The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe (1845)

The Raven is a narrative poem written by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe tells the story of an
unnamed narrator who is saddened by the death of the woman he loved. The first couple of
stanzas establish the setting, and the narrators grief. The poem starts off with Once upon a
midnight dreary, which allows the reader to infer that the narrator is looking back on a certain
moment. As the narrative progresses, the reader is given more details of the setting. With the help
of phrases such as bleak December, from my books, my chamber door, a visual of a man
in his chamber or study during a cold December is set. Poe also creates an ominous atmosphere
for his uncanny poem. The author establishes the ominous mood by using the words midnight
dreary, chamber, by using these words he sets an eerie feel to the poem. The conflict of the
poem is an internal one, between the narrator and his mind. The narrator is dealing with the
sadness and suffering brought on by his dead lover, Lenore, that the raven is a reflection of his
grief and insanity. The Raven continues to repeat those dreaded words nevermore, leaving the
narrator in heartache. One of the several themes for this poem is being unable to let go. Even
though the narrator delves himself in books he can never get over his love, Lenore. He tries to
move on, but is left depressed. He even envisions the Raven to remind himself of her. The Raven
symbolizes the narrators angst and his state of mind. By asking rhetorical questions, the narrator
is torturing himself. These literary devices contributed to Poes writing.