The Raven By Edgar Allen Poe Essay, Research Paper

In this poem, The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe, the subject is the death of a beautiful woman, Lenore. In the beginning, the speaker is almost alsleep when someone comes to his door, and he whispers, “Tis come visitor . . . tapping at my chamber door–only this and nothing more.” THen the speaker opens the shutter and “filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before”. Later, the speaker opens the shutter and there perches a raven, who makes the speaker smile. But, the Raven only speaks one word, “nevermore.” The speaker sees no relevancy and meaning in this word, yet says that no human ever sees a “bird above his chamer door–with such name as “Nevermore”. When the raven repeats it, the speaker thinks the bird cames from a mean and unhappy master until the songs of his hope only speaks out through the word “nevermore”. Then the speaker, still smiling, wheels a chair in front of the raven and wonders what the raven means in saying “nevermore”. Next, the air grows denser and smells of incense. The speaker wishes for rest and to forget memories of Lenore, yet once again the raven says “nevermore”. Then in stanza 15, the speaker asks “is there–is there balm in Gilead?” He means is there a relief from suffering. And still the raven replies “nevermore” Yet, the speaker says the raven is still perching above his chamber door, his shadow thrown on the floor by the overhead lamp. In the end, the speaker says “And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor/shall be lifted–nevermore”.