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The Raven Symbolism Essay

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“The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe is a poem published in January of 1845, that has been read for over a hundred years. One reason this poem is particularly popular is because of the story behind it. A mysterious and possibly supernatural raven comes to a distraught man who is slowly slipping into madness. The detail in this poem pulls people into the story. Poe uses lots of symbolism in this poem and the biggest symbol is the raven itself. The raven symbolizes the man’s love for Lenore. Lenore was someone who was particularly important to this man. All he ever did was think about her. He tried to escape his thoughts, but every time he did, he got pulled back into them. Not only does the raven represent love but it also represents the narrator 's …show more content…

Flitting means any sort of slight, swift movement. The raven acts like a statue. Never moving and just sitting there on the bust of Pallas. This could be interpreted in several different ways, but the most obvious one is that he will be miserable forever. As long as the Raven is there and doesn’t leave, the man will be stuck in this world forever. He tries to get the raven to leave, but the raven only ever says “nevermore” (102). At the very end of the poem, Poe states that the light from a lamp glows over the narrator, “And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floors shall be lifted- Nevermore,” (102) so finally the bird has made his point that this man will be alone forever. The bird is sitting on the bust of Pallas, which is the Greek goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom. Which is ironic cause all the man wants is to know why the raven is there, what he wants and when he will leave, but also when he will feel better and not be sad anymore. The very last line of the poem gives us the answer which is “Nevermore” (102). The narrator demands that the raven leaves his house, but time and time again all the bird says is “nevermore” which angers this man, which is

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