by Cindy Shanks

Created on: July 09, 2008   Last Updated: October 25, 2011

'The Raven' a narrative poem, was written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1845, four years before he died. Not only was he a poet, but he wrote short stories, was an editor and a critic. He introduced the "mystery" genre and in 'The Raven,' the tone itself is one of mystery, lost love and bleakness.

He attacks our senses. We have the eerie sounds of tapping, the sight of the "dying embers" the smell of perfumed air, and with Poe's language we are drawn into the emotions of the narrator. Immediately we are invited into a world that is mournful with words such as "midnight dreary" where the helplessness of the character is revealed. The tapping causes us - like the narrator - to question who could be calling at this hour.

The environment reflects his sadness, and the narrator is using his books as a means of escapism. "From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore" and yet it fails to work. The noise disturbs him, and he looks to see who his visitor is. We are told "Darkness there,and nothing more." It immediately builds up the suspense.

Someone is knocking, but no-one is there. A man is struggling to forget his sweetheart. The darkness outside is a reflection of the character's soul. The mystery stirs within him. He knows it is coming from the window, and wants to laugh it off to prove it is nothing sinister -  that it is simply, "The wind and nothing more!" Then we are introduced to the raven, who the narrator sees as "saintly" and at this point, it is a symbol of hope.

Wretched, the narrator wonders if this companion he has found will also abandon him. For he says "On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes before have flown." This shows us how the depression is eating away at him. He wonders why the bird keeps saying "nevermore" and begins guessing whether the raven has been cruelly treated (a reflection of the narrator who life has treated cruelly taking Lenore away from him) or whether the raven has been sent to help him to forget Lenore.

He can't help his feelings of darkness as he wonders if the bird is the devil, or has an answer to what has happened to Lenore. The answer "nevermore" frustrates him. He becomes angry because the bird seems to know so much, but can say so little, and this indicates that he is losing his mind.

Again, at the end the poem has an even darker edge as the man realises his hopes cannot be lifted. The raven he desperately wanted to stay now will not leave. We are left with an ominous finale to the poem that the scholar's situation will not improve.

Yet despite its dark helplessness, this poem's structure - trochaic octameter -and imagery makes it very beautiful to read aloud.

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