emember it was in the bleak December..., he is illustrating a lessobvious (7). Both midnight and December symbolize closure, as midnight is the last hourof the day and December is the last month of the year. Midnight and December alsorepresent the anticipation of something new, a change to happen. Symbolism can also beseen in the examination of the chamber. The chamber in which the narrator is positionedis used to signify the loneliness of the man, and the sorrow he feels from the loss ofLenore. The room is richly furnished, and reminds the narrator of his lost love, whichhelps to create an effect of beauty in the poem. The tempest outside is used to accentuatethe isolation of the man, to show a sharp contrast between the calmness in the chamberand the tempestuous night.The articulation of language through the use of the raven and its refrain is alsoutilized to produce the melancholic tone in The Raven. In the poem it is important thatthe answers to the questions are already known, to illustrate the self-torture to which thenarrator endures. Repetition of Nevermore impedes the speakers mindfulness in allactions, and baffles him into a victimized state of mind. The ravens utterance oflanguage, especially the sole phrase in the refrain is crucial, for the exchange ofconversation would not advance without the persona having something to respond to. The poem has a series of consecutive stanzas ending with the line Quoth the RavenNevermore, which serves to establish the unchangeable supremacy of the raven, andfounds the melancholic condition of the man. Articulation of Nevermore alsoemphasizes the features of the word itself, specifically its meaning. Through focusing onthe raven and its raspy Nevermore, an effect is developed that highlights a gloomy anddepressed state of mind. A refrain is used throughout Edgar Allan Poes The Raven, tounderscore the developing tone of melancholy. The refrain accomplishes this accentuationthroug...
