1. This week we will be reading Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem, "The Raven" and short story, "Tell Tale Heart". Please read the selections first:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Poe/Raven.pdf
http://www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Poe/Tell-Tale_Heart.pdf
2. Edgar Allan Poe- a short biography
http://poestories.com/biography.php
3. Blog question for the week: What literary techniques do you find in the Raven. Give examples from the poetry in your answer. What shared themes or literary techniques do you find in both pieces of literature from this week?
4. The Raven Analysis- Read AFTER you read "The Raven" by Poe and AFTER you answer the blog question for this week.
http://www.poedecoder.com/essays/raven/
Extra Credit Assignment this week: Read the short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Poe.
This poem is composed with a rhythmic octometer which hypnotically captivates and intrigues readers. If my analysis is correct this poem consists of a stressed followed by an unstressed syllable. This is exactly opposite from the iambic base which is made up of an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable. For example, “And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting.” (Underline equals stressed) Instead of ‘da dum’ it sounds to me like ‘dum da’ to me. I’m not entirely sure if this is correct poetic breakdown. Please correct me if I’m wrong. The shared themes between the two pieces of literature can be found in the symbolism. I noted the use of symbolism in the raven to portray friendship or hope. For as he says, “On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.” In the Tell-Tale heart the author makes reference to a watch which espouses a feeling of hopelessness and death, “He was still sitting up in the bed listening just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.” I believe these allegories are filled with despair and pessimism and serve as a reminder as to how tragic life can be without optimism, faith and hope.
ReplyDeleteThrough the Raven, Poe employs an iambic octameter to mysteriously seize his readers with an irresistible charm. Adding a shorter verse at the end of each stanza, he provides a sense of repetition and continuous flow (all of the verses end in "more"). His most enthralling and effective technique in the poem is repetition. In the last two octametric lines of each stanza, he uses the same last word (epistrophe). For example, "And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, 'Lenore!' This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, 'Lenore!'". Within some lines, he uses the same word twice (anadiplosis) to carry on his thought. For example, "As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."
ReplyDeleteBetween both pieces lies a shared theme of parallelism. Where the raven endlessly repeats evermore, crushing the author's desires for Lenore, the heartbeat represents the tell tale foreboding toll of disaster. Both represent an omen and a curse. Each story ends with a conflicted man with dim prospects for his future.
I like your though about the fact that both piece represent an oment and a curse. I never though about it that way. Good analysis.
DeleteEdgar Allen Poe used a wide range of techniques in his writing of "The Raven". One technique he used was repetitions examples of which include:
ReplyDelete"’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;" (Stanza 3)
Another example of repetition can be found in the constant reappearance of nothing more and Nevermore in the short line at the end of each stanza. Another poetic device he used was rhyme with in the lines. For Example:
"While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping" (Stanza 1)
"Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning" (Stanza 6)
Those are just a few techniques Edgar Allen Poe uses in his poem.
"The Raven" and "Tell Tale Heart" both start out with the main character feeling proud and good about themselves and their situation. In "The Raven" the main character starts out confident then as the Raven repeats Nevermore he becomes more depressed and frantic. In "Tell Tale Heart" the main character starts out confident in the deed he is going to do he even comes across as cocky. Then, after committing the crime, he hears the mans heart while the police are there, he becomes frantic and turns himself over to the police no longer able to handle the sound of the old mans heart. Both stories end with no hope for the main characters. In "The Raven" the main characters soul floats above the ground never to move. The main character in "Tell Tale Heart" admits to his crime implying to the reader he is about to be punished for his crime of meditative manslaughter.
Excellent analysis Lauren. I completely agree. What would you say the Raven in his story represents?
DeleteI did some extra research on the raven and found out that it is written in Trochaic Octometer. Also the poem "The Raven" is filled with repetition. Whether it be the Raven saying Nevermore, or the narrators thoughts always returning to Lenore. In the second to last paragraph the narrator repeats the word "leave" and gives the reader the imagery of how terrified he has become. on every paragraph, the final two words are always the same. Paragraph 1:
ReplyDelete"As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.“
’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door."
Also these two finals lines rhyme throughout the entirety of the poem. The words all sound like "Door, Lenore, Nevermore, Explore, etc." These patterns took me a little while to notice, but once I read through the poem once or twice they become very noticeable.
Definitely a poetic genius. Listen the the narrated version by Chris Walken on YouTube. It'll give you goosebumps.
DeleteSo starting off lets look at the poem the biggest theme I see is repetition, Poe is constantly repeating ideas, and words. For example he ends every verse with and "nothing more" or "nevermore". He repeats the idea that the man in the house is fearful frequently. These two verse both express the mans fear in different ways. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore!”This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—
ReplyDeleteMerely this and nothing more.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping something louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—
Let my heart be still a moment, and this mystery explore;—
’Tis the wind and nothing more.”
So those are the styles and patterns I see in this piece. The biggest similarity to the tell tale heart is the setting night, type of story suspense, and the idea of some being watched.
Since most of y'all agree that The Raven has much repetition, I'll say a few words about the mood. In both stories, both men are driven mad by a past. One with Lenore, the other with the Eye. Both haunt them to the point where they can't take the torment any longer. (Edgar Allen Poe obviously has a problem with taking better sleep pills). In the Raven especially, when he mentions, "Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
ReplyDeleteFrom my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -" he expresses a deep yearn for something to fill the void in his heart. A cry for help from the character, as well from the author perhaps? In The Tell Tale Heart, he expresses a common theme of yearning for peace from the Eye (sounds like Eye of Sauron almost). Both stories encompass his wish for inner peace, and both end with the guy going completely bonkers. Warning for us? Don't harp on the past. It can eat you up.
Sam Waters
and then forfeits his extra credit for saying y'all....
DeleteWhich makes you wonder if they're the same person.... ;)
DeleteAs for the past eating at you, it is interesting to note that, as I posted, the word raven can mean, "to consume greedily; devour" and the word vulture, "a contemptible person who preys on or exploits others."
DeleteSam, nice analysis of the poems, I like how you stayed away from repetition stating that its obvious and everyone else noticed it and then concentrating on analysis and the themes.
DeleteThe Eye of Sauron. YESS!!!!!!!!!!
DeleteThere are a few literary techniques that I noticed while reading the Raven. The first was alliteration. There are a few examples of alliteration one of which is “midnight dreary, while ... weak and weary” The next literary technique I noticed was repeated words in differing lines like “And this mystery explore (next line) . . . and this mystery explore.” The final one that I noticed was rhyming on the inside of lines and not just at the end, example: “Shutter. . . Flutter, Turning. . . Burning.” Some of the themes that are similar in The Raven and Tell Tale Heart are Poe’s use of darkness, and evil, and eeriness. This is common in his writings as well as the time in which the stories occur: At night in a bleak and dark environment. Some of the literary techniques that are shared by the two stories are. Both stores use repetition and repeating of words, the Tell Tale heart says, “Wide, wide” And the Raven uses, “Louder, louder.” Another way in which they use similar techniques is the use of change in how the characters react. They are both quite normal until the Raven doesn’t leave and the dead man’s heart starts to beat both character begin to go insane, screaming, shouting, and being crazy.
ReplyDeleteNice examination of the poem and story, you did a great job of using the lines in the poem to show your point, your link between the raven and tale tell heart is very insightful.
DeleteEdgar Allan Poe has a very unique style that is enjoyable to listen to if you just don’t think about the topic of the story. Two of the literary devices that he uses very well in “The Raven” are alliteration and repetition. He uses repeated sounds and words to make his poetry sound almost like music when read aloud. For example:
ReplyDelete“Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;”
“What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore”
More than just the word “evermore” being repeated throughout the poem, the last two lines always have the same last one or two words.
“On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er”
“Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore”
My favorite aspect of the poem is Poe’s deft use of symbolism. After doing some research I learned that Poe had considered using a Parrot rather than a raven. Obviously, a parrot does not carry the same ominous connotations that a raven does. He ended up employing the raven because it has been linked to ill omens and bad luck for thousands of years.
There are numerous similarities between “The Telltale Heart” and “The Raven”. The tone of both works is very similar. Both pieces are depressing, dark, and hopeless. Neither piece offers any redemption at the end. As is Poe’s custom, they are both told from the first person, with the narrator acting as the main character and speaker. The fact that the stories are told from the first person requires the reader to make the decision to either trust the narrator or to believe that he is mad (especially in “The Tell Tale Heart”).
The fact that Poe considered using a parrot is very interesting, even though I'm sure his end decision was for the best.
DeleteIt seems as if Mr. Poe was deranged on some sort of level... However, he was a genius at poetry! Like everyone has said before, he used (in The Raven) rhyming words at the end to help it stick in all of our minds. Example: "Only this and nothing more.
ReplyDeleteNameless here for evermore.
This is it and nothing more.
Quoth the Raven 'Nevermore'. "
You can definitely see the rhythm that Mrs. Butler was talking about when reading, it almost sounds like a song.
The Tell Tale heart gave me the creeps, to be quite honest. Correct me if I'm wrong, but he was lurking in a man's house waiting for him to die so he could cut limbs off? The story, though creepy, was penned in a most spectacular way. Look at the vocabulary! I found the story's wording almost soothing (again, in a really creepy sort of way.) It makes you wonder if the character had murdered before, and the man who he was waiting on to die knew he was coming and that's why he was so paranoid.
And plus the story just ends at the best part. I mean it makes you ask so many questions. Is the old man somehow still alive? What do the police do when they find out that the narratoris the criminal?! IS DARTH VADER LUKE'S FATHER?!
DeleteI must apologize for my lack of knowledge of poetic terms. To me the poem was, for lack of a better terms, repetitive and rhythmic. all of the sections ended with a line almost identical to the last ending, but slightly different. Some type of meter, maybe a octo-meter in rhythm. Poe uses a vast store of ancient and lore terms to explain how things happened and his reaction.
ReplyDeletethe tell tail heart was creepy and methodical. the later possible causing some of the former. His description of everything so well not only displayed the deed, but made it repeatable. That is honestly the creepies part of it for me.
I also noticed the lore and mythology to add color to the themes. In Norse mythology, Odin had ravens named Hugin and Munin,which mean "thought" and "memory."This could illustrate the battle between his grief over Lenore and his presents of mind.
DeleteThere is lots of foreshadowing. The line “and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor,” projects the coming darkness of the poem.
ReplyDeleteThe line/phrase/word “Never more” is repeated at the end of each line with gives it an erie significance.
And fourth and fifth lines are always some variation of each other, again creating a foreboding and elegant structure.
“ ’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door— Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;
The entire peace as a very strong rhythm that makes it very enjoyable to read allowed.
In The Tell Tale Heart some of the same devices are apparent such as the dramatic repetition of important words. Due to the fact that it is in prose, the reoccurring lines add the to believability that the protagonist (err… I mean antagonist...err...main guy) is truly insane, despite his emphatic denial.
...I also liked how the biography talked about astrology in like every other paragraph.
"Never more" does give it an eerie significance. It keeps your attention and anticipation, which gives the poem such great appeal.
DeleteThe Raven appears to be an allegory of some sort – perhaps of despair. The narrator is grieving the departure of a loved one and to all of his pleas for comfort, the raven answers “Nevermore.”
ReplyDeleteThere is also a lot of repetition in the poem. No to mention the frequent “Nevermore”s, the last line of each verse contains six syllables. In addition, every second, fourth, fifth, and six line of each verse rhymes with “or,” the middle word in every first line rhymes with the same line’s last word, and the middle and last words in every third line rhyme with the corresponding middle word of every fourth line.
Both The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart use metaphor, simile, and personification. For instance, it says in verse thirteen of the poem, “the lamp-light gloated o’er” and in verse eighteen, “And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming.” On page five of The Tell-Tale Heart the author writes, “a single dim ray, like the thread of a spider” and “Death, in approaching him, had stalked… and enveloped the victim.”
There are also similar themes in the two works. There is an evil bird eye – the raven’s eyes that “have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming” and the “vulture eye” of the old man. Both ravens and vultures are generally disliked birds. Raven can mean “to consume greedily; devour” or “to seek or seize as prey or plunder” and vulture is also defined as “a contemptible person who preys on or exploits others.” In addition there is an ominous shadow – in The Raven, “my soul from out that shadow [of the Raven’s] …Shall be lifted – nevermore!” and in The Tell-Tale Heart, “Death…had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim.”
I like how you connected the use of Raven in both stories. I assume Poe had something against these sleek black birds?
DeleteOne of the many literary techniques found in Edgar Poe's 'The Raven' and also seen in 'The Tell Tale Heart' is repetition. in 'The Raven,' we see how limited the bird's vocabulary is. The Raven can only repeat one word- "Nevermore." In 'The Tell Tale Heart,' the narrator constantly explains to the reader that he is NOT crazy and that he just wants to murder a kindly old an because the man has a funny, creepy looking eye. The narrator keeps admitting that although he has a disease, he is not insane (right...). Both short stories, in fact, talk about insanity, and in the end, both protagonists eventually succumb to this.
ReplyDelete"And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!"
One final thing that the stories have in common is the fact that in 'The Tale Tell Heart' the police suspect FOWL play.
When looking in depth at the poem of the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, I immediately saw some very interesting literary techniques.
ReplyDeleteThe first is in the intensity that the speaker narrates his brief affairs with the Raven. It's almost as if the way he speaks is a Jeremiad. His deep longing for his lost "Lenore", the dread in which he bids the haunting Raven to leave him, and the very interesting language he uses (even for that time period) - "Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe!" I also happened to notice the narrator in "Tell Tale Heart" told the story with the same air of desperation. I also found elements of mythology such as "On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;" (Pallas was another name for the Greek God Athena), and also the mentioning of the Gilead and Aidenn. This poem was meant to be creepy and Poe achieved creepiness through his use of the Trochaic Octometer.
Looking in fact, at the more literal Literary Techniques - Poe uses quite a lot of rhyming both in his internal lines and rhyming always in his last line. He uses alliteration "bird beguiling", and also a lot of repetition (mostly seen at the end of his paragraphs).
Haley, I didn't notice the mythology when I read the Raven, so thanks for pointing that out. Do you know if there is any deeper meaning or a reason for Poe using Athena in the poem? I looked it up and most sources said that Pallas is the goddess of wisdom, which is ironic, because the raven is a dumb animal capable of only saying one word.
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ReplyDeleteThough I'm not a big fan of poetry, or the topics which Edgar Allan Poe chose to write on, the beauty of Poe's poetic technique cannot be ignored.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the meter goes, The Raven is written in Trochaic Octometer. In fact, this particular piece is probably the most famous work written in Trochaic Octameter. What's interesting, is that Poe changes things up a bit in this poem by, instead of making the entire poem Trochaic Octameter, making the last line of each stanza a "half line". So the last line in each stanza is only 7 syllables, rather than 15 or 16 as in the lines before.
Also, The Raven portrays rhythmic rhyming. It is quite obvious that throughout the piece, Poe uses the sound "or" at the end of the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth lines. What's not quite as obvious though is the way that he stresses the "or".
If one looks closely, they'll see that every line, (except for the last line of each stanza) there are two sets of 8 syllables, or one set of 8 syllables and one set of 7.
Take, for example, stanza 13-
"[This and more I sat divining](8 syllables), [with my head at ease reclining] (8 syllables)
[On the cushion’s velvet lining] (8 syllables) [that the lamp-light gloated o’er,] (7 syllables)
The reason that the "or" sounds are so easily picked up by the common reader's ear, is because Poe purposefully gives each line with the "or" sound one less syllable, leaving a beat hanging in the air. This is a brilliant way to get the reader to immediately pick up on the "or" sounds.
One similarity that I see between The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart is despair. In both pieces of literature, Edgar Allan Poe depicts a despair that is seemingly eternal.
That's really interesting, Grace. Do you think the extra beat gives the poem an off-beat sound?
DeleteFirst things first I'd like to say that I adore poetry and The Raven is one of my all-time favorites.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I noticed first about this poem is the rhyming techniques Poe uses.
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
The rhyming couplets in there are: evil-devil, laden-Aidenn-maiden, Lenore-Lenore-Nevermore.
The pattern that Poe follows (although he occasionally strays from it) is two three three. This gives the poem an articulate, moving sound when read aloud and lends itself to dramatic inflections in a speaker's tone.
This work is hardly meant to be left on a page. The rhythm, iambic pentameter I think,(though not Shakespeare's kind) ingrains itself in the reader's mind with the effect of a metronome.
A similarity between Tell-Tale Heart and The Raven is the narrator's rapid decent into madness. In The Raven, the man is sad, mournful even, as he thinks about his lost love. But the appearance of a raven, real or imagined, drives him crazy as he desperately seeks answers and solace where there are none to be given. In Tell-Tale Heart, the beating pulse that signifies the man's crime forces him into hysterical frenzy as he believes that police can hear it too.
Great thought, I bet Poe included this "rapid decent into madness" because it reflected his own life...
DeleteMan, after reading Poe's biography, I really feel bad for the guy. I mean, such a great writer and poet, and yet received hardly any attention for his works, always looking for a job, while trying to support his family the entire time. I was quite surprised after reading these two works, because these are really good.
ReplyDeleteA prominent technique I noticed in both pieces was repetition.
Paragraph 3 in the "Raven":
"Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;"
Page 7 in the short story :
"I went down to open it with a light heart,---for what had I now to fear?"
Next paragraph:
"I smiled,---for what had I to fear?"
Another interesting literary element I found in the short story was irony. For the entire first part of the story, the character is describing and trying to persuade the readers that he's not mad. However, he's constantly nervous, using short sentences, later kills a man, then tries to justify it. If this isn't mad, I don't know what is.
Poe was an incredibly powerful writer, and these pieces are especially moving. One of the ways Poe creates such compelling poetry is repetition. For example, within individual stanzas certain words and phrases are repeated, such as,
ReplyDelete" While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“ ’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—"
In addition to this, Poe repeats other phrases throughout the entire poem, such as, "Only this and nothing more," or the raven's refrain, "Nevermore." Another literary tool used is alliteration. One line uses the words, "grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt" to describe the raven.
In both the Raven and the Tell-Tale Heart, Poe seem to have an obsession with death. However strange his writing, Poe undoubtedly captures the feeling and fears of humanity.
Also, I'm so sorry this was so late! We've been out of town for the last few days and didn't have internet access, and I forgot to post before we left.
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