Poe's Odyssey Into Madness In The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

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The Raven, I found to be Poe’s odyssey into madness. This gradual descent is accomplished by his artful use of repetition. To begin, just take the last line of each stanza by looking at the words themselves, "and nothing more" hangs on the edge, looming darker and darker on the reader sensibilities as the poem progresses. "Only this", gives the reader the simple meaning of someone’s presence at the door, but sets the tone by repeating the words, “tapping and rapping” within the stanza, alluding hints of a mind prime for lunacy. The first use of the word, “gently” evokes a lightness or softness in the slight annoyance. Keeping the hook "nevermore" trapping the mind, just as a song that you can’t get out of your head no matter what you do.

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