Friday, October 18, 2013

"Lenore" and "nevermore" rhyme in "The Raven". By the end of the poem, what meaning connects the two words?

During the poem, the speaker is mourning the loss of his love, Lenore. Lenore has died and the speaker is trying to find "surcease for his sorrow" or a temporary end to his sorrow. When the bird flies in and sits on the bust of Pallas, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, the speaker begins to suspect that the bird is a messenger from the dead who can tell him about Lenore. At the end of the poem, the speaker asks the bird if he will ever seen Lenore or hold her again? The bird answers, as it has answered every question of the speaker, with the word "Nevermore". Thus, the poor speaker thinks that he is never again going to see his beloved Lenore again, even in heaven ( "that distant Aidenn"). The speaker replies that his spirit shall be lifted "Nevermore". In other words, he will never be happy again because he is eternally separated from his love.

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