“The Raven”
Analysis
Alliteration Examples
Line 1 – “weak and weary”
Line 10- “surcease of sorrow”
Line 26 – “doubting, dreaming dreams”
Line 37 – “flirt and flutter”
Line 45 – “shorn and shaven”
Onomatopoeia
Line 3 – “tapping”
Line 4 – “rapping”
Line 37– “flung”
Line 57 – “flutter”
Line 72 – “croaking”
Internal Rhyme
Line 3 – “rapping…tapping”
Line 9 – “morrow…borrow”
Line 15 – “beating…repeating”
Line 19 – “stronger…longer”
Line 37 – “shutter…flutter”
In what ways does Poe’s use of sound devices
contribute to the creation of a single effect?
Poe’s use of alliteration, internal rhyme, repetition, and
onomatopoeia gives a musical quality to his work. Poe’s use
of these devices creates a hypnotic effect that draws the
readers into the speaker’s world.
Poe believed that every word in a poem was important and
should create a “single effect.”
Allusions
Line 48 -- “Night’s Plutonian shore”
Line 83 – “Nepenthe”
Line 41 – “Pallas”
Line 89 – “Balm in Gilead”
Line 93 – “distant Aidenn”
Symbolism
What do you think the raven
symbolizes?