The Mood Of The Raven

Anyone reading Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Raven” cannot help but feel spooked or
chilled, and Poe creates that effect by using an assortment of highly connotative diction​.
Hence the title, “The Raven”, the piece automatically gives off a gloomy feeling. Poe purposely
chose a bird that is known for having jet black velvet feathers, and feeds on the dead in order to
create an eerie mood. Poe’s opening words, “a midnight dreary” (st. 1) directly allows readers to
feel how spooky and dismal the setting is. Not only is this taking place at midnight, but Poe also
emphasizes how it was “bleak December” (st. 2). Midnight during December is significant
because it represents the closing of the year, and also a dark and cold time. The combination of
these two

adjectives that Poe uses to set the scene proves how Poe is trying to give off a feeling
of the end of time.

It is relevant that Poe wants to present that feeling, as his whole poem is about
the end of time, or death, for his lover, Lenore. Lenore’s name is mentioned frequently
throughout the work, and the name itself is an example of diction that Poe uses. Poe intentionally
uses the unique name, Lenore, because of the long “o” vowel sound in it, which is a tool of his to
reveal the sorrow mood of the poem. From only reading the first two stanzas of “The Raven”,
Poe has already successfully presented a depressing mood with his word choice through the title,
main characters name, and opening line. The charged diction does not stop there, though. While
Poe is sitting in his room, he explains that he hears something at his “chamber door” (st. 3). By
saying chamber door instead of just door of bedroom door, Poe demonstrates how he wants
readers to imagine his room more as a somber chamber rather than a regular bedroom. Lastly, as
Poe finally discovers who is visitor is, he scolds it and tells him to leave at once “whether
Tempest sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore” (st. 15). By including the detail that
the raven could have possibly arrived from a storm rather than flying by itself, Poe shows that

he
is trying to reveal a scary mood to readers. The thought of a storm in the distance makes readers
feel uneasy and frightened, which is exactly what Poe is trying to accomplish. In conclusion, it is
evident to readers that Poe is attempting to create a melancholic feeling throughout the poem. By
utilizing the title, main characters name, opening line, and other significant details in his work,
Poe integrates highly charged diction in order to create a macabre feeling throughout his work,
“The Raven”.