Literary Devices In The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

I chose “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe to write my research essay over because it has a variety of literary devices displayed throughout it. Without literary devices, writing would most likely be dull and not very interesting. Literary devices tend to catch the readers attention and helps them stay focused and figure out what is the story behind the poem, or the actual meaning. “It emphasizes the importance of Poe's essay on the philosophy of composition in understanding the poetic theories underlying in his poem” (Leland S). Literary devices are very important in all poems. Poe’s “The Raven,” is a short story about a man that is mourning the death of his loved one and he is soon to be troubled by a raven. To convey the different messages

Assonance is defined as resemblance of sounds. This can be used to add to the rhythm of the poem, creating a tone for the reader to understand making them read sometimes slower or even faster. An allusion is present when Poe writes, “Night’s Plutonian shore”. An allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance (LiteraryDevices.net). This quote makes references to Pluto, the Roman God of the dead. Poe is trying to show in this reference that there are many examples of death in this poem. This is to help explain what is going to happen or what has already happened in the

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable (Answers.com). This is important because it shows the audience a more interesting but not easy to understand description of a comparison. The narrator is trying to provide a picture along with the feelings that you get while reading it.

Onomatopoeia is another literary device used in this poem. “While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping” (Poe). This is a great example. Onomatopoeia is defined as the formation of words whose sound is imitative of the sound of the noise or action designated, such as hiss, buzz, and bang (Thefreedictionary.com). The description of sound helps the reader understand what the narrator heard. This can also help add the feeling of paranoia when the narrator answers the door, and no one is there. Lastly, Edgar Allan Poe uses the same rhyme scheme for each stanza. The rhyme scheme he uses is “ABCBBB.” This means that the last word of the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth lines all rhyme together. A rhyme scheme is significant because its adds structure to the poem, and it allows the readers to read the poem with a flow of words. Rhythm and flow is a big deal for some poets, because some readers can only enjoy poems if they flow together from line to line, almost like a