Essays on The Raven

The Raven
Original title The Raven
Author Edgar Allan Poe
Genre

Poem

Language English
Characters the narrator, who is never named; Lenore, the narrator's lost love; and the raven, who is never named
Published 1845
ISBN 9780486284714
Book Summary
Essay Examples

Table of Contents

About The Raven Poem

Edgar Allan Poe, an American author, wrote the famous poem “The Raven” on January 29, 1845. The text was published in the New York Evening Mirror and was equally praised by critics. The poem became the reason for the author’s popularity throughout America and England. “The Raven” is an important cultural and literary text to date.

“The Raven” is a narrative poem often recognized for its musicality, language, and supernatural tone. The poem describes the tumultuous and difficult life of the writer and the way the author creates a dark and macabre work.

The poem describes the mysterious journey of a distraught lover, tracing the man’s change into a mad person. The poem has 18 six-line stanzas while the poet has followed a particular writing pattern.

Book Summary

The theme of The Raven by Edgar Poe lets the students understand the poem in detail, and later on, it will help them write a masterpiece! It is a sensitive and mournful poem that starts with the illusion of a man reading a book late at night in a sleep-wake state. 

The narrator was sad and reading to distract himself from the loss of his lover, Lenore.  He hears that someone is knocking at the door. He relates this sound with the whisper of his wife. But a bird was tapping on the window and was trying to open it. The Raven flies inside the room and sits there.

The man started talking with the bird. He asks the name of the bird. But Raven gave only a one-word answer: “Nevermore.” After that, the man asks the bird will he be forgiven and get a chance to see his wide in the heavens. Unfortunately, the bird answers the same “Nevermore.”

At this, the man panics and tells the bird to return. The poem ends, and the narrator tells that the bird is still sitting on the door. This love, sadness, and the nevermore words hook the audience.

But to understand what The Raven is all about, this The Raven short summary will not be enough. So, you will have to analyze if you want to understand that deeply!

The Raven Quotes

Here are some prompt quotations

  •     “Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;.”
  • “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”
  •     “Leave my loneliness unbroken.”
  •     “Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
  •     “Let my heart be still a moment, and this mystery explore…”
  •     “Here I opened wide the door;— Darkness there, and nothing more.”

To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core.”

  •     Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angel’s name Lenore –”
  •     Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.”
  •     In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore”
  •     “Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!”

Essay Structure On The Raven

Students can write a masterpiece after getting enough knowledge about the poem and understanding the whole theme of this masterpiece and classical poem.  

For writing an engaging and logical essay on a poem, there is a need to understand the characters and theme of the poem. It will help you to outline. After selecting a compelling topic, the next most important step of essay writing outlines. Here you can write the important or key points which will help you write the essay later on!

Here is a detailed brief on how to write an essay on The Raven:

      Introduction

The introduction of The Raven poem should be concise as it is a short poem. The introduction must not conclude or explain everything written in the poem. As you know, the introductory paragraph must have a hook that holds the audience so you can describe a little about the poem without disclosing the details!  

The students should summarize the poem as a thesis statement so that the reader can get an idea about the poem and remain engaged with an urge to know the poem’s details. Here are a few points like the presence of the Raven, the poet’s sadness, and his wife’s death!

      Body

Here you can describe all the happenings of the poem in detail. You must clearly explain the poet’s grief, love for his deceased wife, and urge to meet here in paradise. Also, don’t forget to describe the arrival of Raven, as it is the most important character of this poem.

The essay’s body lets the writer describe all the facts and figures in detail. So the readers can clearly understand the topic of the essay. You can write three paragraphs for the body of the essay, but if you feel then extend it to five paragraphs. But make sure that each paragraph is well-written and will not let the reader get bored!

      Conclusion

To conclude your essay, write a hook at the start, almost the same as you write in the introduction. It can be a question, a fact, and a surprising note but make sure it is not new to the readers.

Then, write a clear and concise thesis statement and conclude the essay. From the last heading of your essay, the reader must get a very brief idea about the poem and its characters and completely understand the theme of The Raven!

Tips To Consider While Writing An Essay About The Raven

While writing an essay about the poem demands poetic thoughts that can understand the meaning of the lines. Poetic lines are the closed nuts of wisdom, knowledge, and meanings. So if you want to make a compelling and engaging essay out of a poem, you need to put in some extra effort.

You must understand the poet’s thoughts completely, and then with a clear understanding, you can translate for the audience what the poet wants to describe. So, searching for some questions, quotes, or other related aspects will be far better before you start writing. It is a great way to gather enough information about the topic.

Besides that, you can also follow the under-given topic to compose a masterpiece:

      Read The Book Thoroughly

The first tip is to read the book thoroughly and multiple times, as it will clarify the ideas and concepts. In the case of poems, there is a need for concentration to understand what the poet wants to say.

You must read and understand each stanza to describe all the facts in your essay. So read the poem or book completely to write a smooth and compelling essay for your exam. Also, using the internet and other sources to clarify concepts will help a lot.

      Find A Compelling Topic

After reading the book, decide and find out the essay’s title. The title should catch and hook the reader’s attention. You must urge the readers to read your writing through a single statement completely. You need to pay attention when selecting the topic for your essay.

Also, you must understand the topic before you start writing. Many times students select a difficult topic to write on, but shortly they end up writing, which becomes a basic reason for their failure. So, get a catchy and easy-to-write topic where you can easily describe everything without facing any problems within the time limits!

      Create The Outline

Plan the essay according to the poem’s concept, ideas, and length. And in this planning, the outline of the essay plays a key role. As you clearly understand the poem, now you can make the outline and try to put the basic facts and major happenings of the poem. So, this way, you can briefly describe everything without forgetting or overlooking the important turns of the story!

Remember that the outline of your essay is the base over which you will build up your building. So, you need to be very careful and conscious while developing this base!

      Write The Thesis Statement

In the Raven, grief and mourning are the two strong emotions used thoroughly. The poem also explains how grief affects the personality and changes the living style. The proper analysis of the poem explains the situation of the narrator. So, your thesis statement must expertly depict these two feelings. In this way, the readers can clearly understand the theme of this masterpiece!

      Include A Lesson or Moral

The Raven poem explains how grief and sadness affect a person’s personality and how they can change their lives. So, your essay gives readers a moral lesson that can change their lives! The lesson must explain how grief affects the presence of a person and leaves him in a miserable state where he lives a lost life.

      Conclusion: Proofread Your Work

It would be best if you wrote an open-ended conclusion to engage the maximum number of readers. From the conclusion, the readers can get to know the theme of The Raven.

The conclusion of the poem the Raven must not be strong. The poem describes the feeling of grief and loss; everyone has a different way of perceiving the feelings. So, try to remain neutral and light on the poem’s main idea!

After writing the conclusion, you can also give any recommendations if you have any. It is also important to get some time after writing the essay and proofread what you have written. This way, you can remove all grammatical or typo mistakes and compose the best of the best essay!

Frequently Asked Questions

       What Is The Meaning Behind The Raven?

The Raven depicts the endless grief and sorrow of the poet over the death of his beloved wife. The poems show it so clearly that the speaker fails to forget his wife and hopes to see his love in paradise!

      Why Does The Raven Say Nevermore?

The Raven says “nevermore” because it shows the grief or sorrow of the poet will never get an end, and it will continue till the end of his life. The word “Nevermore” has been used to let the Poet Accept Reality.

      What is the story The Raven about?

The Raven is a story about endless grief. The narrator is in a state of sorrow after losing his wife, and the poem shows his mental state after the loss. Also, the poem shows the endless sorrow of the man and his urge to see his wife.

      Is the movie The Raven based on a true story?

The book’s plot is fictional, while some of the story concepts are taken from the real-life of “The Raven” by poet Edgar Allen Poe. It is not a real story, but the poet got the inspiration from the theme of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, a real-life incident. So, it may feel like a true story!

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