Forgotten Lore In The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

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“The Raven” is a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe about an unnamed narrator who is trying to forget the death of his beloved Lenore by reading “forgotten lore” by a dying fire. He hears a tapping noise at his chamber door but when he checks it, there’s no one there. He soon realizes the tapping is coming from the window. When he goes to investigate the noise a raven flutters into his chamber and perches on a “bust of Pallas above the door”. The narrator asks the bird his name and surprisingly the bird replies “Nevermore”. The narrator continues to ask the bird questions, in which the bird replies with “Nevermore”. The narrator reasons that the bird learned this word from an unhappy master and it’s the only word the raven knows. He wonders out…show more content…
It also lets the reader know the mental state of the narrator. He is described as “weak and weary”. This poem is set at midnight and the narrator was falling asleep. This can imply that the narrator could’ve fallen asleep and dreamt the whole scenario. We then learn that the narrator has lost his wife, Lenore, and is trying desperately to forget her by reading, so he can end his sorrow. Again, Poe describes December as “bleak” giving us another impression that this story is going to be…show more content…
The Raven symbolizes the remembrance of death. It is unforgettable, especially for those we hold closest to our hearts. Just as the bird came into the narrator’s house without permission, death is an intruder in our lives. The phrase “Night’s Plutonian Shore”, is where the narrator believes the raven came from, implying that the raven is a demon. The Bust of Pallas is where the raven perches. Pallas Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, given the raven wisdom. Poe uses lots of imagery in this poem. He tells us that he hears a “tapping’, “rapping” at his chamber door. The “silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain”. The Raven is described as an ebony bird. Poe uses personification when he describes his soul floating on the floor, and shall be lifted nevermore. He became frightened by the raven tapping at his chamber door and described his fear like the soul escaping his body and feeling nothing. He also used personification when he gave the bird the ability to speak and say “Nevermore”. Alliteration is also used in this poem when the narrator describes himself as “weak and weary” and how he was “nodding, nearly napping”. He also describes his “lost Lenore” as “rare and radiant”. The narrator tells us he was “doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal dared to dream
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