Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Rhetorical Analysis: "The Raven"
In Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven," Poe uses the effect of language and tone to demonstrate that the raven is an extended metaphor for death. The language he uses is cacophonous, with words such as "dreary, dying, weak, weary, etc.." The tone Poe evokes is one of melancholia. Plus the fact that he uses a personal tone, referring to himself in first person, draws the reader closer to him. As the raven appears, he uses morbid language such as "grave, ghastly, and grim" to emphasize to the reader that the raven is symbolic of death. In his poem, he clearly asserts this by saying, "For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being/Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door/ with such a name as "nevermore." The fact that Poe uses the word 'nevermore' with such repetition, demonstrates that with the arrival of the raven, there will be nothing-more for the speaker himself. As Poe romanticizes this melancholia, he uses pathos, leaving the reader to assume that he will end up with the same fate as his beloved 'Lenor.'
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I agree that Poe uses a sad and weary tone in his poem and I liked how you commented on the language he uses to create that tone. However,I do not think all this language is only used to symbolize the raven as embodiment of death (and maybe you do not either, but that's what I gathered from your argument above). A raven is indeed a symbol of death and I really like your idea that the raven could be the sign that the narrtaor will meet the same fate as Lenore. But,If the raven only meant death, I think the narrator would be more welcoming of it as he could be reunited with his Lenore. What really frightens the narator is when he is told he will not see her again among angels. I completley agree that the Raven is a symbol of death, but I think it also supports Poe's ideas about the "human thirst for self-torture" and Connor's idea that the language and symbolism (as in the raven) incites a feeling of paranoia, among other points in the poem.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you that the raven symbolizes death, in my interpretation the bird is more positive. The raven makes the poem's narrator face reality that he cannot forget his past, because of that I think the raven is in some way enlightenment. Now the raven may be referring to a death when it speaks the word "nevermore" but the man, to me, seems to have a closer connection to death. You say that once the bird appears the language the narrator uses becomes more twisted but even before he has his visitor the man uses words such as "ghost", "bleak", and "dying ember". The raven coming in certainly doesn't make things brighter, but it makes the man truth which can make things darker.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the possibility that, to Poe at least, death IS positive?
ReplyDelete