Literary Analysis Paper

Karen Biondich

American Poetry Project

Compare and Contrast

Edgar Allan Poe

       In Edgar Allan Poe poems “Annabel Lee” and “The Raven”, Poe uses repetition of sound and rhythm as well as a similarity of inner feelings, however he conveys two different ways of dealing with the loss of a loved one. In one, the loss of the narrators lover is slowly coming to realization, while in the other, the narrator is not willing to let go of their undying love for each other. Both poems use similar rhyme schemes and patters, although one is much longer than the other. Both poems also depict a narrator who is extremely depressed and at a loss without his love, and Poe gives the reader a sense of desperation and obsessiveness, and the beauty that can be found in the death of a beautiful girl.

       On the surface, “Annabel Lee” appears to be the more uplifting of the two poems. The narrator uses more positive language and tone. In “Annabel Lee”, Poe uses the long “ee” sound, which feels happier than the comparative “ore” sound in “The Raven”. The phrase “Kingdom by the sea” is used to represent where his lover lives and lies after her death. In “Annabel Lee” the narrator is still confident that his love with his departed lover is undying and everlasting and he will always stay by her side.

       “The Raven”, on the other hand, is dark. Poe uses gothic language and dark emotions, as well as the repetition on the “ore” sound. The word “Nevermore” is repeated at the end of almost every stanza. This sense of depression and longing is followed by an acceptance that his departed lover can no longer be with him. Similarly to “Annabel Lee”, the narrator blames the angles for sending down winds that took away his love.

        Although both of these poems use similar rhyme schemes and senses of emotion, they have opposing underlying meanings. One depicts a man stuck in a sense of attachment and obsession with his departed lover, while the other is forced to face to truth of his loss. Even though Poe uses both poems to address different ways of dealing with the loss of a lover, he still writes with a way that finds beauty in the death of a beautiful girl.