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The Raven Poem | Summary | Analysis | Neb English Support
The Raven Poem
Table of Contents
ABOUT THE POEM
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is a nostalgic poem, though the title of the poem is Raven, a bird, but it does not deal so much with the bird as with the effects the bird has on a love-lorn student who has lost his beloved. Outwardly, the poem "The Raven" is about a student under very special circumstances and about what happens to him when a bird named Raven enters his room.
SUMMARY & ANALYSIS
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
The poem opens with a student's narration of what happened on a bleak December night when the storm raged outside his room and anguish raged in his heart. He is weak, weary, and dejected by the loss of his beloved Lenore. The uncertain rustling of each purple curtain intensifies this mood. There is rapping at the door. He is filled with terror, which he has never felt before. He takes the rapping as the rapping of the late visitor, and he implores forgiveness for being late in opening the door. When he opens the door, he finds no one outside. He peers into the darkness, wondering, fearing, doubting, and dreaming terrible things. He closes the door, but again he hears rapping, this time at the window. He opens the door, and to his surprise, a grim bird named Raven steps in and sits upon the bust of Pallas.
The situation has developed from anticipation to suspense, then to surprise, and then to irony. There is irony because it is the ugly raven that came in when the host was expecting the radiant maiden, Lenore.
The mystery disappears, and tension is released. He asks the bird its name:Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Nights Plutonian shore.
To his surprise, the bird replies, "Nevermore." But soon he knows that the bird repeats the same word. Yet this word relentlessly repeated itself, intensifying his despair. The manner in which the despair is intensified is interesting. He takes the bird's visit as an unusual event and thinks that tomorrow this unique bird will fly away as other birds have done. But it comes from the bird "Nevermore." He knows that but is repeating the same word, and even then he feels uncomfortable and disturbed. What is this mysterious power about the bird? He sits, guessing and divining, with his head reclining on the velvet lining. The velvet lining reminds him of Lenore. He now seeks remedial forgetfulness, telling himself that he should forget this lost Lenore. But Raven replies, "Nevermore." This is the reality because he cannot forget Lenore. He regards the bird as a prophet, and he seeks an answer to the question of suffering, and he asks, "Is there balm in Gilead?'
And again he hears the harsh reply, "Nevermore. If there is no freedom from pain, misery, and anguish in this life, perhaps he might find happiness in the life to come, and he asks the bird,Is there not hope after death? But this time also, the bird answers cruelly, "Nevermore." This answer further accelerates his despair. In unbearable despair, he orders the bird to get back into the tempest and to quit the bust above his door. But again, the bird says, "Nevermore".
Now the student feels so helpless, so shattered, and so overwhelmed with anguish that he loses his identity. He cannot live without hope and self-worth. The word "Nevermore" has acted like a catalytic agent.
In this brilliant narrative structure, the conversational tone places the reader in the position of confidant. The poem can also be considered a dramatisation of his despair. The persona here in the poem is "weak and weary"! He does not face the situation and accepts the loss of Lenore in a manly frame of mind. He tries to escape from reality, plunging into "quaint and curious" volumes. The poem hints that when a man tries to run away from life, however harsh it might be, he is likely to make it worse for himself.
Poe has created a vibrant background for the introduction of the word "Nevermore." This background consists of sorrow, mystery, and a nameless terror. The first Nevermore contains an element of mystery about it. Later, the mystery is solved; the bird meaninglessly repeats the word learned, perhaps from an unfortunate master. The status of the word has fallen from mystery to meaninglessness. Similarly, the last "Nevermore" suggests crushing despair with a sharp edge of terror in it.
The raven, for the student, is a mere bird; at first, it becomes an object of mystery when it sits on the bust of Pallas. Then, as it utters the word "nevermore," the mystery deepens, and the repeated word acquires emotional significance for the student. The bird becomes endowed with a personality that depresses him. Finally, it is a lengthened shadow.
STYLE OF THE POEM
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
▪︎ The poem was revised more than 16 times before coming to this form.
▪︎ Extensive use of alliteration.
▪︎ The continuous flowing of lines.
▪︎ The progression of the words he uses in poetry - evermore, nothing more, nevermore - makes the poem musical.
SOME SYMBOLS
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven is the symbol of destruction or death.
The bust of Pallas is the symbol of a scholar or author.
Midnight and December suggest the end of something and also denote the change that is to come.
The room or place symbolises the loneliness and alienation that the author is undergoing.
Tempest outside suggests the loneliness that the man inside the room is undergoing.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
1. Who is the narrator of the poem?
Answer:
The narrator of the poem is a love-lorn student.
2. What is the setting of the poem?
Answer:
The setting of the poem is a bleak December night with a storm raging outside the student's room.
3. What is the narrator doing at the beginning of the poem?
Answer:
At the beginning of the poem, the narrator is narrating the events of a bleak December night when he is weak, weary, and dejected over the loss of his beloved Lenore.
4. What does the narrator hear tapping at his chamber door?
Answer:
The narrator hears tapping at his chamber door, causing him to feel a sense of terror.
5. What does the narrator think when he first hears the tapping?
Answer:
When the narrator first hears the tapping, he thinks it's a late visitor, and he implores forgiveness for being late in opening the door.
6. How does the narrator feel when he opens the door and finds nothing there?
Answer:
When the narrator opens the door and finds nothing, he feels a mix of wonder, fear, and doubt.
7. How does the narrator react when he hears the tapping again?
Answer:
The narrator, upon hearing the tapping again, becomes filled with suspense and opens the door to investigate.
8. What does the narrator say to the visitor when he opens the door the second time?
Answer:
When the narrator opens the door the second time, he addresses a grim bird named Raven and inquires about its name.
9. How does the raven respond to the narrator's question?
Answer:
The raven responds to the narrator's question by uttering the word "Nevermore."
10. What does the narrator think the raven's name is?
Answer:
The narrator initially thinks the raven's name is "Nevermore."
11. What does the narrator say about the raven's knowledge of vocabulary?
Answer:
The narrator remarks that the raven's vocabulary is limited to the single word "Nevermore," which intensifies his despair.
12. What does the narrator hope to gain from the raven's visit?
Answer:
The narrator hopes to find solace or forgetfulness regarding his lost love, Lenore, through interaction with the raven.
13. How does the narrator feel about the raven perching above his chamber door?
Answer:
The narrator feels overwhelmed and helpless as the raven perches above his chamber door, repeatedly uttering "Nevermore."
14. What does the narrator ask the raven?
Answer:
The narrator asks the raven if there is balm in Gilead, seeking relief from pain and misery.
15. How does the raven respond to the narrator's question?
Answer:
The raven responds cruelly with "Nevermore," denying any hope of relief from pain.
16. What does the narrator think about his future?
Answer:
The narrator believes his future holds only despair and anguish, especially with the relentless repetition of "Nevermore" by the raven.
17. What does the raven continually say throughout the poem?
Answer:
Throughout the poem, the raven continually says the word "Nevermore."
18. How does the narrator react to the raven's repeated utterance?
Answer:
The repeated utterance of "Nevermore" by the raven intensifies the narrator's despair, leaving him shattered and overwhelmed.
19. What does the narrator do as a result of the raven's presence?
Answer:
As a result of the raven's presence, the narrator loses his identity and feels incapable of living without hope and self-worth.
20. What does the narrator ask the raven about Lenore?
Answer:
The narrator asks the raven if there is hope after death for Lenore.
21. How does the raven respond to the narrator's question about Lenore?
Answer:
The raven responds with a harsh "Nevermore," denying any hope or solace after death.
22. What is the narrator's reaction to the raven's response?
Answer:
The narrator, faced with the raven's response, experiences a deepening of his despair and helplessness, realizing that hope and relief are denied.
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