Comparing Poe's The Raven And Annabel Lee

Edgar Allan Poe brought to light a different and not yet widely explored style of writing during his life. Poe’s obsession of horror, Gothicism, and Romanticism is easily seen in his literature. Perhaps this obsession stems from his early childhood, all taking place before his third birthday. Poe’s father abandoned him and his mother and then subsequently, two years later, his mother died. (880). Poe was then sent to the foster home of John Allan where he was baptized but never legally adopted. His writings range from the loss of loved ones, to murder mysteries, and other suspenseful stories that include ghosts and that of the supernatural. Within Poe’s writings, there seems to always be a common undertone to each story: the bereaved lover. This type of undertone is easily recognizable in two particular poems. Although there are many similarities in the poems titled “The Raven” and Annabel Lee,” there are also some differences to take note of. When the reader is introduced to the poem titled

He made it an art to seemingly tell very similar stories at first glance. The poems have to be re-read and analyzed to truly see what Poe was using his poetry to express. “Poe found his inspiration in a world of disorder, perversity, and romantic emotion. He helped establish one of the world’s most popular literary genres, the detective story” (882). Poe chose to take the undertone of melancholy in most of his writings. Death of a loved one is one of the main characteristics throughout both poems. What is not initially apparent in the poems are the differences such as the backgrounds, the different ways of the speakers dealing with death, or how the speakers planned on reuniting themselves with their loved ones. Without Poe’s dark natured, Gothic, and Romantic outlook on his styles of writing we may not have masterpieces such as “The Raven and “Annabel Lee,” nor would we have the appreciation of such