In his poem, Poe uses persona to reveal his emotions in the form of a fairy tale. “It is his personal story of lost love which achieves its unique effects through its narrative voice”(Reilly pg. 2). His experience having losing his wife, whom he marries when she was only thirteen, has affected his personal life. It seems difficult for him to erase her memories from his thoughts. “It is the character of the young man who lost his lover that is talking to us through this poem”(Kelly pg. 3). This becomes obvious when he says, “But we loved with a love that was more than love, I and my Annabelle Lee”(869). Poe sees it natural to continually mourn the loss of his loved one and does not see his action immature. To him “maturity” in the sense of being able to put a lost one out of one’s mind would be a wasteful, soul deadening thing(Kelly, pg. 2).

Imagery supports the emotional qualit

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

“It was many and many a year ago,

Rhythm and rhyme play important roles in bringing sound and music to the poem. Poe’s purpose for rhythm/rhyme is to introduce a new method of expressing his grief. “This rhythm may not describe grief at it’s rawest, but they do describe grief as the character sees it. As for the sounds it differentiates poems from prose. If it didn’t care about the work’s musicality, a poem might as well be a work of prose”(Kelly pg. 3). Rhyme plays an effective role in each of the stanzas of Annabel Lee for example:

“And so all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

The sea reveals the setting where Poe visits his wife in her tomb. It is rather incredible that he refuses not to only reminiscence about her but find it also necessary to visit her tomb regularly. “In other words, the poet has boasted of the strength and significance of his spiritual bond with Annabel Lee. Yet, in his need to be near the body of his beloved, he seems to contradict his own assertions and indicate that a physical connection is just as important as a non-physical one”(Johnson, pg. 3).

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

In her sepulcher there by the sea...

Some topics in this essay:
Annabel Lee, Lee”869 Poe, Allan Poe, Annabel Lee”869, Annabel Lee”870, Lee Poe, annabel lee, pg 2, bright eyes, pg 3, beautiful annabel, persona imagery settings, beautiful annabel lee, imagery settings rhythm/rhyme, mentions moon, love love, rhythm/rhyme words, moon stars, dear annabel, settings rhythm/rhyme words,