The Raven
Libbie Johnson
Bohannon
October 23, 2012
The Raven Edgar Allan Poe was born January 19, 1809 and became a famous American author and poet. He is most known for his mysterious and gruesome horror stories but one of his most famous is The Raven. First published in January 1845, the poem is known for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. The story is about a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow fall into madness. The Raven was first credited to Poe in print in the New York Evening Mirror and made his name extremely popular although it did not bring him much financial success. Even though it was written more than 200 years ago, it nevertheless remains one of the most famous poems ever written. Some people would say the Poe was crazy and disturbed, but I think that he just had a very overactive imagination. For some people, scary and frightening thoughts come easy and it’s not hard to create a nightmare in their head. The Raven is an example of work on how someone can push the limits of psychosis without actually being critically insane. The story opens up to a young boy mourning the loss of his love, Lenore. He is sitting in his room half reading, half falling asleep when suddenly he hears someone knocking on his door. He gets up and opens the door only to find nothing there. Extremely freaked out, he convinces himself it’s only the wind and goes to open his window to get some fresh air. But to his surprise, a raven comes flying in and lands on statue near the door. The boy, who is very confused at this point, decides to speak to the bird asking him his name, but the raven only answers with a single word, “Nevermore.” Most people would say this is the start of the young boy’s insanity but I disagree. I think that he is imagining this talking bird to help him recover from his loss. He was in love with a woman that died and now he thinks he has no reason to live. He understands that no matter
Bohannon
October 23, 2012
The Raven Edgar Allan Poe was born January 19, 1809 and became a famous American author and poet. He is most known for his mysterious and gruesome horror stories but one of his most famous is The Raven. First published in January 1845, the poem is known for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. The story is about a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow fall into madness. The Raven was first credited to Poe in print in the New York Evening Mirror and made his name extremely popular although it did not bring him much financial success. Even though it was written more than 200 years ago, it nevertheless remains one of the most famous poems ever written. Some people would say the Poe was crazy and disturbed, but I think that he just had a very overactive imagination. For some people, scary and frightening thoughts come easy and it’s not hard to create a nightmare in their head. The Raven is an example of work on how someone can push the limits of psychosis without actually being critically insane. The story opens up to a young boy mourning the loss of his love, Lenore. He is sitting in his room half reading, half falling asleep when suddenly he hears someone knocking on his door. He gets up and opens the door only to find nothing there. Extremely freaked out, he convinces himself it’s only the wind and goes to open his window to get some fresh air. But to his surprise, a raven comes flying in and lands on statue near the door. The boy, who is very confused at this point, decides to speak to the bird asking him his name, but the raven only answers with a single word, “Nevermore.” Most people would say this is the start of the young boy’s insanity but I disagree. I think that he is imagining this talking bird to help him recover from his loss. He was in love with a woman that died and now he thinks he has no reason to live. He understands that no matter