John C.

Sample
Ms. Tippens
9th Grade Literature
9 September 2016
Use of Literary Devices in The Raven
The Raven is a poem which depicts a man reading a book in his bedroom late at night. He
seems to be on the edge of sanity. After a series of tappings at his bedroom door, he finds a
bird perched above his door. He asks the bird several questions, all of which are answered with,
"nevermore." The literary devices appearing throughout the poem are numerous and sometimes
complex. The use of end rhyme, onomatopoeia, and alliteration creates the effect of calming
readers and drawing us into the fantastic supernatural tale.
The alliteration, in particular, creates an effect that is almost hypnotic, as seen in this
phrase: "While I nodded, nearly napping" (Poe 1). Another example of Poes use of alliteration to
calm the reader while simultaneously drawing them into the mystery can be found in the quote,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before (1). Poe's frequent repetition
also contributes to the poem's hypnotic effect. These devices are especially effective in the
poem's beginning as Poe establishes the tone.
The examples of onomatopoeia in the poem contribute to the imagery, and therefore to
our sense of the setting. They serve to put us there with the narrator in that room with the fire
dying and shadows looming. One example of this effect of onomatopoeia would be this line from
the third stanza: "And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain . . . ." (Poe 1).
With the word rustling, we can hear the curtains barely moving, breaking the ominous silence.
Likewise, we can hear the tapping in the first stanza when Poe writes, tapping / As of

someone gently rapping (1). This creates a mysterious mood that entices the reader to keep
reading.
The use of internal rhyme within the poem serves to excite the reader more than the other
literary devices. The repetitions of sounds within the same line creates a mood of curiosity,
which encourages the reader to keep reading. This is especially evident in the first stanza with
lines like, Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, and farther on in
the poem when, in the fifth stanza, Poe writes, Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood
there wondering, fearing (1).
Poe's literary devices in "The Raven" accomplish these several effects, while enriching
the poem's tone. The many examples of alliteration, onomatopoeia, and internal rhyme
strengthen the mysterious tone of the poem. Additionally, these literary devices simultaneously
calm and excite the reader, which grabs the readers attention and curiosity in a powerful way.

1. Read example essay together.

2. Highlight:
1.
2.
3.

Thesis sentence
Textual evidence
Citations

b. How is the essay formatted?

c. What is correct?
d. What is incorrect? Why?