The Raven Literary Analysis

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston. He wrote extensively throughout his life, completing one novel and many short stories and poems. Although some writers have criticized his work, others, especially Europeans, consider him one of North America's greatest literary figures. "The Raven" is one of the poems that he wrote by using many old English words. This poem is about a poet feeling tired and sad on a dark December night. While he is reading old books to escape his grief over the death of his love, Lenore. He hears a rapping on his door. He wonders who is visiting so late, but when he opens the door, he sees no one. He hears only a voice saying "Lenore." He calls out, "Lenore?" but there is no answer. He hears the knock again, and this time he sees a raven, which flies in and sits on the head of a statue over the door. When asked its name, the raven says, "Nevermore." The poet wonders what the raven means. Is it to comfort him? Is it to frighten him? The poet tells the raven to leave, but the bird refuses and remains forever above the poet's door.

The tone or mood of "The Raven" are sad, melancholy, suspense and mysterious. The literary devices used in this poem are assonance, rhyme scheme, repetition, and alliteration. Assonance is repeat of vowel sound in a line of words. An example from "The Raven" is '…the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore." Rhyme scheme is the use of identical sounds in some part of a poem, usually at the end of words or lines of verse. For example, "dreary, weary, lore, tapping, door, door, and more" rhyme words at the ends of the verses in the first stanza of the poem. Alliteration is the repetition of beginning consonant sounds in a literary work. An example from the poem is "As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."

I like the rhymes at the end of each stanza. Those word sounds similar that made me easy to remember it. The mood of the poem puts me in a scared, confused feeling. Because the author used the old English so I don't understand at the beginning. But after we had discussed in the class, I understand it and learned more English.