Poems
the raven by edgar allen poe Once upon a midnight dreary, while I
pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. ''Tis some visitor,' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door- Only this, and nothing more.' Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore- For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore- Nameless here for evermore. And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating, ''Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door- Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;- This it is, and nothing more.' Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, 'Sir,' said I, 'or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, That I scarce was sure I heard you'- here I opened wide the door;- Darkness there, and nothing more. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, 'Lenore!' This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, 'Lenore!'- Merely this, and nothing more. Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. 'Surely,' said I, 'surely that is something at my window lattice: Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore- Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;- 'Tis the wind and nothing more.' Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore; Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door- Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door- Perched, and sat, and nothing more. Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore. 'Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, 'art sure no craven, Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore- Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!' Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.' Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, Though its answer little meaning- little relevancy bore; For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being Ever yet was blest with seeing bird above his chamber door- Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door, With such name as 'Nevermore.' 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. Nothing further then he uttered- not a feather then he fluttered- Till I scarcely more than muttered, 'other friends have flown before- On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.' Then the bird said, 'Nevermore.' Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, 'Doubtless,' said I, 'what it utters is its only stock and store, Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore- Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore Of 'Never- nevermore'.' But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling, Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door; Then upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore- What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore Meant in croaking 'Nevermore.' This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing 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 On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er, But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o'er, She shall press, ah, nevermore! Then methought the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor. 'Wretch,' I cried, 'thy God hath lent thee- by these angels he hath sent thee Respite- respite and nepenthe, from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!' Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.' 'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil!- prophet still, if bird or devil!- Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted- On this home by horror haunted- tell me truly, I implore- Is there- is there balm in Gilead?- tell me- tell me, I implore!' Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.' 'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil- prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us- by that God we both adore- Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore- Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.' Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.' 'Be that word our sign in parting, bird or fiend,' I shrieked, upstarting- 'Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken!- quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!' Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.' And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted- nevermore! Nester, Daniel. "The Raven." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 May 2015. |
FEAR BY SARA TEASDALEI am afraid, oh I am so afraid!
The cold black fear is clutching me to-night As long ago when they would take the light And leave the little child who would have prayed, Frozen and sleepless at the thought of death. My heart that beats too fast will rest too soon; I shall not know if it be night or noon,- Yet shall I struggle in the dark for breath? Will no one fight the Terror for my sake, The heavy darkness that no dawn will break? How can they leave me in that dark alone, Who loved the joy of light and warmth so much, And thrilled so with the sense of sound and touch,- How can they shut me underneath a stone? Sara Teasdale - Poem Hunter Comments. "Fear Poem." Poemhunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015. |
Poetıc devıce analysıs of "the raven" and "fear"
Imagery appeals to our senses makes the reader feel like he/she is in the poem, while reading the line also living in it. Images allow the reader to be transported to place, experience and time. These images can appeal to all six senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, and balance. Imagery allowed Edgar Allen Poe and Sara Teasdale to show the reader and keeps him and her from simply telling. In “Fear” by Sara Teasdale and in “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe usage of imagery contributes the reveal of the theme of fear.
Sara Teasdale’s use of imagery turns abstract feelings into concrete things. In the second line of poem “Fear,” “The cold black fear is clutching me to-night,” even though fear is an abstract thing Sara Teasdale makes the reader picturize the fear as cold and black which has paws and can clutch a human being. In the fourth and fifth lines “And leave the little child who would have prayed, Frozen and sleepless at the thought of death. “ when she is talking about a child who is left alone, the readers can easily get the image of a sad and alone child who is scared. Teasdale’s use of images makes the poem’s atmosphere dark, sad and fearful. Sara Teasdale’s use of words helped her imagery to be created and her vividly used images make the reader feel like they are watching a movie while reading the poem.
Edgar Allen Poe’s use of imagery intensified the impact of his words and make the reader feel like they are watching the “Raven” in the same room with Poe. The biggest image of the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe, is the raven itself. The Raven is everywhere in this poem. It is a scary looking black bird that looks like a part of the night it came out of. The first time speaker talks about the raven, İn the lines thirty eight and forty,”In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;/Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;/But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door-” The image reader get is someone important like a queen or a king walking into a throne room. Poe mentions that the Raven is "stately" and he also says that its "mien" is like that of a "lord or lady" it means it is walking and acting like a lord or lady and looks fabulous. The last image of the raven in line one hundred and five ,”And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming/And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;“ Final image of the biggest image raven is a sleeping demon with burning eyes. He casts a shadow over the whole room, and scares the speaker. When the first image of the raven is a bird walking like a lord or a lady the final image is the pure evil. Picturizing the raven’s change in readers minds show the readers that imagery used wonderfully and effectively by Poe.
Imagery can be used in different ways but both ways can reveal the same theme, fear. In Sara Teasdale’s poem her usage of images are short and probably makes all the readers imagine the same images while in Edgar Allen Poe’s one his use of images makes everyone picturize the poem in different ways but the one thing which is same in both poems are the vividly use of images make the poems reveal the theme of fear better.
Sara Teasdale’s use of imagery turns abstract feelings into concrete things. In the second line of poem “Fear,” “The cold black fear is clutching me to-night,” even though fear is an abstract thing Sara Teasdale makes the reader picturize the fear as cold and black which has paws and can clutch a human being. In the fourth and fifth lines “And leave the little child who would have prayed, Frozen and sleepless at the thought of death. “ when she is talking about a child who is left alone, the readers can easily get the image of a sad and alone child who is scared. Teasdale’s use of images makes the poem’s atmosphere dark, sad and fearful. Sara Teasdale’s use of words helped her imagery to be created and her vividly used images make the reader feel like they are watching a movie while reading the poem.
Edgar Allen Poe’s use of imagery intensified the impact of his words and make the reader feel like they are watching the “Raven” in the same room with Poe. The biggest image of the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe, is the raven itself. The Raven is everywhere in this poem. It is a scary looking black bird that looks like a part of the night it came out of. The first time speaker talks about the raven, İn the lines thirty eight and forty,”In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;/Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;/But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door-” The image reader get is someone important like a queen or a king walking into a throne room. Poe mentions that the Raven is "stately" and he also says that its "mien" is like that of a "lord or lady" it means it is walking and acting like a lord or lady and looks fabulous. The last image of the raven in line one hundred and five ,”And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming/And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;“ Final image of the biggest image raven is a sleeping demon with burning eyes. He casts a shadow over the whole room, and scares the speaker. When the first image of the raven is a bird walking like a lord or a lady the final image is the pure evil. Picturizing the raven’s change in readers minds show the readers that imagery used wonderfully and effectively by Poe.
Imagery can be used in different ways but both ways can reveal the same theme, fear. In Sara Teasdale’s poem her usage of images are short and probably makes all the readers imagine the same images while in Edgar Allen Poe’s one his use of images makes everyone picturize the poem in different ways but the one thing which is same in both poems are the vividly use of images make the poems reveal the theme of fear better.