The raven, it can be argued, is possibly a figment of the imagination of the narrator, obviously distraught over the death of Lenore. The narrator claims in the first stanza that he is weak and weary (731). He is almost napping as he hears the rapping at the door, which could quite possibly make the sound something he heard in a near dream-like state, not an actual sound.

He is terrified of being alone in the chamber he is in when the poem takes place. The "sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me-filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before" (731). When the poem opens, he is reading over books of "forgotten lore" (731). His imagination is probably already running wild. His surroundings are conducive to the situation he finds himself in. The word "chamber" itself implies a cold, rigid feel, like the narrator has shut himself away from everything in order to be alone to brood and torture himself.

The words "ghost" and "dying ember" give the reader a feeling of discomfort, like something is not quite right with

Thoughts are running through his head and it is safe to say that he is frightening himself more than the situation merits at this point. He says he has to still the beating of his heart by repeating outside the door, "'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door" (731). He is literally trying to talk himself down from the frightened state he is in. The mind is the most powerful tool of one's imagination, and the narrator's is definitely working in overdrive.

Nepenthe, in Greek and Roman mythology, was a drink given to rid a person of sorrow. The narrator is crying for nepenthe to forget his pain, to allow him to go on because he cannot do so without Lenore. Everything he does reminds him of her, even sitting on the chair.

The raven also symbolizes the torture the narrator has inflicted upon himself due to the death of Lenore, a "rare and radiant maiden...nameless here forever more" (731). The raven's refusal to answer any question asked of him with an answer other than "nevermore" only tortures the narrator even more.

The narrator mentions that the raven lands on a bust of Pallas-Pallas Athena-who, according to Roman and Greek myth, was the goddess of wisdom. The narrator can consider that a Freudian slip of sorts; that the raven speaks the truth because it has landed on the bust of Athena. He takes the words of the raven to heart, especially the raven's words about Lenore and the state of her soul, as evidenced by his rage at the raven, "Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! Leave that black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken!-quit the bust above my door!" (733). Before this, the raven's words intrigued the narrator, but these words enflame the narrator, due to the nature of the conversation-Lenore. He cannot handle the stress of remembering Lenore and his loss for even a second.

"Take thy beak from out

Some common words found in the essay are:
Poe's Raven, Greek Roman, Lenore Paradise, Night's Plutonian, Roman Greek, Lenore Paradise-within, According Roman, American Literature, McMichael George, death lenore, River Prentice-Hall, torture narrator, chamber door, answer nevermore, night's plutonian shore, nevermore tortures, loss lenore, lenore narrator, raven's words, nepenthe forget, night's plutonian, self-inflicted torture narrator,
Approximate Word count = 1296
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)