Annabel Lee

5 Pages 1206 Words

Edgar Allan Poe in his poem, ‘Annabelle Lee’ (869) uses various techniques to reveal his theme. It is largely his interest in examining a “spiritual passion that transcends human limits” which inspired Poe to write his poem (Johnson pg. 2). He does this by the use of persona, imagery, settings, rhythm/rhyme and words.
In his poem, Poe uses persona to reveal his emotions in the form of a fairy tale. “It is his personal story of lost love which achieves its unique effects through its narrative voice”(Reilly pg. 2). His experience having losing his wife, whom he marries when she was only thirteen, has affected his personal life. It seems difficult for him to erase her memories from his thoughts. “It is the character of the young man who lost his lover that is talking to us through this poem”(Kelly pg. 3). This becomes obvious when he says, “But we loved with a love that was more than love, I and my Annabelle Lee”(869). Poe sees it natural to continually mourn the loss of his loved one and does not see his action immature. To him “maturity” in the sense of being able to put a lost one out of one’s mind would be a wasteful, soul deadening thing(Kelly, pg. 2).
Imagery supports the emotional qualities of Poe. With the use of this technique he is able to remember her visually. He uses elements like the moon and stars and associate them with her bright eyes. These visual imageries allows him to keep her memories alive in his life. “Poe mentions the moon and stars in which he observes the bright eyes of his dear Annabel. His love becomes not just something to feel or imagine but to see”.(Johnson pg.4) The poet mentions the moon and the star in which he observes “the bright eyes” of his dear Annabel.
“For the moon never beams without bringing
me dreams of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes o...