Austin Abrams
Ms. Wright
English 113
6 February 2013
The Conscious; Subconscious of “The Raven”
Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, The Raven, is generally viewed as a dark, gloomy, and depressing piece of literary work. The Raven is an expression of Edgar Allen Poe’s loss of insanity and paranoia. This entire poem was a psychological and subconscious way to reveal Edgar Allen Poe’s actual since of paranoia and insanity.
Edgar Allen Poe uses the depressing and dark scenery of the poem to represent his loneliness and depression. “…midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore…” This quote shows how the tone of the poem is from the very start. The gloomy setting presented with the first stanzas insists it is in fact, a depressing and “dreary” location.
“Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore--
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore--
Nameless here for evermore.”
The paranoia is shown through the narrator being scared from the slight knock at his door. The narrator’s paranoia is completely understandable from the type of setting. A good example of this would be the quote from the poem, “And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before…”
The main part of this poem is Poe’s projection of his own insanity through the narrator of the poem. The narrator speaks about constantly talking and asking a raven question as the only response is “Nevermore”. The definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing over and over to see if there would be a difference in the results. The narrator proves this as even though he knows that the raven will only reply one same answer, but he still insists to keep up a conversation with the animal. His insanity is also proven from the fact that he is even trying to talk to an animal that randomly flew into his home.
Edgar Allen Poe completely uses this poem as an let-out for his depression, insanity, and paranoia. Almost every stanza brought proof that he has a problem.
Ms. Wright
English 113
6 February 2013
The Conscious; Subconscious of “The Raven”
Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, The Raven, is generally viewed as a dark, gloomy, and depressing piece of literary work. The Raven is an expression of Edgar Allen Poe’s loss of insanity and paranoia. This entire poem was a psychological and subconscious way to reveal Edgar Allen Poe’s actual since of paranoia and insanity.
Edgar Allen Poe uses the depressing and dark scenery of the poem to represent his loneliness and depression. “…midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore…” This quote shows how the tone of the poem is from the very start. The gloomy setting presented with the first stanzas insists it is in fact, a depressing and “dreary” location.
“Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore--
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore--
Nameless here for evermore.”
The paranoia is shown through the narrator being scared from the slight knock at his door. The narrator’s paranoia is completely understandable from the type of setting. A good example of this would be the quote from the poem, “And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before…”
The main part of this poem is Poe’s projection of his own insanity through the narrator of the poem. The narrator speaks about constantly talking and asking a raven question as the only response is “Nevermore”. The definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing over and over to see if there would be a difference in the results. The narrator proves this as even though he knows that the raven will only reply one same answer, but he still insists to keep up a conversation with the animal. His insanity is also proven from the fact that he is even trying to talk to an animal that randomly flew into his home.
Edgar Allen Poe completely uses this poem as an let-out for his depression, insanity, and paranoia. Almost every stanza brought proof that he has a problem.