Essay on the poem \"Annabel Lee\" and it\'s the use of literary devices to depict grief PDF

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Essay on the poem "Annabel Lee" and it's the use of literary devices to depict grief....

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The Uneasiness of Grief Portrayed through the Mind of Poe Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee” builds the theme of love through its very first lines as it illustrates a very beautiful kingdom by the sea. However, the expected typical fairytale ending is failed to be met as the readers reach the very last stanza. While at first glance, love may seem like the central theme of the poem, it is actually only used in order to dramatize and accentuate the omnipresent thematic of loss. Thus, Poe uses the theme of true love alongside versification, vivid imagery and atmospheric diction to depict the disorienting and unsettling reality of grief. On one hand, the complex rhyme scheme created by Poe mimics the sound of waves hitting a seashore, giving the poem a melodic ring to it similar to a lullaby. This extended auditory and visual imagery of the sea mirrors the cycle in which the narrator finds himself stuck in, periodically reminded of his one true love. While most of the poem is written with anapestic tetrameters, inconsistencies in the meter scheme reflect the peaks of emotional distress experienced by the speaker. “It was many and many a year ago/ (...) Yes! –that was the reason (as all men know, /” (Line 1 and 23) Furthermore, this idea of obsession is also carried through the rhyme scheme as the words "Lee", "Sea" and "We/Me" are perpetually carried through each stanza. These repetitions unconsciously reinforce the fixation of the narrator on the death of his significant other. As they keep reoccurring, they hammer in the readers mind that Annabel and the speaker truly belong together. In essence, the imagery of a wave that the versification crafts reflects directly the emotions of the speaker. On the other hand, through the narrator almost theatrical diction the feelings of helplessness and anger can be perceived. For instance, as he is recounting the events that led to his loss, he finds himself desperately chasing after someone or even something to blame the passing his sweet

Annabel Lee. “The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, / Went envying her and me-/ Yes! –that was the reason (…)” (Line 21-23) He eventually appeases his heart as he blames the angels that once coveted the lovers for her death, motivated by jealousy. The concept of cycles explored in the versification reoccurs through speech. “(..) I lie down by the side/ Of my darling- my darlingmy life and my bride, / In her sepulture by the sea-/ In her tomb by the sounding sea.” (Lines 3840) Even though it is unclear whether the narrator remains with his loved one physically or spiritually by the end of the poem, it is a sign that in some way, shape or form he will always come back to her. Evidently, through careful use of diction the author outlines the rough and intense emotions carried by the grieved. To embody the uneasy feeling that is grief, Poe uses employs the sea as an extended metaphor to the tumult experienced by the narrator after his loss. He completes his craft with a dramatized speech which demonstrate to the reader’s feelings of desperation and obsession. In fact by simply choosing “Annabel Lee” as the title, Poe strengthens the fixation of the narrator on his dead loved one. Word count: 542...