Literary Analysis of Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

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Analyzing of Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe in this poem “Annabel Lee” written in 1849, and first published shortly after his death in Sartain’s Union Magazine, is a story of true love and great loss where a man loves a woman so deeply and is devastated when she dies but holds on to that love even after death. No one really knows whom exactly Poe wrote this poem about, whether or not it was actually inspired by someone he truly loved due to his death right after he wrote it. There are many candidates that people believe it could have been, one of the more suspected would be Poe’s wife Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe. Annabel Lee is set in a kingdom by the sea as the poem reads. The tone of the poem can be described as very dark, gloomy, and sad, No one is sure of the time that the poem takes place but it is hinted by the use of the word “sepulchre” which is a tomb, but was commonly used in the 13th century unlike today which hints that this occurred a very long time ago. Diction and tone play a very big role in creating the theme. Diction is what creates a theme without word choice and manipulation of worlds there would be no tone to create the sad and gloomy tone that Annabel Lee expresses. Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee utilizes figurative language, diction and tone to express the love and loss of a man who will never stop loving, even after death, a woman who was very dear to his heart.
Initially, diction is used to give a feel of the poem and establish the tone he was looking to accomplish. For example Poe uses words throughout “Annabel Lee” to give a sense of mystery. He uses words like highborn kinsman, kingdom, and sepulchre which show that the poem is set a long time ago most likely medieval times. The world sep...

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... alliteration “sounding sea.” These literary devices help shape the poem into what it is, without these the poem would have no flow, no tone, nothing to make the distinction between happiness and the morbid feel. I find these very important to the structure of the poem, without these elements the poem would not be what it is today. Consequently, we can see that all these literary devices come together to construct the poem itself. We see it uses diction to establish the words and phrasing which then leads to the possibility of the rhythm and rhyme of the poem., which then leads to us establishing the tone and mood. I find that without all of these elements combined together we would fail to see the emotion and pure fascination that the poem tends to make people feel. The literary devices in Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee are definitely something not to be doubted.

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