•born 1809-1849 (40)

•american author, poet, editor, literary critic

•his mother died when he was only 3 and his father left, leaving him an orphan

•was separated from siblings and fostered by John and Frances Allen

•had financial problems which became hard during university

•turned to gambling, went home to find fiancée engaged to someone else

•fell in love with and married 13 year old cousin (virginia)

•struggled financially as a writer and critic

•invented detective fiction

•wrote horror and mystery

•wrote the raven after first signs of wife getting tuberculosis (he was starting to loose her which drove him crazy because he had lost so many people)

•wife Virginia died of tuberculosis which made him very depressed

•battled depression, drug and alcohol addiction and heartbreak

THESIS: a death can leave one affected forever, driving them mad and ruining their own life.

Reason 1. “nevermore” he will forever be sad

Lady Macbeth could never rid herself of the guilt of kings death

*just like she saw blood on her hand, he saw a raven

both symbolize death and darkness following them around and they cannot run away à madness

http://www.studymode.com/essays/The-Raven-39042742.html

literary devices:
•repetition ~never more is repeated in every stansa to emphasize the fact the fact that his wife will be gone forever (this is what drives him mad)
•rhyming~contributes to the flow of the poem and helps keep a rhythm going