Explication of The Raven

Literal Meaning Sentence by Sentence:

One night when I was thinking to myself and drifting off to sleep, I heard a sudden tapping on my door. I muttered to myself, "It is just some visitor and nothing more than that." I remember that it was December, and there was a dying fire. I was wishing for tomorrow, and I was vainly filled with sorrow for my lost love Lenore, who no more has a name. I became even more frightened, and I felt my heart beating faster, but I kept telling myself, "It's just a visitor at my door and nothing more than that." I finally built up some courage and went to the door. I said, "Sorry sir or madame, but I was sleeping, and I didn't hear you knock." However, when I opened the door, all I saw was darkness. I stood there looking into the darkness and silence because that is all that was there. I whispered "Lenore," but all that I heard back was my echo. I went back to my chamber, and I heard an even louder tapping than before. I thought, "It must be at my window; it must just be the wind." When I opened the window, I saw a raven flapping its wings. It flew about until it landed on a statue above my chamber door. I asked him his name, but he only said "Nevermore." I stood staring and wondering about him for awhile, and the bird did not say anything else until I muttered, "This has happened before, and he will be gone by morning." The raven said, "Nevermore." I was a little startled by this, but I figured that this was just normal for a raven and nothing to worry about. I sat down and tried to guess what was really happening, but I could not think of anything. The air began to grow thick like incense, and I had a thought. This bird was a sort of angel sent down by God to console my loss of Lenore. Again, the bird said, "Nevermore." I cried, "Tell me, are you a bird or a devil, is there no relief to my suffering?" The bird replied, "Nevermore." "Tell me, is there an angel in Heaven, in Eden, which the angels call 'Lenore?'" The bird replied, "Nevermore." I yelled at the raven to leave and leave me to my loneliness, but he replied, "Nevermore." To this day, the raven is still sitting on that statue above my door, and he shall be moved nevermore.

Poetic Devices:

I think the most important poetic device Poe uses in this poem is repetition. The raven only says the word "Nevermore," and he repeats it periodically throughout the poem. The repetition makes its words much more effective. The Raven speaking is a poetic device in itself. Poe uses personification by giving the raven the ability to speak. Poe also utilizes alliteration in his poem. For example, in line three, Poe says, "While I nodded, nearly napping..." Rhyme plays a large part in this poem. Poe uses end rhyme as well as internal rhyme. In the first line, his internal rhyme is apparent when he says, "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary." And his use of end rhyme is first seen in lines five and six when he rhymes "door" and "more." Finally, Poe uses the raven as a symbol for a devil or gatekeeper of some sort. It symbolizes the fact something that is keeping Lenore away from Poe forever.

Figurative Meaning:

When more closely examining this poem, it is clear to see that Poe is mourning the loss of his love, Lenore. As the poem opens, Poe is daydreaming, and he accidentally lets in a bird, a raven to be more specific. Poe can tell that this is no ordinary raven. Since he was thinking about Lenore before the bird flew in, Poe begins to go a little crazy asking the raven questions about her. The raven only says the word "Nevermore," which tells Poe that his true love, Lenore, is lost and gone forever. The black raven typically represents darkness and devilishness of sorts. In the final stanza, I think the raven's lingering symbolizes how Lenore will forever be gone.