Poem Analysis

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” is a poem that focuses on the idea of madness. The speaker is forced into a dilemma known as the Fantastic, in which he is unable to determine if the world around him is real or if he is insane. The poem itself supports the idea that the man is insane.

The poem’s stanzas start off slowly then begin to crescendo with great intensity. In the first stanza, the man expresses that he is exhausted and that the tapping at his door is merely some visitor, “nothing more.” From “nothing more,” the poem flows to “evermore,” and then to a rhythmic “nevermore.” By doing this, the poem creates the basis for insanity, of doing the same thing over expecting different results. As the poem goes on it seems to get faster, adding to the suspense. The speaker persistently pleads with the raven in the hopes he will get to see his Lenore once more, only to be consistently rejected. The power behind every “nevermore” grows in contrast to the speaker’s sanity.

The fifth stanza tells us the key moment when the man’s psyche truly deteriorates, unable to tell what is real and what is a dream but still conscious as to what is going on (Poe 25-26). At this point, the man enters a state of psychosis, a symptom of insanity. Frustrated and struggling to grasp onto reality, the desperate man chose Lenore to be his anchor. He is unable to accept the raven’s reply of “nevermore,” becoming even more confused and increasingly angry with the raven, calling it a demonic creature. All of his reactions to the raven are symptoms of mental illness.

The initial scene that we are given to the poem is by far the biggest indicator that nothing is real. The raven clearly had a motive to entire the man’s chambers and knew exactly where it wanted to perch itself. Who in their right, sane mind would want a raven, a pretty decently sized bird, in their bedroom? Most people would be flailing their arms and yelling at the bird to leave. The man, however, almost seems to have invited the bird in. Not only this but the raven is able to understand every word the man says and offers a coherent reply.

We the reader can assume that the speaker was insane before the poem even starts and are able to list the correlations between his actions and his emotional instability. From reading the poem we know that the man lost his wife whom he loved dearly, spiraling into a deep depressive state. He has secluded himself away in his cold chamber room, a form of social withdrawal. The raven is most likely a coping mechanism his brain created to help him accept that he will never see his beloved again. This backfired and only seemed to push him deeper into his lunacy. When he does not get the answer he wants from the raven, he gets angry and tells it to return back to the underworld that it came from (Poe 43). Sadness, fear, anxiety, strong feelings of anger, hallucinations, inability to cope, and denial are all attributes of insanity (Smitha).

“To shake our gravity up. Whee, in the air. The balls roll around, wheel on his wheeling hands.” (7-8) The juggler is given the power to “shake gravity.” The writer is someone in the audience watching the juggler at the show. The audience is watching the juggler and it gives off a sense of awe. Also, imagery is used because of how one can visualize the juggler. “It takes a sky-blue juggler with five red balls.” (6) Overall, it is evident the juggler has power over the audience and imagery is used to convey that message. This imagery supports the idea that life should be thoroughly enjoyed because the audience is just enjoying the show at its good and bad moments.

Figurative language is another evident strategy Wilbur uses to convey his message that people tend to take the world for granted and life should be enjoyed. Throughout the poem there is an extended metaphor that compares the juggler to god because of the power instilled in him. Repetition is used to emphasize certain things in the poem. “The balls roll around, wheel on his wheeling hands.” (8) Wheel is repeated to help the reader visualize the movement of the balls. There is also consonance in the poem. “Resents its own resilience.” (2) These figurative language techniques are effective in conveying Wilbur’s message because certain things are emphasized using repetition or consonance which will make the reader think.

Once thoroughly analyzed, Wilbur’s tone is also emphasizing that life should be enjoyed and people don’t appreciate our world enough. The tone fluctuates throughout the poem. The first stanza, Wilbur walks about how everyone knows about the world and how that makes it less special. He changes from using words like “resilience” and “brilliance” and then later talks about how the world is “settled” and forgotten.” The tone starts by being amazed by the brilliance of the world and then it shifts to being underappreciated and dissatisfied.

Richard Wilbur’s poem “The Juggler” can be analyzed in many different ways. One could perceive the juggler as a supernatural being or just a normal performer who has almost a hypnotic effect to his audience. A message Wilbur could be trying to get across is that the beauty of the world is underappreciated and he wants to emphasize that life should be enjoyed. He gets this message across by using imagery, figurative language, and tone.

In Adrienne Richis poem, “Living in Sin,” a woman, entering a life full of hope and promises with her lover, assumes that “no dust” will fall upon her home, nor her perfect relationship. Her life, however, does not fit this ideal. Both a deteriorating home and relationship afflict her life; these unexpected results of her efforts in addition to the lack of her loveris efforts lead to resentful feelings. Because of societyis expectations, the woman accepts her unbearable role. Rich reveals the womanis attempts to improve her physical environment and emotional life, and her ultimate acceptance of both situations.

The womanis and her loveris responses to living in a run-down home contrast sharply. The “dust[y]” atmosphere creates an aura of decay. The reality of the womanis broken dreams is inescapable. The home, in disrepair, has roaches coming out of their colonies in the moldings and grimy window panes. Society dictates that she must take on the domestic drudgeries of life. In the male dominant society, she alone must fulfill the role of housekeeper. With the absence of her lover, the woman takes sole responsibility for maintaining a pleasant household; she alone makes the bed, dusts the tabletop, and sets the coffee on the stove.

The portrait of her miserable life contrasts sharply with that of her lover. While she struggles with the endless monotony of , he loafs around, carefree and relaxed. During her monotonous morning routine, the man flippantly goes “out for cigarettes.” Although he too notices the problems in the house, he satisfies himself with merely complaining. Rather than taking action and tuning the piano, the man merely “declare[s] it out of tune, [and] shrug[s]” indifferently. The woman does not even control her homels furnishings. The food and painting are both results of the manis whimsical desires. In order to maintain some semblance of order, she sacrifices her environmental preferences by accepting the situation.

Because the man lacks commitment, the woman takes the burden for both housecleaning as well as improving the couple’s relationship. A problematic relationship requires much “dusting.” She solely contributes the energy that is constantly necessary to create and maintain a pleasant relationship. She submits to this role of absolute responsibility without resistance, keeping her resentment and anger to herself. Her constant expenditure of energy with no satisfactory results leads to disappointment. As she feels the “daylight coming ” while lying beside her sleeping lover, the woman dreads the life she must face the next day. The coming of the daylight illuminates the harsh reality of her life. Both her surroundings and her lover ultimately fail her.

Rather than escape her dismal life, the woman stubbornly continues to bear her burdens and live as she feels obligated to. Although she resents her situation, she takes no action to liberate herself and embrace individual pursuits. She feels any efforts to change her environment are futile. Submitting without resistance, the woman must keep her anger inside. Her futile efforts result in her “living in sin.” She sinfully accepts what society dictates and does not try to escape and improve her circumstances. By allowing this dismal life to continue, she denies herself and her individuality. This self-sacrifice is the greatest sin of all.

Society uses various ploys to achieve conformity. As a means to manipulate women into conforming and submitting to housekeeping roles, society promotes a male-dominant view. Society further expects all women to feign fulfillment in this “natural,” biological role. By demanding conformity to expectations and customs, society conspires to minimize a womanis satisfaction. Thus, like the woman in the poem, many women in society accept this homemaking role. Although an individual must accept her unchangeable circumstances, she should renounce her society-given role.

In the medieval poem, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the poet, whose identity is unknown, speaks of the ideals of knighthood by describing chronicles of Sir Gawain, the noblest knight of King Arthur’s court. Gawain accepts a challenge from the Green Knight and therefore must go on a quest to seek the Green Chapel and fulfill his bargain. Throughout the story, the poet presents Gawain as the classic example of a true knight by displaying instances of his loyalty, honor, courage, courtesy and purity. An example of his loyalty occurs when Gawain takes on the challenge against the Green Knight. Gawain belittles himself as he tells the King Arthur that he is the least wise of all the knights. While asking the court for his claim, Gawain utters:

Though you tempted thereto, to take in on yourself
I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest;

And the loss of my life would be lest of any;

Gawains willingness to accept definitely sets him apart from the other knights. Gawain cleverly chooses his most courteous words to release Arthur from the challenge. Gawains devotion and loyalty is clearly evident as he offers his life for the king.

The poet reveals that Gawain is not only loyal, but also courageous, and worthy to have his attributes put to the test. This is done in the description of the shield that Gawain arms himself with to undertake his journey to the Green Chapel. The shield is adorned with pentangle portrayed in purest gold. This pentangle represents Gawains “faith in the five wounds of Christ and the five joys of the Virgin, and his possession of the five knightly virtues…” This display of Gawains purity reinforces his worthiness to undergo the test of his chivalry. Honor is another virtue that a knight must possess. Gawain gives his word while accepting the beheading challenge that he will meet the Green Knight at the Green Chapel in one years time. His quest to find the Green Knight is not an easy task. The authors vivid description of what Gawain must go through to get to the Green Chapel represents a test of Gawains honor. The author tells us:

“Many a cliff must he climb in country wild/ Far off from all
his friends, forlorn must he ride/Near slain by the sleet he
sleeps in his irons/ More nights than enough, among the naked rocks.

Gawain has given his word and he is bound to follow through with his end of the bargain, thus proving that he is an honorable knight. Gawains arrival at the castle of Sir Bercilak tests Gawains pure mind and his courtesy, two very important knightly virtues. According to a bargain, lord Bercilak goes hunting three days in a row while Gawain remains at the castle and rests. Lining out the deal with Gawain he says, “Whatever win in the woods I will give you at evel And all you have earned you must offer to me.” Gawain accepts, and each day while the Lord is hunting, his wife tempts Gawain. Gawain is torn between his purity and his courtesy because he cannot commit adultery, yet he cannot offend a lady by not honoring her request. She gives Gawain a green girdle as a gift for use in saving his life, and asks that he does not let the lord know about it. The lords wife is not able to get Gawain to fail in his test of purity or courtesy to her because he will not sleep with her and is always courteous while avoiding her advances. However, she does succeed in setting him up to fail in his honor and courtesy to the Lord. Gawain does not reveal that he has received the girdle and does not give it to the Lord in keeping with his end of the deal. The green girdle comes to symbolize to Gawain his lack of honor and courtesy. Gawain thus does not live up to all the virtues in his code of conduct. In the epic poem, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the protagonist typifies the prime example of a chivalrous knight who possesses loyalty, honor, courage, courtesy, and purity. Through these qualities, Sir Gawain portrays the ideals of knighthood. In essence, the anonymous poet characterizes the virtues of a true knight in the poem, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight.