The Raven: The Symbolism And Imagery To Trigger Emotions

The famous author Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. During his entire life Poe suffer starting with his childhood which was very hard full of death and darkness. Poe lost many people in his life starting with his parents whom died three years after he was born, he was separated from his siblings whom went to live with other family members. He went to live with foster parents and his foster mother died. Later on he marry his thirteen year old cousin which eleven years later she died. Poe’s writing seems to be based on his traumatic life experience, one of Poe’s well known poem is “The Raven’ which are being presented with symbolism and imagery.

In the poem “The Raven” the poet employs the use of symbolism and imagery in most parts of the poem to trigger the emotions of the readers concerning that the poem is a combination of love, loss, mystery and insanity.

The narrator of the story, is sitting up late at night, reading some old books and pining for his dead lover, Lenore. In the poem the first use of symbolism occurs in the tittle as well as in the seven stanza when the following is being stated “ Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, in there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore” ( Amper, Susan). The raven in this case is a symbol of death who arrives at his door. The narrator thinking that the raven is some type of prophet or devil, angel or friend, natural or supernatural welcomes him and starts communicating with the raven in stanza fifteen the following is said “ Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore— Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.” Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.” (Amper, Susan). In this quote we can conclude that the raven can't or won't give him a satisfactory answer; it just keeps repeating the word 'Nevermore.' Presumably, that means, that the narrator won’t be with him never again.

The author also uses imagery in the poem when in stanza three the following is said “ And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before” ( Huff, Randal). This quote describes the setting of the poem as well as the narrator which shows that he is thrilled with the situation.