Comparing The Cure And The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

Although both “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe and “A Forest” by The Cure use the theme of dark love within each of their narratives, Poe uses symbolism to convey a sense of lost love, whereas The Cure uses repetition to bring emphasis to love that cannot be found. To start, the narrator struggles with the memories of their late maiden Lenore, where the narrator tries to purge their grief by asking the raven “Is there- is there balm in Gilead?- tell me- tell me, I implore!/ Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore.”(Poe, 89-90) The line “Balm in Gilead” refers to the ancient hebrew plant used for healing purposes. By referencing this plant, as well as the raven’s response, Nevermore”, symbolism is used here to display the narrator's longing for healing, catharsis from their

In addition, the narrator talks to the raven about leaving no trace behind about its visit. The narrator wishes for the bird to be gone and says “Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!/Leave my loneliness unbroken!-quit the bust above my door!” (Poe 108). Furthermore, the mention of a “black plume” symbolizes mourning/death, which is exactly what the narrator does not want to remember. The narrator talking to the raven about leaving no trace of its visit refers to leaving no memory of the loss of Lenore. The Raven’s coming is a sign of bad omen and grief in itself, and a trace of it would continue to remind the narrator about how heartbroken they are. However, unlike “The Raven”, where it deals with heartbreak and lost love, “A Forest” narrates a story of desperation, and the longing to find love. The lyrics of the song “A Forest” starts off with finding, “the girl” while possible. The Cure uses repetition with the line “Into the trees”(The Cure, lines 15-17), which adds to the motif of searching for “the girl”, a representation of