‘Annabel Lee’ is a six stanza long poem written from the perspective of a mourning lover who narrates his grief for a maiden named Annabel Lee’s death . Poe, utilises various literary devices and effects, such as repetition to maintain the atmosphere of grief, in a manner similar to that which a ballad would employ, and the voice of an unreliable narrator in his poem to reveal with each subsequent stanza the speaker’s instability, and perhaps even insanity, through an illustration of his increasingly evident distorted reality. 2 you're saying some great things here, but this is very confusing syntax. Revise for clarity. ‘ 3 use double quotation marks, please! Annabel Lee’ begins with a storybook opening, and the narrator’s account initially
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From a technical perspective, both the rhyme scheme, similar to that in the rest of the poem aside from slight variations, following the pattern ABCBDB, and use of the refrain ‘In a kingdom by the sea’ can are first introduced. 6 what is the significance of this? Poe’s choice of diction here with regards to the story-like opening and the first instance of the use of the refrain ‘kingdom by the sea’ both contribute to the overall mood of the poem—idealistic, romanticised, and about an idea perhaps beyond human reach. The next stanza goes on to provide the reader with some context: the speaker states that both he and Annabel Lee were children, and then, using the word ‘but,’ implies that contrary to the reader’s expectation of most children, their love was, in spite of this, stronger and deeper than ever imaginable. Next, an interesting contrast is drawn: the speaker now compares his and Annabel Lee’s love with something the ‘seraphs of Heaven coveted, 7 is this a comparison? or a statement of "fact"? ’ introducing a conflict. Angels in Christianity are well known to generally represent purity, peace, and happiness, and yet, here they are associated with …show more content…
Another idea worth noting is that not only is the speaker emphasizing, yet again, the nature of their love, but his repetitive mention of it is further evidence of his obsession with Annabel Lee—and with it, perhaps the previously hidden one-sided nature of this relationship—as well as his accompanying instability: his reliability as a narrator steadily falls as the poem reaches this stanza, and in the sixth, as will be evident, it reaches a new low point. When the final stanza is finally reached, the speaker steadily progresses towards true insanity, first revealing that Annabel Lee haunts his dreams, then that he continually feels her eyes on him, and finally, that he spends his nights in Annabel Lee’s tomb near the ocean with her dead body 13 don't let your argument falter here! The last stanza is crucial for an argument the speaker's insanity/instability--the meter (which has been pretty consistent and sing-song throughout the poem) breaks in this stanza; we get the direct repetition of "my darling," followed by the simultaneously unconvincing
From a technical perspective, both the rhyme scheme, similar to that in the rest of the poem aside from slight variations, following the pattern ABCBDB, and use of the refrain ‘In a kingdom by the sea’ can are first introduced. 6 what is the significance of this? Poe’s choice of diction here with regards to the story-like opening and the first instance of the use of the refrain ‘kingdom by the sea’ both contribute to the overall mood of the poem—idealistic, romanticised, and about an idea perhaps beyond human reach. The next stanza goes on to provide the reader with some context: the speaker states that both he and Annabel Lee were children, and then, using the word ‘but,’ implies that contrary to the reader’s expectation of most children, their love was, in spite of this, stronger and deeper than ever imaginable. Next, an interesting contrast is drawn: the speaker now compares his and Annabel Lee’s love with something the ‘seraphs of Heaven coveted, 7 is this a comparison? or a statement of "fact"? ’ introducing a conflict. Angels in Christianity are well known to generally represent purity, peace, and happiness, and yet, here they are associated with …show more content…
Another idea worth noting is that not only is the speaker emphasizing, yet again, the nature of their love, but his repetitive mention of it is further evidence of his obsession with Annabel Lee—and with it, perhaps the previously hidden one-sided nature of this relationship—as well as his accompanying instability: his reliability as a narrator steadily falls as the poem reaches this stanza, and in the sixth, as will be evident, it reaches a new low point. When the final stanza is finally reached, the speaker steadily progresses towards true insanity, first revealing that Annabel Lee haunts his dreams, then that he continually feels her eyes on him, and finally, that he spends his nights in Annabel Lee’s tomb near the ocean with her dead body 13 don't let your argument falter here! The last stanza is crucial for an argument the speaker's insanity/instability--the meter (which has been pretty consistent and sing-song throughout the poem) breaks in this stanza; we get the direct repetition of "my darling," followed by the simultaneously unconvincing