The poem I chose was Annabel lee by Edgar Allen Poe. Edgar
Allen Poe was born on January 19, 1809 and he died on
October 7, 1849. Poe was an American poet and he was
considered to be part of the American Romantic Movement.
Poe started to get recognize when he started to edit for
gentleman’s magazine and graham’s magazine, that when he
started to publish some of his work. Poe best knows stories
and poem are “the fall of the house of usher”, “the tell-tale
heart”, “the murders in rue morgue” and “the raven”. After the
death of his wife virgina poe was depressed and he wrote this
poem that represent his emotion at that represent his
emotion at that time.
"Annabel Lee" describes the aftermath of losing a loved one.
The speaker is heart broken and still suffering because his
beloved was shut up in a sepulchre in the kingdom by the sea
(19-20). The angels not half so happy in heaven, went envying
her (21-22); and him, then he blames the angels for the death
of his beloved . The speakers love is still strong for Annabel
Lee for he lies down by the side of (38-39) his darling in her
sepulchre there by the sea in her tomb by the sounding sea
(40-41).
There are many symbolisms behind this poem and one of
them will be the sea. The sea symbolizes the speakers pain
and the loneliness he feels without her. The kingdom,
represents the cruelty of people. Annabel Lee, symbolizes the
speakers real life love, Virginia Clemm. Because of her death,
Annabel, also represents the love and pain the speaker felt
after his loss. Though the poem doesn't speak much of
Annabel's death besides "chilling and killing my Annabel
Lee." He didn't want to face the truth of her death so he
instead uses the sepulchre as the symbol of her death. It was
a less frightening way of facing reality.
Annabel Lee speaks of the loss of a love one. The tile is after
the title character. The poem is based on a long-term
memory. The poem begins as a memory "many a year ago" in
a " kingdom by the sea." The Kingdom is a important detail in
this poem. The more important detail is the title character,
Annabel Lee. The poet introduces, Annabel, to the reader as
a "maiden" which lets us know that she is young. The poet,
then, allows us to know the main point of the poem, the two
of them were in love. So in love that it was the only thing that
mattered.
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
The poet allows you to know that both he and Annabel Lee
were young when this happened. Not teenagers, but
kids: "I was a child and she was a child." This lets us know
that this kind of love is rare and very strong. He also says he
and Annabel "loved with a love that was more than love." He
wants to let the reader know that their love was special and
intense, even though they were so young. This love was
apparently so amazingly strong that the "seraphs" (angels) in
heaven noticed them. In fact, these angels "coveted" the two
young lovers. That's a kind of odd word to use, but an
important one for this poem and why it stands out. The word
covet means to want something really badly, majority of the
time it's a want for something that doesn't belong to you.
This is a strange feeling for angels to have, since it's definitely
not a holy emotion. It's also the readers first hint that things
might not turn out so well for the two of them.
In line 13, things start to go wrong for these two young lovers.
The speaker blames the terrible turn of events on the angels
who coveted him and Annabel. The jealousy of the angels
was the reason why a wind came down from a cloud and
killed his Annabel. The speaker doesn't tell the reader right
away that she dies, he only says that the wind was "chilling"
to her. Still, the speller doesn't mention her passing just that
her "kinsman" (family member) came to take her away. The
poet uses the word "bore" which tells the reader that Annabel
did leave happily but more like taken away against will. He
feels that both death and Annabel's family are trying to tear
these two lovers apart, to "shut her up" in a "sepulchre"
(tomb). He immediately blames the angels for her death
stating that they were jealous and not happy in heaven, they
saw that he and Annabel were happy on earth and so they
killed her. He mentioned "that was the reason" why the cold
wind came down and killed Annabel.
The poets love for Annabel Lee is too strong that even after
death he does not stop loving her. He says that "neither the
angels in heaven above" or the "demons down under the sea,
can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful
Annabel Lee." Their love is eternal, and nothing nor no one
can tear them apart.
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling--my darling--my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
Their love is unbroken, because they can't be separated by
death, our speaker spends his nights curled up next to
Annabel's dead body. Then he ends the poem with the
phrase "sounding sea" which allows you to know that their is
no happy end for him
