Searching through various different websites to find the ’best poem in the world’ was a very lengthy process, but I somehow always kept coming back to one poem in particular. This poem is called “Annabel Lee” and was written by Edgar Allen Poe in 1849, being the last poem he wrote before his death. I believe this is the best poem in the world because the story is easy to follow, the structure is unique, and the echoing effect of the poem is hypnotic. “Annabel Lee” has many clear examples of the devices we discussed in class, and all of those devices work together to create a beautiful, but haunting, poem. To start off, the speaker explains how he fell in love with Annabel Lee many years ago when they were very young. They were so in love that
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Since the poem takes place “in a kingdom by the sea,” Poe tries hard to imitate a wave-like rhythm in his poem. One of the most definitive characteristics is the repetition of the ‘e’ sound at the end of each shorter line. Words such as “sea,” “Lee,” “we,” and “me” are repeated quite a bit, being the only four words used to end those short lines. These words can be echoed inside the reader’s head on a subconscious level as they carry on reading, which creates the effect of waves. There is, even more, repetition in “Annabel Lee” through repeating specific words a surprising amount of times, an obvious one being “love” as it represents how the speaker is feeling the whole time. The repetition in the phrase “But we loved with a love that was more than love” is striking, giving the reader an almost numbing feeling. A lot of alliteration is found in this poem as well, for example, “half so happy in heaven.” The ‘h’ sound can suggest a wind effect, enhancing the thought of the wind that supposedly killed Annabel Lee. There are very few harsh consonants used, which in return makes the poem glide smoothly. Because of this, the overall sound of the poem is quiet, enhancing the hypnotic effect that causes the audience to remember “Annabel
Since the poem takes place “in a kingdom by the sea,” Poe tries hard to imitate a wave-like rhythm in his poem. One of the most definitive characteristics is the repetition of the ‘e’ sound at the end of each shorter line. Words such as “sea,” “Lee,” “we,” and “me” are repeated quite a bit, being the only four words used to end those short lines. These words can be echoed inside the reader’s head on a subconscious level as they carry on reading, which creates the effect of waves. There is, even more, repetition in “Annabel Lee” through repeating specific words a surprising amount of times, an obvious one being “love” as it represents how the speaker is feeling the whole time. The repetition in the phrase “But we loved with a love that was more than love” is striking, giving the reader an almost numbing feeling. A lot of alliteration is found in this poem as well, for example, “half so happy in heaven.” The ‘h’ sound can suggest a wind effect, enhancing the thought of the wind that supposedly killed Annabel Lee. There are very few harsh consonants used, which in return makes the poem glide smoothly. Because of this, the overall sound of the poem is quiet, enhancing the hypnotic effect that causes the audience to remember “Annabel