The Raven Argumentative Essay
“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” – Edgar Allan Poe.
Inhumed in the words that each of us writes is a set of fundamental beliefs, morals, or other such human elements, and these are impacted by the beliefs and morals of those in the world around us. He’s saying that truly beguiling writing stems from the devastation, desolation, and suffering of this purgatory world that no on has yet made out alive. ‘The Raven’ is another piece by Poe, and is an immensely enthralling, thought-provoking, andhonest yet also possibly supernatural, narrative poem which was published in January, 1845. Throughout this poem,Edgar intricately uses imagery, suspense, and his own personal internal conflict to explain the inexplicable; within each and every person is a sentence – and if it is spoken – it has the power to obliterate their lives. The man in the poem was much like his author; doleful, eerie, and maybe even a little bit mad.
This specific piece of his conveys and explains Poe’s anguish into something that compels and haunts his audience because of it’s captivating horror. Overall, this is a legendary poem in which Edgar often uses literary and poetic devices to set a suspenseful and somber mood for his readers. First off, Poe uses imagery in the poem to help set the mood. “Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, and each separate dying ember wrought it’s ghost upon the floor.” Specifically, the words “bleak December” and “dying ember wrought it’s ghost upon the floor” by using words that automatically make people think of loss, bad weather, or gives them the creeps. Another example being, “And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me – filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating ‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door – Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; – This it is, and nothing more,’ Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, `Sir,’ said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, That I scarce was sure I heard you’ – here I opened wide the door; – Darkness there, and nothing more.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!’ This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!’ Merely this and nothing more.” (Edgar Allan Poe Stanzas three through five)The opening line of the stanza consists of consonance, alliteration, and internal rhyme, then the speaker was so intrigued but also slightly afraid of the curtains flittering and Poe does not let his audience in on why. Though there are a few theories, them being comprised of demonic movement of the curtains, which would cause the most stalwart individual to mutter to himself, or the he could be delirious. Eventually and reluctantly, the narrator gathers his backbone to speak to the “visitor” at his door. He opens the door and stares into only darkness and then starts dreaming about the unattainable and murmurs, “Lenore.
” “Lenore” is reiterated back to the man and the poem has begun to fully disclose a sense of the agony and heartsickness experienced by the narrator. He eternally yearns for his lost love so prodigiously that he begins whispering her name, perilously apprehensive for her response. Edgar’s readers are left with a cliffhanger: does the man actually hear Lenore or is he just crazed? In conclusion, Poe impeccably concocted and contrived imagery through persistent actualizing of a grotesque verity. Secondly, ‘The Raven’ is in the genre of Gothic Romantic so in this writing when Poe chose suspense as one of his literary devices to implicate into his poetry it was not surprising. His repetition of the word “Nevermore” creates a discerning feeling of insecurity and enthrall throughout each verse. In stanzas three through five (In paragraph two) the narrator’s setting of a bleak December, alone at night, and eerie tapping on his door with no answer planted a seed of fear.
After the man finally opens the door, speaks to the darkness, and hears a reply of his dead love, the question left is she truly there, or is the man deranged? He created suspense when he brought a practicable ghost reincarnated or possible madman into the picture. Ensuingly when he begins talking to the raven more thrill was composed because of the conflict of the raven’s perchance of being evil. “Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, Though its answer little meaning – little relevancy bore; For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door – Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door, With such name as `Nevermore.’ But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only, That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. Nothing further then he uttered – not a feather then he fluttered – Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before – On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.
‘ Then the bird said, `Nevermore.’ Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, `Doubtless,’ said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store, Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore – Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore Of “Never-nevermore.”‘ (Edgar Allan Poe, Stanza 9) Lastly, Edgar’s internal conflict with himself has taken major part in this poem. As a child, his father abandoned him and his mother died a year later, so he was soon put into a similar environment with his new adoptive father being a gambler. Later in life, his sadness continued with him, and he became a chronic alcoholic and opium abuser.
Despite his fame and wealth from all of his writing success, it meant nothing to him, he didn’t write for other people’s entertainment, Poe would write for himself and for other people’s ignorance and arrogance. In this poem, the protagonist is mourning for his loss of someone he seemed to have loved, a woman named Lenore. Edgar saw the world in a way not many do, and some call him crazy, but others think of him as realistic; his morbid and cynical point of view. Edgar Allan Poe once said, “I was never insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched.” (Edgar Allan Poe) The man’s loss in ‘The Raven’ seemed to have driven him mad, he was no longer sane and it was because Lenore had died, he could not handle such a horrific idea, and the worst part is it was no longer just an idea, it became the man’s reality. His loss became too much to bear, the opium abuse and drinks became endless; he was trying to kill his sadness.
Conclusively, ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allan Poe is a tremendously significant and intriguing piece of poetry. His use of imagery makes his audience enamored to his details, making them feel as if they were in the room with him. When Poe used suspense it made the overall poem much more dark, almost evil. His internal conflict was the reason he was writing ‘The Raven’ in the first place, and he believed writing doesn’t hurt you. “If a poem hasn’t ripped apart your soul; you haven’t experienced poetry.
(Edgar Allan Poe) This poem’s mood is bleak but his use of suspense make it absolutely riveting. Edgar Allan Poe went through a lot, and his poetry meant something important; his poetry hurts.
