Hello readers of the A-Society and welcome to the first edition of the Short Short Review this term. Just as a refresher, in this column I attempt to review a short film or story in a really short number of words. To start things off this term and because I saw an awesome concert sort of related to this piece, I’ll be reviewing the Edgar Allan Poe narrative poem, “The Raven” in 313 words because I can.
“The Raven” tells the tale of a man who has recently lost his lover and is trying to forget this loss. He hears a rapping at his door and is confused when no one is there. Another rapping happens and when he goes to check again a raven walks into the room he is in. The man then asks the raven its name and it replies “Nevermore”.
This is a gross simplification of this incredibly deep poem and I’ve also left out the ending, so as to not ruin it. The poem itself is written in incredibly rich language that may require a dictionary to look up some of the older language that Poe uses. The poem also follows an interesting but complex rhyming scheme (ABCBBB) that I’m not going too into here, because it is really freaking complicated.
“The Raven” sets a sombre mood using these elements and it reads like a song. There is also a lot imagery presented in this poem, with the raven representing darkness in the man’s life and many other things that I left out for brevity’s sake.
To wrap things up, “The Raven” is a tough but immensely enjoyable poem. I’m going to give it 4 raven wings out of 5 because it is difficult to approach for those that are not heavy readers. So that is all for this week. Next week I’ll be reviewing something completely different and awesome. Stay Tuned!
Leave a Reply