Edgar Allan Poe's Annabel Lee

al Elements

Annabel Lee doesn’t really follow a specific literary structure; however, it is very similar to an anapest and ballad in structure and has many interesting points to discuss. It is similar in structure to a anapest because it follows in general a rhythm of da-da-dum. On the other hand, the utilization of repeated words and phrases to create a mournful effect is a feature of a ballad, which is what Edgar Allan Poe claimed it to be. Poe is able to skillfully dictate the pace of the poem as though if it were climbing throughout. The stanzas get longer and the rhyme scheme becomes more complicated, creating an increasing sense of drama within the poem.

The rhyme scheme is one that is similar throughout the whole poem, but with slight variations. It almost always follows an ab*b*b... form, deviating only slightly in the last two stanzas. Also, the phrases are in the

This is easily supported through both internal and external elements as they all are with the purpose of either showing how much he loves Annabel Lee, describing Annabel Lee as beautiful, or dramatizing the poem further. However, there is room for interpretation as to who exactly this Annabel Lee is. Most claim that it is his wife Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe, which is supported by the fact that they were in fact married at a young age, matching the phrase “I was a child and she was a child”. However, some others have claimed that it is a long lost love from the past that Edgar Allan Poe was unable to marry. I personally believe it is his wife as all the evidence given in the poem matches her situation perfectly, such as the fact that they were in fact married at a young age, matching the phrase “I was a child and she was a