The Raven - Poetic Analysis

The narrator is sitting in a room at midnight reading a book. He begins to fall asleep when he hears a knocking at his door. He tells himself it is only a visitor knocking. Because it is December and the fire is dying, he begins to feel sad as he remembers his lost love, Lenore. The rustling of the curtains scares him, and he continues to tell himself that the knocking is merely a visitor as he stands. He feels a burst of courage and speaks in apologetic tones to the visitor as he goes to open the door, but when he opens it, there is no one there. He stands there in fear, staring at the silent darkness, and whispers, “Lenore!” which is responded to by an echo. He then turns back into the room, but soon hears the knocking again, only this time, it is at his window, so he convinces himself it is only the wind. He opens the shutter, and in flies a raven that perches upon the bust of the goddess Athena above his door. The narrator laughs at this, and jokingly asks the bird what its name is, to which the bird replies, “Nevermore.” The narrator is amazed that the bird actually spoke, but he does not think the word means anything. He assumes aloud that the bird will leave him by tomorrow, but the bird replies the same way. The reply startles him so much that he pulls a chair up in front of the bird and sits there to try to figure out what it means by “nevermore.” Suddenly, he asks the bird if he is ever to forget his lost love Lenore, thinking that he might be sent from God. It answers the same. He then asks if he will ever have peace or ever get to hold Lenore in heaven again, to which the bird responds the same. The narrator then demands that the bird leaves, and one last time, it says its phrase, “Nevermore.” The poem ends by saying that the bird and the narrator’s soul never lifted from that place.

There were several important allusions made in this poem. The first of them was a reference to Pallas, which is another name for the goddess Athena. She is the goddess of wisdom and strategic battle, and the positioning of her bust above the narrator’s door also proves important. Also, another allusion made was that in the line “Night’s Plutonian shore.” “Plutonian” refers to Pluto, or Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, so the shore may refer to the River Styx, the waterway that all the souls of the dead had to pass across in order to reach the Underworld. The reference to a “balm in Gilead” refers to a medicinal balm often made in the region of Gilead in Jordan, suggesting that Gilead is a place of healing for the heart. Also, Aidenn is another way of saying Eden, as in the Garden of Eden from the biblical story.

With all of this information in mind, here is what I believe to be the literal meaning of this poem. I believe this poem to be mainly about human nature, seeing as it is a Dark Romanticism piece. The human nature aspect comes from the narrator’s spiraling down into obsession with the raven and its phrase. Repetition causes belief, and so as time goes on, the narrator who once dismissed “nevermore” as just a silly little word sees his entire existence hanging on the thread of that word when he is told that nevermore shall he be happy, and nevermore shall he forget Lenore. I see this poem as a psychological study into obsession and the power of persuasion over the weak-willed human mind since all this bird has to do in order to bring the narrator to his knees is squawk one simple word.

A Criticism on Walden

I must start off by expressing how wonderful of an account I believe Walden to be. Thoreau definitely outdid himself with its writing, and its ideas ring clearly with me, giving it a special place in my heart and mind.

The criticism I chose to analyze on this lovely piece about Thoreau's stay at Walden Pond was titled "Thoreau's Walden and the American Dream: Challenge or Myth?" and was written by Michaela Keck. The criticism broke down the main themes of Walden, and then compared them with the ideas of the American Dream and Thoreau's own philosophies of it. It was definitely interesting to read, and it brought up a few points that particularly caught my eye.

The first thing that I noticed in my analysis of this criticism was that the author at one point almost accuses Thoreau of hypocrisy (Keck). She touches upon the fact that he was a strong supporter of self-reliance, independence, and the simplest form of leaving, yet during his stay at Walden Pond, he often ate supper with his family who were still nearby (Keck). While the text does not seem to mention this, he does point out that his location is near to civilization while still being out in nature. I found this accusation odd until the author justified it with the reminder of this era's family-centered feelings (Keck). It also made a lot of sense to me. While separating entirely from the world would be best to recompose one's thoughts, if one is trying to change the public opinion of such things, should they not also stay at least somewhat in touch with society? Elsewise, how could they hope to reform something they do not understand? To me, his attachment to society makes perfect sense.

The second point is where Walden begins to be compared to the American Dream (Keck). Before, I had always thought of the American Dream as something very simple, such as a rags to riches sort of tale of success. However, this author cited another who believed it to be about new beginnings, and in this way, the American Dream corresponds perfectly with Walden (Keck). What Thoreau was trying to achieve in isolating himself at Walden Pond was a new perspective of life. He wanted to find an inner independence and a way to keep in touch with nature long after he had left it. He was looking for a new beginning, and thus, he was looking for this definition of the American Dream.

The criticism also mentioned the importance of the shore to Thoreau (Keck). It stated that he viewed the shore as the place where opposites met and became one, merging into something easily viewed and understood by the world (Keck). It is an interesting concept, and the fact that he lived on the shores of Walden Pond only helps with the idea that Thoreau was trying to gain a fresh perspective of everything because where better to do that than on the neutral ground of a shore?

Again, I found this criticism interesting to read, as it presented thoughts on Thoreau's stay at Walden Pond that I would never had thought on my own. While it is always good to be original, this goes to show that others' opinions can be helpful in defining one's own opinions.

Works Cited

Keck, Michaela. "Thoreau's Walden and the American Dream: Challenge or Myth?" In Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29, Nov. 2010. http://www.fofweb.com/.

I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me~

My mind is always playing tricks on me. I am one of those people who has trouble separating - subconsciously, this is - reality from fiction. For example, whenever I watch scary movies, I tend to be frightened and paranoid much longer than my friends. It is either I am scared longer, or they just admit to being scared for a shorter period of time. Anyway, during the aftermath of my vieiwng of a horror film, my mind will constantly play tricks on me. I will be driving on a bad country road at night, for example, and I will swear that I saw a person standing in the corner just out of the corner of my eye in the headlights. I am sure that there is never actually anyone there, but the idea, once planted in my brain, makes me more and more scared until, for a while, I avoid the road at night.

That is, actually, a true story. I had watched a zombie movie, Day of the Dead (which was inappropriately named as the entire movie took place at night), and I had to drive home to my dad's house in Petersburg one night soon after. To save time, I cut through the backroads near the high school to get there, even though most of the roads force you to drive 25 miles per hour because of all the potholes. As I was driving down a particularly pothole-ridden road, I just simply panicked. I could never explain to you just why I did, but I did. I drove faster than normal and risked my suspension getting damaged so I would not have to drive on that road any longer than I needed to.

Another way that my mind plays tricks on me is when I am about to go to sleep. I used to be able to sleep in the dark with no sound, but whenever I do not have the lights and some sort of sound on when I go to sleep, it drives me insane in that I can hear everything around me, but I cannot see it. Suddenly, the sound of the heating system sounds like a growl. The cat walking around upstairs is the quiet footsteps of something coming to get me. In this way, my mind plays tricks on me even when I am supposed to be relaxing and resting. It can be annoying at times, but I am slowly accepting that I am perfectly safe...

... Most of the time.

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Pit and the Pendulum was a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe about a man who has been charged as guilty of heresy by the Spanish Inquisition. His sentence is death. The story is bursting at the seams with the characteristics of Dark Romanticism: psychological fears, human nature, and mystery.

The story is extremely rich in psychological fears. In fact, this aspect of Dark Romanticism is where the story draws its climax (Langley). In the rising action, the author develops a fear of the dreaded pit in the main character's cell with his close encounter with it (Poe 267). In the climax of the story, the author forces the main character to confront this fear of the water-filled pit by placing him between a rock and a hard place. The Inquisition, after the main character has escaped his death by the pendulum's blade, proceed to heat the iron walls of his prison and bend them in, forcing him to either be burned by their heat and pressure, or to jump in the pit to escape their heat (Poe 273). The author explores the narrator's fear, especially when he begins to scream, "Death, any death but that of the pit!" (Poe 273). It truly is the build up of all the nervousness and fear the narrator had experienced up until then, and it falls into the falling action and conclusion quite nicely.

Poe also plays with human nature in this short story, another trait of Dark Romanticism (Langley). Specifically, the piece of human nature he examines is the will to survive. For example, when the narrator realizes that he is firmly secured in place below the descending pendulum's blade, instead of simply submitting to his fate, his will to survive causes him to think ingeniously to come up with a solution for escape (Poe 271-272). Survival is one of the most base aspects of human nature, being almost instinct. Since another major aspect of the story was fear, Poe used survival to complement the fear in that the narrator has to overcome his fear in order to fulfill his instinct to survive.

Another aspect of Dark Romanticism that Poe used in The Pit and the Pendulum is the aspect of mystery (Langley). Specifically, in this story, he uses it when the prisoner has been sentenced and placed in his cell (Poe 266). It is pitch black, leaving the mystery of where he is, and if he is even still alive (Poe 266). When the prisoner tries to measure the room, he still cannot judge how big it is, continuing the mystery (Poe 266-267). Another large mystery that Poe leaves is what the prisoner was actually charged with, or what he specifically did wrong that led to his death sentence by the Inquisition. The mystery is the interesting part of the story in that it keeps the reader wondering about the answers long after they have put down the book and allows them to speculate and come to their own conclusions.

In these three ways, The Pit and the Pendulum is a showpiece for Dark Romanticism with its use of many of the style's characteristics. Its dark tale of suspense is timeless and will continue to be read in the years to come due to its eternal connection with the readers' own fears and its thrilling suspensefulness leading up to its conclusion.

Works Cited

Langley, John. "Romanticism." Mr. Langley's Digital Classroom. John Langely, 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. .

Poe, Edgar A. "The Pit and the Pendulum." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 263-73. Print.

Quoth the Raven

This was a very interesting criticism for me, and it was also easy to understand. The author broke down the poem into the actions and literary and poetic devices in order to show exactly what he meant. He also drew from a variety of sources. Not only did he use more contemporary criticisms of the poem, but he also drew from criticisms placed around the time that the poem was published.

One thing that I found interesting and that I liked about this criticism was that the critic mentioned the importance of the word "nevermore" to the story (Bloom). He talked about how its repetition created suspense and ultimately led up to the climax of the entire poem (Bloom). I felt that in our in-class discussion, the true importance of that single phrase, "Nevermore," was not fully discussed in depth. I agree with the critic on this, that it is the center piece of the entire plot of the poem.

Another thing that caught my interest, though in a different fashion, was the paragraph in which the critic talked about how the raven perched on the bust of Athena above the narrator's study door (Bloom). He mentions its significance, but one thing I found strange was that he did not mention Athena as the goddess of battle. He only acknowledges her as the goddess of learning and wisdom, saying that the "despair and grief [the raven] brings ultimately overwhelm the goddess's gifts to the intellect" (Bloom). While I do agree with this interpretation, I believe that the bust of Athena was also meant to be some sort of protection for the narrator as she was placed above his door and was the goddess of battle and wisdom.

A paragraph that I enjoyed reading in this criticism was the one describing the continually growing frenzied state of the narrator because that part of the poem was one of my favorites (Bloom). It builds up so much suspense right before the climax; it is the part where the narrator tries to dismiss the bird as only knowing how to say "nevermore" and being "caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster / Followed fast and followed faster til his songs one burden bore" (Poe) When you read it to yourself, you can almost hear the words getting faster and faster with more and more frenzy and panic until it seems that the only thing keeping the narrator somewhat sane is this single hope that this bird is just a lost pet.

I was also intrigued by something the critic brought up that I had never thought about before, and that is that the narrator, by the end of the poem, is obsessed with this bird's answer (Bloom). It perfectly explains the ending. His obsession is what keeps his spirit from being lifted "nevermore," and it is also what keeps the raven on the bust above his door (Poe). It was something small but interesting that I liked.

All in all, this poem is one of my favorites. The dark Romanticism in it is so wonderful, and I have been in love with it ever since I have read it. This criticism also opened my eyes to a few things in the poem that I would have otherwise missed, and that is why I chose it.

Works Cited

Bloom, Harold, ed. "'The Raven'." Edgar Allan Poe, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1999. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. .

Poe, Edgar A. "The Raven." The Raven and Other Poems. Ed. H. Behme. 1845. H. Behme, 4 Oct. 2007. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. .

This Is Just Therapy

Unplugging myself for a week might not work too well with me, but at the same time, it might. I tend to be very attached to technology and such; not only am I a video game junkie, but I listen to music on my iPod every waking moment and love to spend my time on the Internet. I even write most of my writings on my laptop. I am not much of a text-er with my phone, but anyway, unplugging would be hard, but I think I would enjoy it.

If I could go anywhere to unplug for a week, I would probably go to Wisconsin to stay in a log cabin on a lake in the woods. It would be summer, and the surrounding area would be hilly. I would have a kayak, some old-fashioned journals, lots of books, and writing utensils. To pass the time, I would walk around the woods and be in nature. I would also go kayaking, something I enjoy and which is very relaxing. I would also take the opportunity to write stories and about everything, maybe even practice drawing. And of course, I would read like there was no tomorrow.

Being unplugged, even though I might be reluctant to do it, would be very nice. It would be a chance to get away from the pressures of life, and believe me, I have plenty of pressure to escape from. There is the pressure of doing well in school, the pressure to be a good person, the pressure to take care of myself, the pressure to make right decisions, and on and on and on. Unplugging and getting away from all of that would feel wonderful, I am sure of it. It would be like therapy because there is something that can be found in nature that is something like peace. Everything in nature works together so well, like the mechanisms of a clock, so that everything is balanced and good. It reminds us where we come from and where we return and that sometimes in order to live our lives, we need to step away from them.

Breakin' the Law

I would say that there are many times where disregarding the law in order to do something that is morally right would be alright. One situation that I specifically am thinking of is of is the soldiers during the draft for the Vietnam War who objected to their obligation to serve due to their religious or moral beliefs - not the conscientious objectors, who legally stated why they objected to their service, but the ones who burned their draft cards or went to Canada or Mexico in order to avoid the draft. This would align with the Romantic philosophy because Romantic philosophy argued that the individual was more important than the big picture. In the big picture, these men might have helped with the war in Vietnam, but individually, they would have been endangering themselves without wanting too, and therefore, they align with Romanticism.

Another example I think of when I think about disregarding the law for moral purposes is, naturally, the tale of Robin Hood. As we all know, Robin Hood stole from the rich to give to the poor, though I am not sure this would match up with the ideas of Romanticism. In Romanticism, the individual is held above the community, and self-made and self-reliant personalities are the chief goal. Natural selection, or the disappearance of those who cannot hold their own, was in common theory. Robin Hood risked his freedom individually by comitting a crime to help others who could not help themselves. While most people might deem this "romantic," in my book, it definitely does not compare with Romanticism's philosophies and creed.

While these examples are all good and fun, I wonder if I would ever be able to break the law in order to do something I knew was morally right. I do not think I could because courage is not my strong suit. I am a rule follower when it comes to official things. Society's rules, however, are a different story.

Me, Myself, and I

Emerson and Franklin's views on self-reliance are similar (since Emerson was a Transcendentalist), but still different. Of course, there was the difference in literary periods. Franklin lived in the age of Rationalism, while Emerson was an author of the Romantic period, and both periods were each others polar opposite. While both men wrote about the importance of being self-sufficient, the methods of doing this varied between them.

To elaborate on my first point, the style with which both essays were written was obviously vastly different. Emerson often tied emotions, the soul, and the heart into his essay on self-reliance; Franklin used logic to explain himself. Romanticism was the backlash period in response to Rationalism, so it only makes sense that Emerson would speak about entirely different things than Franklin would.

The other point of mine is the methods prescribed by these two authors for the obtaining of self-reliance. One of the main themes that struck me in Emerson's essay was his insistence on minding one's own business and not being charitable towards others. It struck me mainly because Romanticism was all about the heart, so I figured that Romantics would be compassionate towards their fellow humans. However, this strange practice might have been because Emerson was a Transcendentalist, an author who exhibited Rationalist and Romantic qualities in his work. However strange it may seem, though, the practice of "survival of the fittest" in Self-Reliance does make sense. Emerson's reasoning was that it would make other people become self-reliant, or that it would get rid of them. While this does seem harsh, it ties in with the Transcendentalist theme.

That theme does not mesh with Franklin's theme, however, because he promoted charity in his autobiography and most of his works. It still seems rather strange though, that the Rationalist would be the charitable one, while the Romantic would keep to himself so much. It just goes to show you that not everything you learn outside of the classroom matches up with what you learn in it.

I'll Fight the Sickness

Self-reflection and taking a break from society are very important things for everyone, not just the strange (in a good way) independent people of today's world and the world of history, and they are important for multiple reasons.

While being a part of society is good for the soul (as one of the main components of human nature is the need to be accepted and the need for community), it is also good to get away from uniformity sometimes. Too many people all around one person, all stating their opinion at the same time, can create chaos, and even when order is brought into the chaos, the result is that everyone begins to think the same. Uniformity of opinion for too long of a time can lead to problems as no fresh ideas are brought into the mix, the opinion is not reformed for possible errors, and progress of all sorts comes to a halt in that area. Getting away from society, as a result, is a good way of refreshing your beliefs and your spirit. I would compare it to something like stepping out of a room in which there is a very loud and angry debate happening. You have time to clear your thoughts and breath fresh air before going back into the fray because while stepping back is important, in order to do any good, we must arm ourselves with our ingenuity and freshness of opinion in an attempt to restore the good kind of order in which everyone agrees to disagree and realizes that other people have valuable thoughts that could be added onto their own.

I realized all this from stepping back and taking the time to self-reflect, in fact. I do not like to be influenced by others opinions, and while I do tend to be a pushover around others, deep down, I hold onto my beliefs like they are the only thing keeping me afloat. When everyone began listening to rap and hip-hop, I grabbed some labels no one had ever heard of. When everyone began shopping at Hollister and Abercrombie, I ran over to Urban Outfitters and thrift stores. Keeping myself attached yet detached allows me to stay in the fray while seeing what needs to be done and what I can do to help. In this way, being able to step out of the room is, in my opinion, one of the most valuable skills anyone could ever hope to gain.

(The blog title for today is from the song "Born Dead" by Silverstein, featuring Scott Wade. I have in fact been trying to make all my blog titles the lyrics of songs relevant to the topic.)

We're the Kids of America

My ideal America would be a lot of things. It would have middle of the road policies and laws that would provide people in need with the help they needed, but not at the expense of the people who could take care of themselves. It would do everything possible to create peaceful relations with other countries, no matter what it took and would remain neutral as much as possible. Our language would be officially changed to English, and funding would be provided to teach immigrants, both legal and illegal, the English language. Also, becoming a citizen and acquiring a visa would be much easier to lower the rate of illegal immigrants, making them legal immigrants instead. The official system of measurement would be officially changed to the Metric system to improve relations. Funding for schools would be increased, and standards for teaching would be raised in order to provide a better education for more people. Monopolies would be eradicated and broken up, and the government would be entirely separate from big business but would take steps to foster small businesses. Colleges would be at least partially federally funded in order to lower the costs of getting a higher education as well. Animal rights would be extended, and all aspects of the processing of meat, dairy, and egg industries would be regulated. A second language would be required to be taught in elementary school. Restrictions would be placed on the press in matters of politics, such as trying to uncover dirt on political candidates. Funding for the fine arts in schools would be the equivalent of athletic budgets. Children would also be educated in new technologies, and logic skills would begin to be taught at an early age. The government would also take full responsibility for environmental issues such as pollution. Companies would not be allowed the rights they have as far as pollution. Scientists would be federally funded to research environmental solutions.

I know my ideal America is very improbable as it would require an unimaginable amount of taxing, but the question did ask for ideal. It's a utopia, and therefore, according to psychology and the nature of humanity, it is impossible. However, I would hope that at least some of the things I suggested could eventually be put in place.