Essay On You Pick The Topic

The Raven is a poem that evokes terrible sadness. It is a sadness that inevitably comes from living with the reality that death is irreversible. Teasers and reminders arrive at the door and windowsill at times. They evoke a spark of optimistic hope for the return of a loved one. Yet, responding to those teasers only reiterates the fact that death is insensitive and final. The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, ignites a variety of different feelings once this poem is clearly understood. The feelings are sadness, fear and gratitude. Because of the gratitude, happiness once again becomes a new possibility.
There are qualities of the Raven that force the reader to contend with their own sorrows. For instance, seeing deadly car crashes on local roads, watching a funeral procession or remembering the terminal sickness of a loved one can all return highlighted in the mind while reading the Raven. There is a need to see sunlight and hear blue birds singing. Instead, there is only one bad news bearing bird. The sadness may just come from empathizing with the character in the poem. It is amazing how words can paint a picture of a thousand words and portray different messages. For example, another feeling that plagues the spirit from reading the Raven is fear. The fear comes from imagining the pain of the narrator who lost his only love. The fear of getting old, being alone and being ripped from the arms of a soul mate in an instant are overwhelming. It can drive the dagger of fear so deep that it might seem better to just avoid falling in love. Lastly, for the optimist who reads the Raven there is a silver lining. Ingesting and confronting the pain in this poem can send the reader to sleep with happiness. It is the happiness that comes with gratitude. It can certainly make a married woman thankful for the health and strength of her dear sweet husband. It can make a man thankful that his wife didn’t succumb to the many rounds of radiation that frazzled her once beautiful hair. It can make an elderly couple want to make love like it’s the last time and laugh about it later. The Raven bird can be viewed as symbolic of how insensitive folks can be to the pain of others. It reminds me of a woman who brags about celebrating her 5th baby on the way. She brags to a sad woman who suffered seven miscarriages and wishes that she could give her husband a beautiful son. The Raven is a constant reminder of the painful source by reiterating the obvious. Happiness should never come from being entertained by the pain of others. However, one just can’t help but to shout, “I’m glad it wasn’t me!” when reading this poem.
In conclusion, the interpretation of poetry is subject to the personal experiences of the reader. Their interpretation is actually a reflection of how they view themselves, other people and the world around them. A person who has bravely battled and triumphed over cancer might view the narrator as pathetic and feeling sorry for himself. On the other hand, a recently widowed man might want to join the narrator in a support group. Sharing personal feelings brought on by the Raven is only possible after the journey of reading it. Then there are only three things to do. First, thank God for my loved ones who can still enjoy life. Pray a song of peace for those who have passed on. Inevitably, the sadness still gushes out of the poem’s lyrics with the viscosity of cold molasses. In that case, the final thing to do is (with respect for the shortness of life) grab every opportunity for happiness and hold on tight while letting it go nevermore.