Analysis Of The Raven (The Poem, Itself, And Its Symbolism)

The Raven is melancholy, dark, and foreboding: all of Poe’s best tones, all rolled into one. That is probably why The Raven is one of his best-known works. It has been made into an episode of The Simpsons, along with another of his works, The Tell-Tale Heart. It has been made into countless movies, many starring the well-known actor, Vincent Price. All in all, the Raven is one of Poe’s best-known works because he had put all of his best writing talents when he sat down to create his monster, and his masterpiece, The Raven.

world—and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover. (“Philosophy of Composition,” Graham;s Magazine.)

While the scholar watches the bird trying to walk, he is beguiled, or tricked, into being amused. Poe brought forth personification in the Raven because the bird had a “stern decorum of…countenance.” The narrator decides to ask for the bird’s name, believing him to be a messenger from Hell. The bird just replied by saying, “nevermore.”

Therefore, Poe decided to indeed narrate his poem with a young man lamenting the death of his beloved. Now, he had to go on to naming of this beautiful and late beloved. The only word rhyming with “nevermore” that Poe could think of was Lenore. Poe now had the basic framework and summary of his poem, and needed to actually sit down and write it.

it being pale. Poe used the “ebony” bird sitting on the “pallid bust of Pallas,” to contrast the white marble sculpture with the dark, black plumage of the bird.