During the time period this classic was written, a woman was dependent upon her husband as the sole financial supporter of the family. Dame Van Winkle may not have known the extent of Rip’s idleness prior to their marriage. Many marriages were arranged by parents versus entered into by consenting and in love adults. A wife was expected to keep the home and raise the children. A husband was to provide for the family. By Rip’s own admission in referring to the house, Dame Van Winkle “always kept in neat o

In the poems “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee”, Edgar Allan Poe skillfully creates the emotions of despair and loneliness over the loss of a beautiful woman. As the author states in “The Philosophy of Composition” (p. 1300) and in order to provide such a vivid mental picture and strong emotions depicted, a “bereaved lover” is best suited to portray such a topic. It is obvious from both poems that the narrator has lost a great love.

rder” (p. 579). However, Rip was not willing to provide for his own family choosing instead to assist his neighbors (p. 374). Since his was not living up to his familial responsibilities, Dame Van Winkle took every occasion to bring his failings to his attention in the hopes of changing him. At the time, her options were limited and her dilemma maddening at best. Rip must have had some love for (or fear of) his wife for upon awakening from his sleep his first thoughts were not of his faithful companion Wolf, but of his wife (p. 578). Yet consistent with his lazy nature, Rip’s thoughts were of the excuses he would use when he encountered the dreaded Dame Van Winkle.

In my opinion and as has been previously alluded to, only the real-life despair over the loss of a spouse or loved one can be so effectively portrayed in writings. However, in “The Philosophy of Composition”, Poe suggested that the process of writing a poem should not be based on emotion b

Some topics in this essay:
Van Winkle, Annabel Lee”, Raven” Poe, Van Winkle’s, Winkle Rip’s, Lee Lenore, Composition” Poe, Lee” Poe, Philosophy Composition”, Allan Poe, dame van, van winkle, dame van winkle, “the raven”, “annabel lee”, lost love, main character, “the philosophy composition”, “the philosophy, philosophy composition”, own family, narrator’s constant,