Repetition In Edgar Allan Poe Poetry Essay

Edgar Allan Poe, a late 1800s American poet, writer, and critic best known for his gothic style poems and short stories, some of which include, “The Raven”, “The Tell Tale Heart”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and “Annabel Lee” captured and still captures the imagination and interest of readers nationwide. Through Poe’s use of descriptive imagery and symbolism, as well as repetition he conveys the overall theme of his poems and short stories. To begin, Poe uses symbolism and descriptive imagery throughout his stories and short poems to present the overall theme of death and madness. In the poem, “The Raven”, when describing the bird that enters the room imperiously and holds domain over the reader, Poe states, “And his eyes have all the

Through the use of imagery in this quote, he shows how the mansion symbolizes death through the deterioration and decline of the Usher family. To continue, not only does Poe use imagery for effect, but he also uses repetition. In the short story, “The Tell Tale Heart”, Poe uses repetition to convey the overall theme of madness and death. Poe first uses repetition when saying, “cautiously-oh so cautiously”. Poe uses this to show the insanity of the narrator and how the determined the narrator is to kill the man. This portraying the theme of madness. Going on, Poe uses more repetition for the effect of suspense. By saying, “Jump!Jump!Jump!” it turns the situation into a much more conflicted one; battling not only decisions and emotions, but also demands. At this moment the readers feel what the narrator feels. By repeating jump, Poe aims to make the reader feel the same suspense the narrator does. Furthermore, at the end of the story, when the narrator is about to confess his sinful deeds, the narrator, Poe, uses repetition by stating that the heartbeat was getting, “Louder! Louder! Louder!’” By the repeating of louder, Poe makes the situation seem much more dire, anxious, and distressed. Poe makes the reader feel the suspense of the