Raven by Chris
The Raven
by Edgar Allan Poe
Poe chose a raven as the central symbol in the story because he wanted a "non-reasoning" creature capable of speech. He decided on a raven, which he considered "equally capable of speech" as a parrot, because it matched the intended tone of the poem. Poe said the raven is meant to symbolize "Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance". He was also inspired by Grip, the raven in Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty by Charles Dickens. Poe may also have been drawing upon various references to ravens in mythology and folklore. In Norse mythology, Odin possessed two ravens named Huginn and Muninn, representing thought and memory. (Wikipedia)
A few words to consider before reading or listening to Poe's, The Raven:
Lenore - In The Raven, a young scholar is mourning the loss of his lover, Lenore, a young woman who had recently died.
Pallas - name associated with the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, sometimes called Pallas Athena. The word Pallas can mean youth or young - thereby giving us 'The Young Athena'. In some myths, Pallas was the daughter of Poseidon's son, Triton. Pallas and Athena were sparring when Athena accidentally killed Pallas. In her grief, Athena took her name in her memory.
Seraphim - a high ranking angel
censer - a container in which incense is burned, typically during a religious ceremony.
quaff - drink, swallow, gulp especially an alcoholic drink
nepenthe - a drug described in Homer's Odyssey as erasing memories in banishing grief or trouble from a person's mind.
Balm of Gilead - was a rare perfume used medicinally, that was mentioned in the Bible, has come to signify a universal cure in figurative speech.
Aidenn - Arabic word for 'paradise'. (Garden of "Aidenn" = Eden)
Plutonian shore - an allusion to the Roman god of the underworld.
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The Raven
written by
Edgar Allan Poe
Read by
Sir Christopher Lee
YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/BefliMlEzZ8
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Here are some illustrations done by the French painter
Édouard Manet
