"The Raven" - a Critical Deconstruction

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Edgar Allen Poe's journey into the realm of death, fear and the macabre, "The Raven" is an exploration into the loneliness and despair associated with the loss of a loved one. Through the clever use of rhyme, meter, imagery, symbolism and word choice, Poe catapults us into a world of sinister images, morbid predilections and unearthly machinations. We are, at once, submerged in the pulsing, driving force of supernatural fear as only Poe is able to create. And with every use of the haunting refrain "Nevermore," upon which the chilling cadence of this poem is built, Poe transforms a story steeped in remorse and sorrow into a tale of preternatural mystery and suspense.

The first, and most powerful literary device that Poe incorporates in "The Raven" is the use of rhythm and rhyme. Using the rhythm of stressed and unstressed words, "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary", the author immediately communicates what could be called the heartbeat of the poem. Perhaps, what we are feeling is the heartbeat of the speaker. Coupled with the use of end and inte...

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