christian. Edgar Allan Poe: The Raven - An Analysis. Germany: GRIN Verlag, 2007. Print. Zimmerman, Brett. Edgar Allan Poe: Rhetoric and Style. Canada: McGill-Queens, 2005. Print. Read More