American Romanticism was the first well known literary movement in the U.S. Romantics saw America as a place of ambiguity, of corruption and death. Romantics sought to journey away from civilization and limits, and towards nature and imagination. They wanted to capture American landscape and culture and valued intuition over reasoning. American writer’s Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne both illustrate romanticism through their works. Edgar Allan Poe loved to peer into the darkness of life (“The Raven “25). As a dark romantic poem, “The Raven”, illustrates the supernatural and emotional aspect of Romanticism.
“The Raven” is a poem about a man who is grieving over the loss of his wife. During his grief a raven appears to the man. This …show more content…
A speaking raven is all but natural or ordinary. He comes to the man saying nothing but “Nevermore” (45). A bird having the ability to speak is not only supernatural, but the fact that he is communicating with the man in the poem and answering questions that the man has, fits the eerie feeling that the poem gives off. It makes the tone of the poem even more mysterious. Also, the fact the raven is only using the word “Nevermore” makes the story even more mysterious. This repetition of the word frustrates the narrator, but also is a way to make the poem more dramatic. It leaves thought in the readers head, having them not knowing the reason why the only word that the bird says is “Nevermore”. Although “The Raven” is a representation of the supernatural aspect of romanticism, it also represents the emotional aspect if romanticism. The man in the poem shows the love that he has for his wife very clearly. He explains how he feels so much “sorrow for the lost Lenore” (10). He sees Lenore as an “[angel]” and despite the fact that she has passed, believes that there is a chance that she will come back to him in some way (11). At first, he believes that it is Lenore who is at his …show more content…
One day the Minister decides he is going to wear a black veil over his face. Being a minister, he is very well known and when being seen, everyone is very confused on his new attire. The story because no one is aware of why the minister is wearing the veil nor why he will not take it off. His wife, Elizabeth, begs him to “lift the veil once” but he will not (Hawthorne 305). This adds to the mystery because everyone begins to think that the minister is hiding something bad that he doesn’t want to tell them what it is. The fact that he will not lift his veil even for Elizabeth makes him look even more suspicious and guilty of hiding something bad and sinful. She does not want to be with someone that is hiding something from her along with everyone. She does not want to be with somebody who “[darkens their] eyes forever” (304). The minister, knowing this still does not take off his veil. The fact that he does this is a representation the emotion aspect of romanticism. The minister is hiding his emotions from Elizabeth. He is hiding his emotions from everyone. Even though the veil is a symbol of his secret sins, it is also a symbol of the dark and sorrowful feelings that he has even though he does not directly state what they are. He believes that he should be “[hide his] face for sorrow” and “secret sin” (305). This is a symbol of
“The Raven” is a poem about a man who is grieving over the loss of his wife. During his grief a raven appears to the man. This …show more content…
A speaking raven is all but natural or ordinary. He comes to the man saying nothing but “Nevermore” (45). A bird having the ability to speak is not only supernatural, but the fact that he is communicating with the man in the poem and answering questions that the man has, fits the eerie feeling that the poem gives off. It makes the tone of the poem even more mysterious. Also, the fact the raven is only using the word “Nevermore” makes the story even more mysterious. This repetition of the word frustrates the narrator, but also is a way to make the poem more dramatic. It leaves thought in the readers head, having them not knowing the reason why the only word that the bird says is “Nevermore”. Although “The Raven” is a representation of the supernatural aspect of romanticism, it also represents the emotional aspect if romanticism. The man in the poem shows the love that he has for his wife very clearly. He explains how he feels so much “sorrow for the lost Lenore” (10). He sees Lenore as an “[angel]” and despite the fact that she has passed, believes that there is a chance that she will come back to him in some way (11). At first, he believes that it is Lenore who is at his …show more content…
One day the Minister decides he is going to wear a black veil over his face. Being a minister, he is very well known and when being seen, everyone is very confused on his new attire. The story because no one is aware of why the minister is wearing the veil nor why he will not take it off. His wife, Elizabeth, begs him to “lift the veil once” but he will not (Hawthorne 305). This adds to the mystery because everyone begins to think that the minister is hiding something bad that he doesn’t want to tell them what it is. The fact that he will not lift his veil even for Elizabeth makes him look even more suspicious and guilty of hiding something bad and sinful. She does not want to be with someone that is hiding something from her along with everyone. She does not want to be with somebody who “[darkens their] eyes forever” (304). The minister, knowing this still does not take off his veil. The fact that he does this is a representation the emotion aspect of romanticism. The minister is hiding his emotions from Elizabeth. He is hiding his emotions from everyone. Even though the veil is a symbol of his secret sins, it is also a symbol of the dark and sorrowful feelings that he has even though he does not directly state what they are. He believes that he should be “[hide his] face for sorrow” and “secret sin” (305). This is a symbol of