Question

How do the formal properties of Poe’s poem (rhythm, meter, rhyme, alliteration, assonance, repetition) relate to the poem’s meaning? How did readers in his time understand this poem? How does "The Raven" participate in 19th-century cultures of mourning? What exactly happens in "The Raven," and how does the plot unfold? How do we chart the speaker’s transformation over the course of the poem? What are Poe’s own ideas about poetry, and how did he explain the workings of "The Raven"?

Answer 1

"The Raven" is a poem by American author Edgar Allan Poe. The poem was published in 1845, and became an instant sensation due to its many striking characteristics.

The poem employs rhyme in a way that provides an extremely musical tone to the work. Moreover, the language is vivid and stylized, and Poe employs imagery that creates a supernatural atmosphere. This allows the many devices employed (alliteration, assonance, repetition, etc.) to contribute to the meaning of the poem.

Moreover, "The Raven" reflects many of the common topics of the time. The death of beautiful women due to consumption is a common theme during this time period. The poem appeals both to ideas of the Romantic, as well as to the culture of mourning that developed around such deaths. In the poem, a young student receives the visit of a raven, which keeps reminding him of the recent death of his girlfriend. The poem traces the man's descent into madness. The development of the poem and the ideas that Poe had about it are explained carefully in his text "The Philosophy of Composition."