Edgar Allen Poe
Biography 1809-1849 Boston, Mass. orphan author, poet, editor mystery, macabre, gothic, short stories Romantic era
The Raven
Title & Themes motif embodiment of grief caused by loneliness and separation death of Poe's mother title ravens usually symbolize omens or bad luck animal lack of clarity speaker receives AND interprets in his own way foreshadowing death, love, hope and despair themes the human imagination the power of the dead over the power of the living
Literary Features Repetition builds tension hypnotic effect abandon our conception of reality & accept speaker's vision of reality reinforces meaning and emphasizes important words 'Nevermore' causes the speaker's mood changes represents permanent state of madness loss of hope circular aspect - 'unity of effect'
Mood & Diction Literary Features pathetic fallacy bleak December (7) time of night a midnight dreary (1) trying to forget his sorrow through books vainly I had sought to borrow from my books surcease of sorrow (10) dark, sombre, hopeless sad, uncertain, nothing, darkness, doubting, fearing
Literary Features Sentence Structure & Rhyme 6 or 7 line stanzas sestets or hepastichs' ending in either 'Nevermore' or 'nothing more' Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore - Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore 'Tis the wind and nothing more! (34-36) Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!' Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore.' (100-103) appeal to authority apostrophe & imperative end rhymes accumulate accelerate the rhythm irregular rhyme scheme fear, disharmony
Literary Features Imagery contributes to overall atmosphere emphasizes the mood each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor (8) "And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon that is dreaming."(105) deep into that darkness peering (25) Take thy beak from out my heart (101)
Literary Features Alliteration silken sad uncertain rustling (13) doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before (26) juxtaposition of doubt & dream Symbolism Lenore lack of details suggests she symbolizes something; love, beauty, truth, hope... Midnight witching hour darkest part of night December symbolizes death the bust of Pallas Greek goddess of wisdom irony
The Tell Tale Heart
Title & Theme paranoia mental deterioration refers to end of story & the reason he is 'caught' telling a tale of his guilty feelings alliteration foreshadowing personification
Literary Features Symbolism Old man's eye He had the eye of a vulture a pale blue eye, with a film over it. speaker is fearful of the vulture dead or dying? 'film' suggests unclear vision, parallels our view of the story, filtered through his eye confusion catalyst for the murder Claim to sanity ironic b/c symbolizes his insanity 'hypersensitivity' overcomes him and forces him to confess; inability to tell the difference b/w real and imagined sounds The disease had sharpened my senses -- not destroyed -- not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. The watch symbol of the life and time of the old man inevitability of the old man's death and the murder countdown until the speaker takes action
Literary Features Repetition makes us anxious & intensifies the drama heightens the conflict the reader feels the distress of the speaker repeated imagery of the heartbeat increases tension & awareness "a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton hellish tattoo of the heart [ ] grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder
Literary Features Imagery Poe gets rid of detail to emphasize the speaker's obssession uses metaphors & similes to emphasize the speaker's fear my blood ran cold chilled the very marrow in my bones a simple dim ray, like the thread of the spider contrast b/w light and dark good and bad? speaker thrives in the darkness, not in the light of public scrutiny I put in a dark lantern [ ] closed, so that no light shone out as black as pitch with the thick darkness a single dim ray
Mood & Diction sinister, suspenseful Literary Features varies b/w paranoia and excitement mysterious speaker & old man related? I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. speaker's inability to distinguish b/w the old man's identity and his physical eye keeps the reader interested, asking questions haunted, dim, black shadow, silence, dark as midnight eerie word choices a sense of forboding
Bibliography Lorcher, Trent. "Poe Poetry Analysis: Symbolism in 'The Raven'." Bright Hub Education. ivillage, 17 Jan 2012. Web. 20 Nov 2013. http://www.brighthubeducation.com/homework-helpliterature/49960-symbolism-in-the-raven/ "Poe's Short Stories." Sparknotes. N.p.. Web. 20 Nov 2013. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/poestories/section6.rhtml