How Does Poe's Attitude Change In The Raven

Everyone fears it, it is in a many ways a monster, it takes away loved ones and can utterly crush one’s soul. This murderous force is known as death. Death surrounds many people including the infamous author Edgar Allen Poe. Poe channels his experiences with death through the speaker’s relationship of a raven in his illustrious poem “The Raven”. In “The Raven”, Poe chronicles the speaker’s changing attitude, from amazement and trust to realization of its inherit nature, towards the raven through his use of literary devices.
Poe is able to establish the speakers initial feelings of amazement towards the raven through his use of diction or word choice. Poe announces “In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;”(38). Poe at

first describes the Raven as saintly. The word “saintly” allows the reader to acknowledge the reader’s awe at the Raven because the word “saintly” gives off a divine feeling.

Poe also applies the word “yore” meaning of legend and folklore. Yore radiates a somewhat ominous, cryptic feeling comparing the Raven to unworldly, godlike beings. Like all celestial beings at their commencing manifestation, one thing can describe the spectator’s expressions, marvel. This marvel is coming from a worship status that this creature projects without even the observer’s ratification. Poe further elaborates this on the next line “Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;” (39). Obeisance means to show reverence, yet the Raven’s presence inhibits this apprehension. This is because at the Raven’s cardinal emergence, the Raven insists on the amazement that comes with being a deific character. In all essence the Raven commands the power of an ambrosial figure because what it exemplifies is death. Death is trying to trick the speaker, to lure him into a false sense of security. Poe alludes to this “Then this

ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,”(43). The word beguiling shows how quickly the bird was able to convince the speaker of its good intentions. Beguiling means to charm or enchant someone but in this context it is in a delusory guise. The Raven is beginning to trick the speaker that is simply a bird yet its sudden appetence speaks otherwise. Poe’s word choice is able to thoroughly embellish how quickly, the speaker came to entrust the baneful bird. The speaker was yet to know, the true meaning of this deceitful creature.
Through his use of personification Poe is able to illustrate s how the speaker’s attitude towards the mysterious Raven starts to transition. The speaker has just begun to trust the bird yet the bird was soon to rupture this trust. Poe begins “Other friends have flown before—On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before” (58-59). This is when the thought of the Raven having some dark intention is suggested. The speaker has cherished previous friends and he refuses to be heart-broken again yet it is this exaggeration that shows how decidedly the speaker deduces their bond to be. The speaker has given the bird such a humanlike attribute of companionship after their short amount of time together yet it is such the suggestion of a betrayal that sets the transition into action. Poe initiates this conversion “ What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore” (71). “Grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous” can all be seen as mortal characteristics yet the bird’s previous pretext of being affectionate to the speaker is starting to disappear. He is associating dark words with the Raven and the transition truly appears. The speaker is beginning to realize what the Raven veraciously is “Meant in croaking “Nevermore.” (72). By the croaking, much like a frog, the reader is given the sense that the crow is something more it seems. Something old that exceeds are perceptions of life and death. As the personification shows, the speaker is staring to feel the true foreboding of the crow. The crow is something stronger then all humans, the crow is of death and with this new knowledge , the speaker is able to make the true transition from cordial, amazement into realization.
With his new perception of the crow’s true meaning, the speaker’s attitude changes from its initial amazement to realization and rage , and Poe describes this through his utilization of metaphors.

“To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;” (74). By the use of the metaphor “fiery eyes” , this elucidates the realization of the speaker as the raven being an ancient force . Not just ancient but damnable as well because this fire shows hell. The speaker’s beloved Lenore is somewhere that the speaker can never be, heaven. The raven’s metaphorical eyes admonishes this because the blazes represent where he will go once, death or the Raven takes him. This realization utterly consumes the speaker shattering his hope. A further example of the Raven’s irreligious eyes can be seen when Poe composes “ And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,”(111). The birds eyes resembling a demon is shows how the reader perceives the birds as death itself. Its dreamlike quality emanates an eerie, dead appearance that shows the connotation of death. The speaker has now come to realization of the bird as not a holy and friendly personality but one cruel and evil. The vile Raven has separated him and his beloved Lenore. It is with this acceptance Poe proclaims “And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor /Shall be lifted—nevermore!” (113-114 ). By this line the speaker accepts how he will never be hopeful again over the loss his

beloved, Lenore. He realizes that death is telling the truth. Lenore and him shall never cross paths ever again in this life or the afterlife. The raven is something more to the speaker. Not just being death but it represents the death of hope.
Through his use of literary devices Poe is able to allow the reader to see how the speaker’s image of the raven changes from an innocent bird to a demon. His use of diction explains how the speaker initially felt towards the bird, his personification accentuates the start of the change while his metaphors fortifys the new change to the realization of the raven as something to be hate. The change of the speakers perception of the raven does not give prominence to the raven’s evil intentions but the rather the loneliness of the speaker. The speaker is driving himself insane by wishing his dear Lenore will return to him. No one can escape death and the speaker knows this and in a way tries to realize this by giving these connotations to an innocent crow. Everyone may try, but no one can truly escape what death entails. Death rips away many from their love ones yet the speaker’s perception of love is utterly flawed. Death is in all intent a kind, angelic force. Death ends the suffering of many and reunites them with their previous lost ones. In a way death is an act of love, and life does not exist without death. Although many may fear it, death will always be there for the broken hearted, and the ones in pain. It is up to the readers as humans, to realize not to fear death because in many ways death is just the next adventure!