Poe Compare and Contrast

Poe Compare and Contrast Edgar Allan Poe was known for dark poetry and stories. The Raven was the poem that established Poe’s fame as a poet. It was a depressing and pessimistic view on a beautiful woman’s death but not all of his poems were saddening, Annabel Lee was an upbeat and optimistic poem. Both of these poems share similarities but also have several differences. The Raven and Annabel Lee are similar in many ways. For instance both of the stories were written about a beautiful woman’s death. The two poems were written in first person, from the view of the woman’s lover. In addition both of the poems feature angels. Furthermore the narrators stay unnamed while the women are named. While there are several similarities between the two poems there are also many differences. For example, The Raven is a sad and depressive view of a beautiful woman’s death while Annabel Lee had a light and happy vibe to it. In Annabel Lee the narrator is convinced to see Annabel Lee again while in The Raven the narrator is convinced to never see Lenore again; “nevermore”. Also, the way the angels were involved with each story differentiated. In Annabel Lee the angels were envious, sending a chilling wind down to kill Annabel lee. While in The Raven the seraphs were more nurturing, giving Lenore her name. To conclude, The Raven and Annabel Lee have several similarities and an abundance of differences. These two poems were two of Poe’s most recognized pieces. Both The Raven and Annabel Lee were written about the same topic –the death of a beautiful woman- but had different styles.