Grief In The Raven Essay

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"Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!” Edgar Allan Poe, who can only be defined as a profoundly prominent writer of the Romantic time period, writes this tormented line in “The Raven.” At once, a sense of sorrow is encapsulated through this quote, serving as the main intent of this narrative. The narrator grasps at his feelings of anguish after losing his lover. He hopes that this ebony animal can relieve this mental agony he suffers, but it only deepens the wounds to form a scar that will never lessen. Though it is his most famous work, “The Raven” only earns Poe fifteen dollars. Edgar Allan Poe develops the single effect of grief in his poem "The Raven" through these characteristics of Gothic literature: an innocent …show more content…

He questions the raven, “Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, / It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore”, but the answer is only “Nevermore” (Poe, lines 93-94). Overall, the grief the narrator experiences is caused by the death of Lenore, the innocent heroine. Not only is an innocent heroine significant in the development of the bereavement the protagonist faces, but also death and darkness. First, the poem takes place at midnight, and the setting is cold since it is winter, which creates a bleak and lonely environment for the narrator’s grief to proliferate. The story commences with “once upon a time dreary” (Poe, line 1), and the speaker distinctly remembers “it was in the bleak December” (Poe, line 7). Second, the fire that illuminates his chamber is dying out, and its shadow mimics a spectral being, adding to the ominous mood. The speaker describes how “each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor” (Poe, line 8). Third, the narrator observes only the absence of light when he is expecting an unanticipated guest, shaping a lugubrious atmosphere that mirrors the character’s emotional state. When the narrator hears him rapping and tapping at his chamber door, he opens the door wide, but he only sees “darkness there and nothing more” (Poe, lines 24). In short, the protagonist emanates the feeling of grief …show more content…

His question to the bird asks if there is “balm in Gilead,” which is answered only with “Nevermore” (Poe, lines 89-90). Third, the emotional pain the raven exacerbates makes the narrator become mentally unstable, shouting at the black bird to leave, but it refuses. The speaker commands the raven, “Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!,” but once again, he answers “Nevermore” (Poe, lines 101-102). Though Lenore was the cause of his grief, the talking raven heightens this feeling by not giving him the answers he wants, deepening his sorrow and leading the protagonist down a path of insanity. From the beginning to the end of the story, the narrator inquires if the misery he experiences will ease or pass whilst conversing with the bird. However, the raven’s response invariably remains “nevermore,” leaving the speaker with more questions and woe than before. This work is not financially beneficial to Poe, but it continues to be his most eminent. Throughout the enthralling narrative “The Raven,” Poe incorporates three elements of Gothic literature to establish the principal aim of grief. Lenore, the protagonist’s deceased beloved, acts as the innocent heroine who initiates the single effect of grief in the speaker. Death and darkness is a recurrent theme found in multiple aspects of

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