Analysis of The Raven

The poem begins with a man sitting in his chamber reading a book. He begins to doze off and eventually falls asleep until awoken by a rapping on is door. He gets scared and tells himself it is just a visitor and ignores it. The rapping continues and he begins to be scared. He thinks of is lost love Lanore and morns for her. The rapping begins anew and he goes to answer the door after reassuring himself that it is just a visitor at his door. He opens it and nothing is there so he looks around an opens his window and a Raven flies in. It perches itself on a bust of Pallis Athena and says the phrase nevermore. The man accuses the raven of being a demon and several other things but the bird only responds with nevermore. He yells at the bird to leave but the bird responds as always. He then asks it when he will be with his love Lanore again and the bird responds nevermore and the man grows saddened and stops communicating with the bird while it just stays perched on the bust.

There were several literary devices in the poem including the use of rhyme scheme to set mood and darken the atmosphere of this already bleak poem. Another literary device is symbolism in which he uses the bust as Athena as a representation of the man's courage and giving him strength to see what is at the door. Another symbol is the bust being over the door and representing protection of him while giving him strength and courage.

The figurative meaning of the poem is the raven representing fear and the thought of there not being an afterlife. The man is afraid that he will never be with his love again and the raven represents a manifestation of his fear that his love is gone forever and there is no hope that he will ever see her again.