Edgar Allan Poe is regarded as
one of the most influential poets of the 19th century. HIs poem, “The Raven”
stands the test of time and is one of his most important works. Through his use
of allusions, cadence, and rhyme scheme, Poe creates a work that instills
fear and suspense into the heart of his readers.
"The Raven" is dark and
dreary poem about the loss of a loved one. It starts in the room of the
narrator in bleak December at midnight, described by scholar Darlene Harbour
Unrue as the "death phase of the solar day and of the year" (117).
She goes on to say this is "dramatized by darkness and wind and silence
save for the mysterious tapping" (117). This sets the poem up to be dark
and as the reader finds out later on, depressing. The narrator is lost in world
of sorrow after the loss of his loved one, Lenore. He buries himself in books
in order to steal away from the pain. He revisits the pain once the bird enters
his chamber room. At first, he finds the raven to be "stately" and
with "mien of lord or lady" (Smith 56). The bird perches itself upon
the Pallas bust, high above the room, giving itself a sense of wisdom and
purpose. The narrator was so intrigued by the bird it begins to ask it
questions, to receive the answer "Nevermore". Being confused by his
company, he pressed the issue, still receiving the answer
"Nevermore". This word made him remember that Lenore was gone and she
shall nevermore be with. He continues to interrogate the raven, who he has
decided has been sent by some angels to tell him of the fate of his lost
Lenore, and even though he knows the answer will be the bird's "only stock
and store". This poem shows the madness that the narrator slowly slips into
due to the loss of his loved one and that the raven, whether the bird was real
or the bird was part of a nightmare, was but the messenger that sealed the fate
of his lost Lenore.
Poe, though a
Romanticist, has allusions to Classical literature within this poem. The
narrator, though never explicitly stated, is intended to be a scholar; the
evidence that suggests this lies in him reading books of "lore" and
that the bust in his chamber is of Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
He makes a few other references to classic literature throughout. When the
raven intrudes the chamber room, the narrator claims that he came from the
"Night's Plutonian shore". Pluto is the god of the underworld in
Roman lore; what the narrator is claims is that the raven came straight from
hell itself. Poe's choosing of the raven also indicates that he making
references to classical literature, referring to the story of Apollo and the
raven: "According to ancient legend, we recall, ravens were once large
white birds, but one day a raven told Apollo that Coronis, a nymph the god
loved, was faithless. Apollo killed the nymph, but he hated the messenger and
vengefully colored him black" (Unrue 117). Poe is no doubt drawing from
the fact that Apollo lost a lover and blames the raven, much in the manner that
he is longing for his "lost Lenore" and in turn blames the raven for
his misfortune. Poe also mentions the Balm of Gilead, reference to the Book of
Jeremiah (8:22) in the Bible. He implores to the raven, asking him "is
there--is there balm in Gilead?" (Smith 58) knowing that the raven shall
only answer "Nevermore". The reason that he is asking is that he may
be seeking a cure (balm) for Lenore, who appears to have died. This is clear
because he also asks the raven if "Aidenn, it shall clasp a sainted maiden
whom the angels name Lenore" (Smith 58). "Aidenn" is another
word for the Garden of Eden, implying that he is asking the raven whether or
not Lenore made to heaven. Though Poe declares himself a Romantic, these
allusions to Classical literature show that he still held classical values
within his work.
Poe's cadence induces a mesmerizing pattern in which the
poem is structured. Each line when read increase the suspense of the next line
simply by reading through it. There are eighteen stanzas made up of six lines
each. The meter is identified as "trochaic octameter-- eight trochaic feet
per line, each foot having one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed
syllable" (Hayes 192). An example is "Once upon a midnight dreary,
while I pondered, weak and weary". This rhythm of the poem establishes a very
eerie feeling with the way that it builds suspense.
Speaking of suspense, a lot of that suspense is created
from the rhyme scheme as well as his use of alliteration creates an atmosphere
of darkness. The rhyme scheme is ABCBBB however, there is internal rhyme as
well. Internal rhyme, as defined by Deutsch, is a rhyme that "[occurs]
within the line, naturally emphasize rhythmic structure" (134). In this
case the rhyme scheme, accounting for internal rhyme, AABCCCBBB. This structure
gives more emphasis to the lines and thus, when delivered orally, the poem's
cadence is enhanced. At the end of each B lines (ex. "lore",
"Lenore", "door") have rhymes for "Nevermore" and
are also catalectic, "a line from which unstressed syllables have been
dropped" (Deutsch 25). Extra emphasis is placed on the final syllable of
each of the B lines. Alliteration and repetition are also used to further the
role of suspense in the poem. Alliteration, or "echo of the first sound of
several words in a line", is used to make the cadence of the poem speed
up, furthering suspense (135). An example within "The Raven" of
alliteration would be: "nodded, nearly napping" or "ebony bird
beguiling" (Smith 55-57). Repetition is used to emphasize the importance
of a word or phrase. "Tapping, tapping at my chamber door" (Smith
55). shows this repetition and brings to life the tapping noise to the reader.
By using repetition, Poe incites suspense within the poem, luring the reader
in.
Through his allusions to past classical works, Poe
incites the dark nature of his antagonist. In his rhythm and cadence, it
creates a tale that delivers an ominous nature to the reader. Finally in his
repetition and alliteration, he emphasizes the main points that provide
structure and reinforcement to the poem's cadence. Poe is a master of the
suspenseful and this poem is just one example of his wonderful ability to
incite terror.
Works Cited
Deutsch,
Babette. Poetry Handbook: A Dictionary of Terms. 4th ed. New York, NY:
Harper Perennial, 1982. Print.
Hayes,
Kevin J., and Richard Kopley. The Cambridge Companion to Poe. New York:
Cambridge UP, 2002. 192. Print.
Hayes,
Kevin J. The Cambridge Companion to Edgar Allan Poe. Cambridge:
Cambridge UP, 2002. 192. Print.
Poe,
Edgar Allan. "The Raven." 100 Best-loved Poems. Ed. Philip
Smith. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. 55-58. Print.
Unrue,
Darlene Harbour. "Edgar Allan Poe: The Romantic as Classicist." JSTOR.
International Journal of the Classical Tradition, 1995. Web. 21 Sept. 2013.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/30221867>.
