Eng 123 - Analyzing Poe, Dickeson and Crane - the Sleeper

Evan Baker

7/5/11

Professor Willis

English 123

Analyzing Poe, Dickeson and Crane

The Sleeper

The style that Edgar Allen Poe uses in the sleeper isn't difficult to read or understand but uses some rich Alliteration to let the poem flow smoother. The words in the poem aren't very technical which makes it clear Poe isn't trying to target a more advanced audience. The Tone Poe uses is a dreary, dreamlike theme to show the powerful love he possessed for this woman who died and how his love for her still rages strongly even after she has died. The Mood he sets makes the reader feel as if they were at the graveyard seeing the ghost's shadows pass by and the movement of the air. By setting this mood he helps create a mysterious but yet intriguing aurora around his deceased lover. Poe's Purpose is to show his love still rages for his lover even after she has passed away and he hopes god grants her eternal rest. Poe's point of view strikes me that he looks at love as forever, even after death and that just because his lover passed away doesn't hinder his ability to love Irene.

Annabel Lee

The Style used in Annabel Lee is lots of repetition with the word "sea", "Lee" and "we" which makes it flow easily and making it an easy read for the reader. The poem is short but the fact it uses much repetition gets the main ideas across. The tone Poe uses a loving attitude about his past with an old childhood love. It's not of anger of sorrow but of remembering a childhood love. The mood of the poem is sad but yet the way he describes their love, even after the angels killed her, is everlasting and so strong that not even death could break their love. The purpose is to tell the story of the resilient love shared between Annabel Lee and Poe, saying not even forces out of his control could destroy their love. Poe's point of view shows the way he looks at love is beyond living, that even when his lover may die, it still doesn't stop him from cherishing her, even as she lies in a grave.

The City in the Sea

The style Poe uses is an obvious rhyming pattern that makes the poem an easy read and keeping it catchy. The sentences aren't very long or contain large words so the poem is aimed at many readers who don't require a large vocabulary. Poe's tone seems to be dark and evil, saying that the city may be worse than hell and the devil. The mood Poe sets makes the reader feel of nightmares, that this city of dead is worse to live in than being in hell. By setting that mood, the reader has a dark image of the city in their head, creating a more evil and dark outlook on