Poe’s “The Raven” describes how the man hears a mysterious knocking at night, and opening the door allows the raven to fly into the room to remind him of the death of his beloved Lenore. The raven repeats the word nevermore, alluding to the idea that people cannot return what is lost. The analysis of poetry devices provides the chance to understand what role they play in the poem and how they help to reflect the poet’s intention. Repetition, rhyme, and imagery work together in the poem to display the theme of death and the afterlife.
Poe uses repetition of words and phrases to emphasize the duration of the event described in the poem and the hero’s focus on this situation. One of the examples can be the repetition of words “rapping, rapping,” which concerns the noises that the main character hears (Poe, line 4). The other illustration can be the repetition of the phrase “nothing more” (Poe, lines 6, 18, 24, and 30). This expression helps to underline the despair and fatality connected with the theme of death that the narrator experiences.
The poet rhymes the words used in the poem to make this work sound like a ballad or a piece of music. The readers can determine such a rhyme pattern as ABCBBB in the poem. Since all the stanzas repeat this scheme, the work sounds like a complete oeuvre that focuses on specific words that rhyme. Mainly, such words as “Lenore,” “evermore,” “before,” “nevermore” end in the same sound (Poe, lines 10, 12, 14, and 18). The Rhyming of these words helps the poet to emphasize their significance for the theme of this work.
Imagery helps to display the feelings of sorrow and despair in the poem. Poe uses such words as “weary,” “dying,” “sorrow,” and “terrors” to create the imagery of the poem and demonstrate the mood of the main character (lines 1, 8, 10, and 14). These examples of imagery allow the readers to visualize the feelings of grief associated with the loss of a beloved person and understand how this situation influences the psychological state of an individual.
Such poetic devices as repetition, rhyme, and imagery work hand-in-hand in the poem to describe the theme of death and the afterlife. Mainly, repetition and rhyme allow Poe to emphasize the specific words that help make the readers understand that the character suffers from the death of his beloved woman. They help create the atmosphere of tension and mystery, which allude to the concept of the afterlife presented as possible. Imagery also combines with these devices because repetition and rhyme help create the images that reflect the hero’s feelings.
Thus, such poetic devices as repetition, rhyme, and imagery play an essential role in “The Raven” because they help to create and display the theme of death and the afterlife. Mainly, the poet uses repetitions to underline the feelings of the character and explain his mood. The rhyme allows the readers to focus on the specific words that make the poem sound like a ballad dedicated to a deceased person. Finally, the presentation of imagery contributes to creating a particular picture of the character’s feelings and concerns. Combining these techniques is an essential element of the work because it defines Poe’s mastery in conveying the mood of despair and sorrow.
Work Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Raven. Simon and Schuster, 2013.