How Does Edgar Allan Poe Use Figurative Language In The Raven

“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe uses sound patterns, figurative language and tone to develop the theme of the poem and leave a lasting impression with the readers. One may know of Poe for writing horror and mystery stories. The plot of “The Raven” is that there is a boy who hears a tapping on his window one night during an awful storm. The Raven is the one that is tapping on the window and keeps saying the word nevermore. The boy asks the raven many different questions, but the raven continues to respond with the word nevermore which begins to vex the boy. By asking these questions the boy practically tortures himself. There are numerous sound patterns in “The Raven”. In the first line of the poem, “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,” there is an example of consonance with the words weary and dreary (1). In each stanza line two, four, five and six rhyme at the end with the “oar” sound. Some examples of the rhyming words are lore, door, floor, before, more, Lenore, nevermore, explore and shore. Another type of sound pattern that

One type of figurative language that Poe frequently uses is personification which is when you give an inanimate object human like characteristics. A few examples of personification are, “as my hopes have flown”(59), “Quoth the raven, nevermore.”(48) and, “But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only/ that one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour”(55-56). Another common type of figurative language that is used in the poem is a metaphor which is when you compare two unlike things without using like or as. An example of a metaphor in “The Raven” is, “And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming” (105). One more type of figurative language that one can find in this hyperbole like in line 31, “all my soul within me burning” (31). Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that shouldn’t be taken