The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe - 1334 Words

Beatriz Castro Professor Gary Smith English 1302 10/31/2012 Symbolism in â€Å"The Raven† Edgar Allan Poe was highly criticized throughout his life whether it was for his high achievements or his downfalls; he always seemed to be talked about. Poe was born in January 19, 1809; his mother died shortly after being abandoned by his father leaving him and his brothers’ orphans at an early age. Poe was taken by John and Francis Allan. With the help of his foster parents he was later able to attend the University of Virginia where he studied French, Spanish, Italian, and Latin, and had an excellent scholastic record. He soon was not able to pay for tuition and started gambling and drinking. His foster father would not pay his â€Å"debts of†¦show more content†¦This also says a lot about the level of sanity of the student. â€Å"A more rigorous reading suggests that the ravens Nevermore does not provide even the ostensible answer the speaker reads into it† (Freedman, 1). With this quote it is clear that the level of sanity of the student is suffering f rom the loss of his lover Lenore. The loss of his lover is what drives the student to see the raven as a prophet something far more than what he really is. The bust of Pallas is also a symbol in the poem â€Å"The Raven†. Pallas is Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom. â€Å"But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door† (Poe, 599). There was a statue of Athena right outside the student’s door. It is not merely a coincidence that Poe decides to position the raven perched upon the bust of Pallas a statue that represents wisdom. This helps signify the importance of the raven on this poem and that of the statue. This statue brings upon a sense of knowledge; so as the raven positions himself on it, it can be understood as to why the student would consider the bird to be far more than just an animal. This statue being located right in front of his house could symbolize the wisdom and answers the student desperately needs. Despite the fact that the narrator, the student, knew that the raven was speaking out of repetition he had the belief, orShow MoreRelatedThe Raven By Edgar Allan Poe849 Words   |  4 Pagesnarrator of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe experiences this void after the loss of his love Lenore. The narrator is isolated from the world until a raven appears before him. The events and dialogue that follow are what makes The Raven such a legendary piece of literature. The gothic poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is an example of repetition and shift. With the help of repetition and shift, Poe’s use of diction gives the reader clarity to the meaning of the poem. Nevermore, the answer the Raven gives theRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe (the Raven)1496 Words   |  6 PagesEdgar Allan Poes The Raven Poes The Raven is not only an American classic, its a favorite of high school students around the world, as well as their teachers. That being said, its still poetry and therefore can be difficult to understand. Read this summary to review the contents and get a better understanding. * Stanzas: 1-2 Make everyone in class think youre really smart when you bust out everything youve learned in this summary: Stanza 1:  Its late. The poems speaker is tiredRead MoreThe Raven By Edgar Allan Poe1062 Words   |  5 PagesWritten by Edgar Allan Poe, â€Å"The Raven† is a famous short poem known for the dark fantasy that it portrays. From the mindset of a first person narrative, one may experience the tale through the eyes of a haunted man who is in mourning for the death of his beloved Lenore. As this man sits in his chamber, within a dark and dreary December night, a â€Å"raven of the saintly days of yore† visits him. The raven is no ordinary bird, for it is like a ghost, silent, yet it answers every inquiry the man presentsRead MoreThe Raven By Edgar Allan Poe964 Words   |  4 Pages Essay 1 In the poem â€Å"The Raven†, Edgar Allan Poe expresses a current state of drunkenness, drug use, and depression as existing in a dark and dreary prison like setting, tormented by the memories of a lost love. Poe’s literary career was undoubtedly influenced by the many tragedies he suffered in his life. These misfortunes are evident in the correlation between his characters in his writings and real life events. It is clear that Poe had a problematic life from a young age; he struggled with mentalRead MoreThe Raven, By Edgar Allan Poe Essay1741 Words   |  7 Pagesprominent writer of the horror fiction genre would be Edgar Allan Poe, well known for writing The Raven, who would be the most recognizable and most established horror writer. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809 and was the middle child of three children. At the age of 3, both of his parents died and was then taken in by a tobacco merchant by the name of John Allan in Richmond, Virginia. John Allan wanted Poe to be a businessman but Edgar was by no means a businessman. By the age of 13Read MoreThe Raven By Edgar Allan Poe1157 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Raven† is a fictional poem written by Edgar Allan Poe in which the audience witnesses the narrator’s gradual change from a weary scholar to grieving lover. While falling asleep, he suddenly hears a tap at his chamber door. In alarm, the scholar tries to reason with himself and explain away the soft tapping. Eventually, he gains courage, opens the door, and finds it void of anyone. The narrator immediately wonders if it is perhaps his lost love, Lenore waiting for him, yet the only answer toRead MoreThe Raven By Edgar Allan Poe Essay1073 Words   |  5 Pages The poem I selected is â€Å"The Raven† written by popular American writer, Edgar Allan Poe. I chose this poem because of previous memories of reading several of Edgar Allan Poe’s writings. I remember in 8th grade when my teacher introduced the whole class to a short story called â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†. I loved the poem a lot, I liked how gory, detailed, and interesting it was. It went perfectly for the time of year it was, which was October. Soon after we were done reading the poem, the whole grade wentRead MoreThe Raven By Edgar Allan Poe945 Words   |  4 Pageshad to experience hardly any grief in my life. Everyone is different which results in everyone having their own way that they deal with grief. The way that Edgar Allan Poe describes grief and the way that Emily Dickinson describes grief is both different and similar. Poe’s famous poem titled â€Å"The Raven† is a great example of how Edgar Allan Poe writes about grief. The poem is about the grief of the narrator during the loss of the love of his life, Lenore. The narrator’s opening statement in theRead MoreThe Raven By Edgar Allan Poe1900 Words   |  8 Pagesall expectations and thoughts on poetry. His name is Edgar Allan Poe. He brought a lot more to the scene than just poetry, and that is what he is well known for. His poetry was more than just writing; they were dark stories that somehow resembled to him in some way. He wrote great works such as, â€Å"Eldorado†, â€Å"A Dream†, and â€Å"Alone.† All of those poems are great, but there is two that stand out far greater than all of them: â€Å"Annabel Lee† and â€Å"The Raven.† They share a similar story-line, but different popularityRead MoreThe Raven By Edgar Allan Poe Essay2246 Words   |  9 Pagesthat directly connects you to a well-known poem by Edgar Allan Poe. â€Å"The Raven† is a literary work that has gone down in ages as being a timeless classic that transcends your senses as you dive into this sinister tale. Poe had a life of hardships but still was able to prevail in life becoming a great writer writing many poems and stories that are mysterious and prevalent today. â€Å"The Raven† has many displaced factors that make it seem as though Poe is truly referencing his life throughout the work