Hugh

Sorensen
poetry
10/29/15
The Raven: review
The poem is named the raven due to poe's dark literary voice and the symbol of death
the raven represents. some believe the raven is about the loss of his wife virginia when he wed
in his 20s when she was only 13. personally I think the raven represents the grief he faces
during his loss, and in the end of the story the raven's shadow casts over the man and
consumes him which represents grief consuming him.
The poem starts out with this lonely man drowning in his sorrow pondering the loss of his
recently departed wife Lenore. as his thoughts grow more intense he hears a whisper from
outside and paces to his chamber door only to stare out into the darkness. he continues to stare
and out of nowhere a raven flies in and purchase itself on top of the chamber door in front of a
light. casting his shadow upon him, the man begins to take the raven as a sign of death and
begins talking to it. every time the man asked a question the raven would taunt him and only
reply with nevermore. the poem escalates and raises in suspense up to the point where the
raven's shadow has completely swallowed his mind, the raven remains perched above the
chamber door.