Analysis of the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe The nineteenth century poet Edgar Allen Poe makes use of several literary devices in order to create a gloomy atmosphere in his poem “The Raven”. Alliteration, rhyme, onomatopoeia, assonance, and repetition are used to contribute to the melodic nature of the work and provide an almost “visual” representation of his gothic setting. Poe is a master of using these writing techniques. “The Raven” is one of his most popular works. This is certainly due, in part to his use of these literary devices in this piece. The poem tells of a narrator who is reading an old book in his parlor when he is interrupted by a knock at the door. The protagonist is in a period of grieving over the loss of his love,
Poe craftily uses assonance throughout this piece, as well. Assonance is the repeating of a vowel sound in a line. Line 13 gives us an example of assonance as Poe couples the words “…purple curtain”. Immediately following this, he begins line 14 with the assonant words “Thrilled me-filled me…” Again, we see such a choice of words in line 59: “…hopes have flown…”. However, line 71, gives us perhaps the best example of Poe’s use of assonance when he writes “…grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt…” when describing the bird. Edgar Allen Poe also employs onomatopoeia in “The Raven”. Onomatopoeia is a technique of using words which imitates the source of a sound which is described. An example is found when the “rapping” and “tapping” upon the speaker’s door and window is described (lines 3,4,5,21,22, and 32). Poe also offers onomatopoeia in line 37, when he uses the words “flirt and flutter” to describe the raven entering from the window. Another fine example is found in line 80 in which the writer mentions the “tinkle” of foot-falls on the floor. “The Raven” offers a fine example of how the use of sound effects and other literary devices can be used by writers to establish a tone that creates a “mood” within the reader. Poe’s mastery of these tools is quite impressive. He artfully gives an illustration to