Truth Exposed In Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven

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The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe is a narrative poem that displays the morale of a man deep in grief and turned psycho. For instance, when a craven and obeisant raven finds its way into his room, he begins to jump to conclusions about its intentions. Driven mad, the bird says a single word, "Nevermore"(45). Were his reactions to the situation valid, or an attitude that can be attributed to a mental break down? Comparing and contrasting his situation, we see how his actions wavered or were accurate based on his state of mind throughout The Raven. The first sighting of the raven takes place mid-story. At this point, he was already uneasy, thus the entrance of the bird into his chamber was startling. One example that displays his mindset at that moment is, "Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;"(39). For starters, to identify an animal as lacking obeisance, a movement of the body that shows great respect or courtesy, makes me question the …show more content…

The poem states, "To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining"(74-75). More and more I see how the festering of his emotions is beginning to drive him into a state of insanity. For example, I would be alarmed by its presence, but would quickly "shoo" the raven outside and not think twice. This varies inversely with how the speaker dealt with the situation. He sits and thinks, and sits and thinks, and makes accusations as to the reasoning behind the bird's presence and why he repeats the one word, "Nevermore"(45). In my opinion, the character in the plot has a bit of a melodramatic mentality. If I had an encounter with a talking raven, I would take advantage of the prodigy I have just discovered. Hiis actions parallel those of an adolescent. His inability to "keep his cool" and rationalize are blinded, or maybe undeveloped when greeted by the feathered