Question

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Philosophy of Composition," what does Poe means when he created a contrast of the bird first appears in "The Raven"? A. By placing the black bird on a marble statue. B. By having the dark bird come in through a sunny window. C. By having the black bird come in from the dark night. D. By showing the bird's red eyes that later become brown.

Answer 1

A. By placing the black bird on a marble statue.

Answer 2

Answer:

A.

Explanation:

In his essay, Edgar Allan Poe, outlined some rules to be followed to create a good piece of literature. The irony related with this essay is that Poe himself actually never followed these outlines. This essay was first published in 1846, by Poe's friend, George Rex Graham. The rules laid by Poe in his essay were:

1. Length- the piece of literary work should not be very lengthy that it cannot be read in one sitting. For, if the reading is interrupted the work might lose its essence.
2. Unity of effect- To keep the work original.
3. A logical method.

To illustrate the use of his rules, he took the example of his poem "The Raven", how he had used the rules in the poem and framed a work that not only appeals its readers but also its critics.

The contrast that Poe had made in his poem "The Raven" is by placing the plumage on the bust of Pallas.

(Excerpt from his "The Philosophy of Composition" to prove my statement:

"I made the bird alight on the bust of Pallas, also for the effect of contrast between the marble and the plumage—it being understood that the bust was absolutely suggested by the bird—the bust of Pallas being chosen, first, as most in keeping with the scholarship of the lover, and, secondly, for the sonorousness of the word, Pallas, itself.")