Edgar Allan Poe's Repetition In The Raven

Edgar Allan Poe grew up having a life which would have been hard for anyone to deal with, yet he did it and managed to benefit from his hardships by writing about his misfortunes. From a young age, Poe felt abandoned and lost, which resulted in his turning to writing as a lifestyle rather than just a hobby or a passion. His hard life resulted in Poe writing in the gothic style, with much emphasis on the darker side of human nature and the dark, twisted parts of the world. Edgar Allan Poe fosters a sense of dread which is synthesized with repetition such as that found in “The Raven” as well as the intense diction found in “The Premature Burial” in order to convey the idea that fear deteriorates a person’s mental sanity as time goes on. As seen …show more content…
The story begins with a man who shows his “sorrow for the lost Lenore” whom he loved with all his heart (“The Raven” line 10). In his mind, he has lost the love of his life and has no chance at replacing her. A seemingly supernatural being then shows up and begins to talk to the main character, and this creature is a raven. As they talk, the raven seemingly brings him to so low a place that his “soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor/Shall be lifted - nevermore!”, which shows his utter despair as the raven speaks to him (“The Raven” line 108). The character has lost his loved one, which the raven seems to comprehend although he is nothing but a simple minded bird. In reality, the raven simply knows a single word, and that is nevermore. Poe chose this word on purpose, as if to show just how truly desperate the situation is. This man is clinging to the hope of perhaps seeing his loved one again, which lends itself to the idea of another gothic convention, which is the belief in the supernatural. The main character is burdened once again with despair from the loss of his loved one, and thus tells the bird to “tell this soul with sorrow laden” whether or not he will see his loved one ever