FREE ESSAY ON POE'S USE OF DICTION

POE'S USE OF DICTION

Born in 1809, losing his parents and contact with his siblings before the age of three,
Edgar Allen Poe had no idea that he was destined to be a great writer. Before he
mysteriously died in 1849, he wrote many tales, including poems and short stories, which
immortalized his name. The Raven was one of Poe's greatest poems that brought him much
fame. Poe's The Raven displays his poetical prowess through the use of his method to
writing, diction and literary techniques. 
Like others held in the spotlight, Poe's talent and works were analyzed by critics. A few
critics thought his popularity was just luck; however, other critics acknowledged Poe's
intellect. Poe, in response to some criticism on his construction of The Raven, wrote his
Philosophy in Composition, as seen in Macdonald's book (116-128). His purpose was to
prove that a standard pattern to writing existed in The Raven. 
Poe began The Raven with his common theme of death which is prevalent in many of his
works. In the case of this poem, it is a person mourning the death of his beloved. This
theme most likely originated from his unstable family life as a child and the diminishing
health of his wife who gave him emotional stability. These circumstances possibly led Poe
to drink alcohol and take drugs, as suggested by Braddy, and influenced him to create
such a morbid theme (1-6).
Next, Poe decided on a word to center the poem around; this word was nevermore. Braddy
suggested that Poe devised this word because he would soon never be able to hold his
wife, Virginia, again (10). Poe held steadfast to his method and needed a person or thing
to say this word. He first thought of a parrot, but then moved onto the idea of a raven,
which presented more of a morbid feeling. Lastly, he determined to make the raven
monotonously repeat the word in order to help create the mood.
Now the writer needed a character to interact with the raven and a setting for the poem
to take place. Here, Poe used his theme to compose a character. The protagonist would be
a man who lost his lover and has not yet stopped mourning over his beloved. The
character's pain was only increased through interaction with the bird, which consistently
repeated a single word (Halliburton 1). Poe further developed this by confining the man
to his bedroom where everything around him reminded him of his lost lover. 
Poe then started to develop the body of his poem, keeping in mind the ideas he wanted to
represent. Poe introduced a rapping (Macdonald 77) that drove the man crazy as he desired
to see his beloved again. Soon, Poe intensified the insanity of the character with the
raven, by making the man believe the raven was actually answering his questions. As the
protagonist believed the monotonous raven, he grew more frustrated and saddened at the
reality that he would never see his beloved again. As Braddy wrote, the refrain of the
raven --'Nevermore'-- mirrored despair perfectly (10). Poe still kept every occurrence in
his poem within the limits of the real (Thompson 100).
By skillfully and systematically writing The Raven, Poe proved that a poem could be
popular by critics and the public, simultaneously. The great poet appealed to the critics
and the sophisticated with the poem's hidden meanings and by following his method. Poe
attracted the public's attention because everyone could relate to the pain of a bereaved
lover. In order for a poem to be effective, Poe believed that it cannot be too short or
too long. With either extreme, the effectiveness of the tale is greatly diminished.
(Jacobs 436-443) 
Poe's diction played a major role throughout The Raven. Choosing the perfect words, such
as nevermore, was vital to the development of The Raven. Without the words he had chosen,
Poe most likely would have lost a great amount of effect to his poem. Diction had a major
part in creating the atmosphere, or mood, of the poem. He used pondered, wrought, implore
and peering to replace bland synonyms that were neither as effective nor as forceful.
Also, words such as lore in place of tale, were utilized in order to help create end
rhyme. These examples are only a few among the many words chosen by Poe that create his
desired effect. 
With diction, Poe was able to utilize certain literary techniques. Through the poem's
progression, Poe makes use of the refrain of nevermore. However, in his eighteen stanza
poem, the first stanza alone displays internal rhyme, end rhyme, alliteration and
assonance. All of these devices contribute to the smoothness of the poem and to the ease
with which it is read: 
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary.
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door
 'T is some visitor, I muttered, tapping at my chamber door--
Only this and nothing more. (Macdonald 77)
The first, third and fifth lines all clearly display internal rhyme with rhyming pairs
like dreary...and weary. Lines two, four, five and six distinctively show the end rhyme
of lore, door, and more. The alliteration of the letter 'w' in line one and that of the
'n' in line three are easily detected. Poe's use of the repetition of initial letters of
words within in a line undoubtedly increased the fluidity of the poem significantly.
Plus, he used a more subtle method to create the same effect as alliteration, as seen by
assonance. An example of his assonance linking different words is seen and heard in this
phrase: ...volume of forgotten lore-. Here, Poe connected two different examples of
assonance with the word forgotten. This word contains the same 'o' sound as the first two
words and the same 'or' sound as the last word. 
Though each literary device has its own job, as a whole, the poet used them to help the
poem to flow smoothly. In addition, all of these techniques, with their basis in diction,
help to create the mood. With the ability to create such a vivid tone, Poe could then
keep the readers interested throughout the poem. As shown, Poe's diction paved the way
for the use of literary techniques in his poem.
Poe's own popularity proves his method to The Raven successful. He also possessed a
masterful use of diction that gave life to poetic devices in his poem. Poe, with great
dexterity, wrote this famous poem with a particular style that conveyed his universal
theme: obsession over a lost loved one leads to madness or depression. With works of
literature like The Raven, Poe undeniably became a highly notable writer of his time, who
is still recognized today.
Bibliography
Alterton, Margeret and Hardin Craig. Edgar Allen Poe. New York: American Book Company,
1935. 500-504. 
Braddy, Haldeen. Three Dimensional Poe. El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1973. 1-19.
Davidson, Edward H. Poe: A Critical Study. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard
University Press, 1957. 76-104.
Halliburton, David. Edgar Allen Poe: A Phenomenological View. Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 1973. 46-49, 104-107, 122-149, 176-185, 368-369.
Jacobs, Robert D. Poe: Journalist & Critic. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University
Press, 1969. 434-443.
Macdonald, Dwight. Poems of Edgar Allen Poe. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1965.
77-80, 107-135.
Pahl, Dennis. De-composing Poe's 'Philosophy.' Texas Studies in Literature and Language.
Ed. Tony Hilfer, and John Rumrich. Vol. 38, no. 1. University of Texas Press, 1996.
1-23.
Thompson, G.R. Poe's Fiction. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1973. 96-101.