The Raven Analysis Essay

Throughout the literature 112 course we have read many different types of short stories, poems, and dramas. My literary analysis is going to focus more on the poem portion of this course. With that being said, I want to take a deeper look into the different forms of symbolism and why it is important within the works of Edgar Allen Poe. More specifically what are the effects these symbols have on the major theme within his poem “Raven” along with another form of his writing that we did not get a chance to read and analyze during class, that I would also like to take a look into his short story “the tell-tale heart”, to see if his style of writing is the same with the two different types of writing.

Edgar Allen Poe was born in January of
The raven itself is a big symbol which is not only the title of the poem but is predominant in the entirety of this poem. There is much emphasis on the raven’s entrance into the room, as if a king or queen has entered a room where all eyes are on them. When the raven continues to answer questions with “nevermore,” we get the feeling that the bird is foretelling something that is to take place in the future. The final stanza shows us that the bird has burning eyes like a sleeping demon, this then symbolizes evil. The raven isn’t just the only major symbol in this poem, there is also Lenore, who is the main focus of the speaker’s thoughts. She is stuck in his mind, and when he tried to think about something else such as the book he is reading, his mind always goes back to sweet Lenore. We do not know really anything about Lenore, but we can infer that she is the speakers loved one, that can’t be forgotten. We can easily tell within the first few lines that Lenore is “lost” or in other words she has passed away. Towards the end of the poem, we can tell that the writer chose Lenore as a symbol of perfection, and how untouchable a great woman