"The Raven" Analysis

Literal Meaning:
The narrator is reading books very late at night in his study when he hears knocking on the door to his room.
He comes to the conclusion that it is a visitor knocking at his door.
He remembers that this happened in December because there was a fire in the grate.
He desperately wanted to forget about his lost love (Lenore) by reading.
The haunting atmosphere starts to creep him out, so he tries to convince himself that it is only a visitor that is at his door and not something more sinister.
He gathers his courage and calls out an apology to the person at the door, but when he opens the door, no one is there.
He stares at the darkness for a while and calls out to "Lenore" (he probably thinks it was here ghost at the door) but the only answer he gets is the echo of his own voice.
He goes back into the room, rather unsettled, and hears the tapping again.
It's at the window this time and he resolves to go see what it is, convinced it is the wind.
He opens the window and a raven steps in then goes to perch on a bust of Pallas above the door.
The bird looks so solemn and serious that the narrator can't help but smile.
The narrator asks the bird what it is called and it replies with "Nevermore"
He is impressed that the bird seemed to understand his question and muses on the fact that not many people get to have a bird above their door.
The bird only speaks the one word.
The raven says nothing else, prompting the narrator to become sad at the thought that the bird will leave him like everyone else has.
The raven, again, responds with nevermore.
The narrator is startled by the bird's abruptness, but thinks it is only repeating what some previous master must have said often.
He pulls up a chair and begins to ponder the bird's meaning.
He keeps thinking and the raven keeps staring at him.
Then the narrator senses a change in the atmosphere.
He yells at the bird to help him forget Lenore, and it replies with the usual.
He asks if there will be any respite from his feelings. And the bird answers.
He asks it if he will get to see Lenore when he dies, and the bird speaks its word.
Then he gets up and yells at the bird to leave him alone in his sorrows.
The raven stays watching the narrator as he sinks deeper into the madness brought on by the sight of the raven.

Poetic Devices:
Repetition shows up a lot with all the Nevermores going on. It makes the poem easier to remember.
Similes and metaphors are used quite often, as when the narrator likens the raven to a devil or nobleman.
Imagery is used to describe the scene to the reader.
In addition to the standard device of rhyme scheme, Poe also uses internal rhyme within the poem such as in these lines: "While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."
I also saw the raven as a symbol for the grief and loneliness that lived in the narrator's heart.

Figurative Meaning:
Personally, I think this poem is awesome. It's been one of my favorites for a while now. To me, its meaning isn't really important. I read poetry because of how it makes me feel, and this poem leaves me with a haunting, creepy kind of feeling that I find awesome. To others, however, I think it could be interpreted as a story of grief that manifested itself and drove the narrator into madness. It's a pretty straightforward poem.


Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Raven." PoemHunter.Com - Thousands of Poems and Poets.. Poetry Search Engine. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. .