The Raven Analysis

The Raven was a poem written by Edgar Allen Poe. The Raven is one of the most recongnized poems in American Literature. He is a well known author all around. He wrote this poem obvisouly about a raven that had been haunting him for awhile. I looked up criticisms on his poem and came up with a good one that discussed the composition of the Raven. The reason that this criticism stuck out the most to me was because Edgar Allen Poe was the author of the criticism. I thought that kind of seemed weird to write a criticism on your own poem, but oh well! I also thought that it would actually kind of mean a lot to some people, because he knew that his writings were not perfect and could always use a touch up in some areas. As reading the poem anaylsis I also found the poem closely follows the rhyme scheme of Elizabeth Barrett's "Lady Geraldine's Courtship." Poe really looked to Barrett's work, and decided to dedicate The Raven and Other Poems to her (Poe). I thought that was a good clip of information, because it was kind of cool that he had someone that he admired that much.

The criticism was based on the ideas that were going through Edgar Allen Poe's head as he was writing the poem, and he was now letting all of his thoughts out now that the poem had already been released. Poe described the reasoniing behind most things in his poem. He also broke down all of the stanzas and lines in his own words. He descrirbed his reasoning behind everything.

He also said in this criticism the way that it effects people still today. He said that through this great writing it haunted people since the first publication (Poe). In this poem Poe has a dificulty trying to figure out the noise that comes to the door, and he ends up freaking himself out through the whole thing. The raven then comes up on the window and all it would say is "nevermore", I think that Poe was trying to make a poem that was trying to freak someone out. I know while reading it I was a little weirded out.

"A poem that imagines the scenario of "The Raven" from the point of view of the dead maiden, looking down on her grieving lover from heaven" (Poe). I think that Poe sums up his whole poem right here in saying that he was just was in a grieving period. He was trying to see from the point of view of his wife up in heaven looking down on him while he was so sad.


"Critics have pointed out other literary antecedents for Poe's raven, including the biblical account of the ravens feeding Elijah in the wilderness and Hamlet's call, "Come, the croaking raven doth bellow for revenge""(Poe). I thought that it was kind of cool that he pointed out that there was a little bit of biblical account in this poem. I think that Poe probably did this on purpose.

Bloom, Harold, ed. "'The Raven'." Edgar Allan Poe, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1999. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMPEAP19&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 23, 2010).