by Claire B. of Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California The Raven Named Nevermore INTRODUCTION Attention grabber Quoth the parrot, Nevermore. That is how one of the classic lines of American poetry might have read if Edgar Allan Poe had chosen one of the original birds he considered as Background information Thesis statement the antagonist in his most famous poem. He changed his mind because the dark tone of the piece seemed to require a more sinister bird, one that could not appear to speak its mind the way a parrot could. So he chose the raven, a bird that eats the flesh of the dead and who, in the mythological world, is connected to the realm of the afterlife. Thus came about The Raven, a classic of poetic literature. The character of the Raven is wise yet merciless, stately yet insensitive, a messenger from the beyond sent to the grieving narrator to bring a kind of surcease of sorrow (10) for the lost Lenore. BODY Actions The Raven is first introduced in stanza seven when the narrator flings open the window. The ebony bird steps in with mien of lord or lady (40) and immediately assumes a 1
position on the bust of Pallas, the goddess of wisdom, above Physical appearance the narrator s chamber door. The narrator describes the bird as stately (38), with its crest shorn and shaven (45), creating an image of the dark creature. The bird has a noble demeanor, Sensory details an official presence in the room. It s slightly scraggly looking, with a shorn chest of feathers, but it still exudes fearlessness and nobility. It flies immediately to the goddess of wisdom and remains there. The Raven carries its presence the way a royal messenger might, one sent to give the narrator a message. However, it is not tame. It has fiery eyes (74) and at times the narrator cannot tell if it is a bird or devil (85). In the form of this dark bird rests the fire of the afterlife s messenger. It comes from the Plutonian shore (47), a reference to Pluto, god of the underworld. This is a creature of the night whose purpose is clear. It is a grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore (71), reflecting mythology s view of the raven s role in the grand scheme of reality. It is a dark, unbalanced, slender, and heralding creature of death, to paraphrase the narrator s own words. 2
Speech The sole word that the Raven speaks is Nevermore. Poe s rhyme scheme employs many ore words: shore, yore, door, explore, Lenore, evermore... nevermore, which lends an eerie melody to the poem. Every time the narrator asks a question of the Raven, the response is always Nevermore. Reactions Each time it says this, it sends the narrator into more pain and more rage. The Raven is insensitive to the man s pain and even adds to this pain as it answers each question with a depressing Nevermore. When the narrator asks, Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn (93) he shall find Lenore again, the Raven responds simply to the negative. This pains the narrator because Aidenn is a form of Eden, or heaven, and the Raven is saying that Lenore is not in heaven, which means she must be in hell, according to the narrator s beliefs. The narrator pleads with the bird to leave, crying, Leave my loneliness unbroken (100), but the Raven again replies, Nevermore. The Raven will never leave the narrator alone, thus torturing the narrator for the rest of his life. The narrator ends the poem by speaking of the Raven s nonmoving form 3
whose shadow is thrown on the floor, the bird s eyes have all the seeming of a demon s that is dreaming... / And my soul Symbolism of character from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor / Shall be lifted nevermore (105 108). The Raven is a demon in the narrator s eyes, for it will not spare the narrator any mercy in regard to his lost love, Lenore. The narrator is grieving, but the Raven is insensitive to this, giving him a dark, cruel demeanor in the text of the poem, and thus illustrating how the Raven can be viewed as a demon. Poe s words reflect the myth surrounding the Raven s role in the world as well as its role in the life of the narrator. The Raven has a grave and stern decorum (44) as it brings its message from the Night s Plutonian shore (47), beyond the confines of life. It is a saintly bird, from the saintly days of yore (38). It s a majestic creature, dark and proud, noble and serene. It is a prophet (85), its God has lent him and by these angels he has sent (81) him. It is a supernatural messenger sent with one word: Nevermore. CONCLUSION The Raven is obviously the center of the poem, which 4
Reference to thesis Reactions reflects the bird s importance to the narrator. A messenger sent from beyond with one word to deliver, the Raven is a mystical figure. This offers the narrator a sense of catharsis, in that he Final statement can finally rest with his grief. The questions that burned within the narrator were answered by the Raven s word, and perhaps Poe is trying to communicate that there are answers for every question, whether that answer is Nevermore or something more positive. Every person has lost someone he or she has loved in some way or another, and every person has sat alone in a room asking questions of thin air. The only thing that is missing from such a scenario is a stately black bird named Nevermore, but that doesn t mean that it will never come, tapping at the chamber door. 5