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Allusions In Poe's The Raven

254 Words2 Pages
Poe uses allusion, or references to something well known, throughout his stories and poems to immerse the reader in his writing. In the poem, “The Raven,” the narrator is vexed by the raven’s answer of “Nevermore” on his lost love Lenore, so he goes into deep fury and screams at the raven to get back into, “the Night’s Plutonian shore” (Lines 43, 47). Here, Poe alludes to Pluto, the Greek God of Underworld, and the coast to the river Styx which carries dead souls into the Underworld. The allusions express the narrator's thoughts dwelling on death and sorrow which creates a depressing mood in the readers. His thoughts about the Underworld foreshadow that he will always live with a feeling of emptiness. Poe also uses allusions in “Annabel Lee”.
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