what is the meaning of this poem, what are we told. I have to answer that question in a report. How would i answer that. Im not clear on the meanings.

Essentially, 'I'm alone, I'm different, everyone thinks I'm weird.'

pam

Pam, where in the poem do you get this:


Alone
by Edgar Allan Poe

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

I would agree with you Pam if you said that Poe thought that he himself was different. But no where in this poem does it say that other people thought he was different.

Les

It's a jump- if you're wildly different all your life, people will think you're weird. Poe doesn't seem to be rejoicing in his differences here.

pam

what i dont get is the ending.. of a demon in my view..essentially what does this mean?

You see only a cloud. Poe's imagination makes it into a demon. You know, how clouds sometimes look like something else - a house, a watermellon, a goose, whatever.

Why did the Raven say "Nevermore"???

It rhymed with Lenore.

Nikki, it could be he was alluding to the finality of death.

Les

maybe he was just really stoned, dont you rhyme when your stoned? I do!
michael and megan

Death seems to be a big thing in Poe's poems. He likes to take a different view of anything and everything in his life than anyone else, and this is just the declaration of it. The end result could be his own death, because he never actually said what the event was that changed him.

lala

this poem is discriptive of the reality of a truly timid persons bane. it's a prison of fear torn by the strong yearning to be liberated from onesself

what is this poem trying to tell me? what is it's meaning? what is edgar allen poe trying to say?Ardis Ilene Barnes wrote:

this poem is discriptive of the reality of a truly timid
persons bane. it's a prison of fear torn by the strong
yearning to be liberated from onesself

what is this poem trying to tell me? what is it's meaning? what is edgar allen poe trying to say?Ardis Ilene Barnes wrote:

this poem is discriptive of the reality of a truly timid
persons bane. it's a prison of fear torn by the strong
yearning to be liberated from onesself

what is this poem trying to tell me? what is it's meaning? what is edgar allen poe trying to say?Ardis Ilene Barnes wrote:

this poem is discriptive of the reality of a truly timid
persons bane. it's a prison of fear torn by the strong
yearning to be liberated from onesself

this poem fascinates us because it describes a very intimate feeling in all of us, the need for solitude. I think this poem is about poe choosing solitude. His demon is lonliness and he has come to face it with serenity, in a heaven of blue.

-yogi

this poem fascinates us because it describes a very intimate feeling in all of us, the need for solitude. I think this poem is about poe choosing solitude. His demon is lonliness and he has come to face it with serenity, in a heaven of blue.

-yogi

I don't get any of that from reading the poem.

The meaning of the first eight lines is clear enough. Poe is saying 'I am different from other people, I am special, I am uniquely contrary in my passions. I don't feel sorry about the things other people feel sorry about. I don't enjoy the things other people enjoy. No one else loves the things I love.' He says he has been like that from childhood.

I take the title 'Alone' as referring to that self-image of uniqueness. Certainly the word has overtones of solitude and loneliness, but the poem isn't about those meanings. There's no hint in the poem that Poe regrets being different, or is fearful, or wants to avoid the company of others.

After the first eight lines the poem becomes more opaque and goes off track for a bit.

Unlike some poets, Poe adheres to grammar. In the grammar of this poem, the climactic line is 'The mystery that binds me still'.

The ensuing lines do little to explain what that mystery is. They provide a list of superficially, indeed poorly, visualised images of natural phenomena 'from' which the mystery is said to have been 'drawn'.

The only helpful detail in them is the closing mention of seeing a cloud that looked to him like a demon, even though it was blue sky weather. Being an instance of seeing something memorably macabre in a thing ordinarily regarded as ephemeral and of no consequence, I read that as an attempt to return the poem to the track on which it started.

Thus what Poe is saying in his roundabout way is that his contrariness of taste, and especially his fascination for the dark side of things, is a mystery to him, but is something he has always lived with and always will. And he is convinced he is the only person who is like that!



Post Edited (10-02-04 01:08)

Right. See also:

[www.eapoe.org] />
and,

[www.eapoe.org] />
("I heed not that my earthly lot" vs "I care not that my earthly lot")

Note also the switch from iambic to trochaic at,

The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled ...

As many before me i am also puzzled by the ending line "the cloud that took the form (when the rest of heaven was blue) of a deamon in my view"

Try this- 'Other people see a beautiful blue sky with fluffy clouds. I see a demon trying to take over heaven.'

pam

Anyone notice that a lot of the "-more" endings in the poem (such as neverMORE) could have to with the Latin word "mors" which means death. Is this a longshot theory?

I didn't see any 'more' endings in the Alone poem. If you mean Raven, see Poe's discussion at,

[www.eapoe.org] />
" These points being settled, I next bethought me of the nature of my refrain. Since its application was to be repeatedly varied, it was clear that the refrain itself must be brief, for there would have been an insurmountable difficulty in frequent variations of application in any sentence of length. In proportion to the brevity of the sentence, would, of course, be the facility of the variation. This led me at once to a single word as the best refrain.

The question now arose as to the character of the word. Having made up my mind to a refrain, the division of the poem into stanzas was, of course, a corollary: the refrain forming the close to each stanza. That such a close, to have force, must be sonorous and susceptible of protracted emphasis, admitted no doubt: and these considerations inevitably led me to the long o as the most sonorous vowel, in connection with r as the most producible consonant.

The sound of the refrain being thus determined, it became necessary to select a word embodying this sound, and at the same time in the fullest possible keeping with that melancholy which I had predetermined as the tone of the poem. In such a search it would have been absolutely impossible to overlook the word "Nevermore." In fact, it was the very first which presented itself. "


Not to say you are incorrect, but EAP does not mention it.

Poe is saying 'I am different from other people, I am special, I am uniquely contrary in my passions. I don't feel sorry about the things other people feel sorry about. I don't enjoy the things other people enjoy. No one else loves the things I love.' He says he has been like that from childhood. I take the title 'Alone' as referring to that self-image of uniqueness. Certainly the word has overtones of solitude and loneliness, but the poem isn't about those meanings. There's no hint in the poem that Poe regrets being different, or is fearful, or wants to avoid the company of others. After the first eight lines the poem becomes more unclear and goes off track for a bit. Unlike some poets, Poe sticks to grammar. In the grammar of this poem, the climactic line is 'The mystery that binds me still'. The following lines do little to explain what that mystery is. They provide a list of superficial, poor, visual images of natural phenomena 'from' which the mystery is said to have been 'drawn'. The only helpful detail in them is the closing mention of seeing a cloud that looked to him like a demon, even though it was blue sky weather. Being an instance of seeing something memorably deathlike in a thing ordinarily regarded as momentary and of no importance, I read that as an attempt to return the poem to the track on which it started. As a result, what Poe is saying in his own way is that his distinction of taste, and his fascination for the dark side of things, is a mystery to him, but is something he has always lived with and always will. And he is convinced he is the only person who is like that.

Michael, I guess I should be flattered that you have seen fit to re-post most of what I posted on Sept 30 in this thread, albeit without attribution and with some changes you have made. Being fussy over words and their nuances of meaning, I'm always ready to consider suggested improvements in expression. In this case however, I do still prefer my original word choices. The changes alter the meaning and seem to me to muddy it.

It would be tedious to examine every instance, but let me cite three.

You have changed 'The ensuing lines do little to explain ...' to 'The following lines do little to explain ...' The word 'following' is more apt to refer to the next lines in the text where it appears, whereas the word 'ensuing' is more apt to refer to the next lines in the outside text under discussion, i.e. the poem, which was my meaning.

You have changed my reference to a 'list of superficially, indeed poorly, visualized images' to 'list of superficial, poor, visual images', which means something rather different, and is not what I was saying.

You have changed my reference to Poe's 'contrariness of taste' to 'distinction of taste', which misses the main point!

Please don't misunderstand. I'm not suggesting that my comments must not be quoted, nor am I suggesting that you should cut and paste them into whatever you are writing. It would be much better if you expressed your own thoughts in your own words. If however you do exercise your freedom to download and use substantial chunks of other people's comments on Emule, you should make clear that you are quoting, and should not insert changes that twist what the original commentator was saying.

Ian

Now THAT'S weird! First time I have ever seen anyone plagiarize a post in the very same thread where it originally appeared.

Ohhh, so that's where I heard it!


Les

Ravens are most commonly known as scavengers, and are thus usually associated with death, along with the crow. Prior to bloodshed, Ravens and crows always fly above the field of battle. Thus, when I so much as glanced at the title, I knew that theme would be something terrible or horrible.. At the beginning of the poem, the character described is unwary, caught off guard: “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary” He is like a soldier sleeping at his watch. Like a classic medieval skirmish, the enemy pounces at the chance. “While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping…” 'Tis some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door--Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door; This it is and nothing more." It is strange that he himself was in the process of musing over fantasies, and is abruptly shoved into one himself. “Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--…” From reading the sad stories, I experiences fear for such consequences to befall himself. “Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;--” “Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore.” “Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door-- Perched, and sat, and nothing more.” Edgar chose a bust of Pallas Athene. Athene is known as the god of war to the Greeks. In the poem, an series of exchanges occurs between the character and the raven. What is the character seeking? It is a one sided interview, with the raven’s only reply being “Nevermore.” Somehow, this response correctly answers all of the character’s inquiries. The questions symbolize a person trying to learn the knowledge he is better off not knowing. "Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee--by these angels he hath sent thee. Respite--respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!" Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore." "Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!--prophet still, if bird or devil!--Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted--On this home by Horror haunted--tell me truly, I implore--Is there--is there balm in Gilead?--tell me--tell me, implore!" Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore." “Is there balm in Gilead?” This is a confusing sentence. Balm is used to sooth wounds. If the narrator is seeking balm, then the character is obviously in pain. This is not apparent. Neither is the reason for seeking the raven’s name. “Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!" Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore." The Raven is called “Nevermore.” A puzzling name. And where did it learn to speak? Raven, in this poem, may not actually be a living, breathing, bird, but mayhap a demon or vision. It is strange that the character does not ask himself of his sanity. If you opened your door one night to find a talking raven, wouldn‘t you? Ravens cannot learn to speak. But the author assumes that the raven learned to speak from a master. "Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store, Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore--Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore Of 'Never--nevermore.'" The narrator is not aware of this. After not receiving answers to his questions, he loses his temper and accuses the Raven of attacking him. Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore." "Be that our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting-- "Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul has spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken!--quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!" The Raven has not visibly harmed him, not even annoyed him. If the narrator thinks that the Raven can only say “Nevermore,” Why does he expect intelligible language to come form from its beak? If this is what he thought, why does he think the raven a prophet? Even more strangely, the Raven stays put. It never flits and only sits. If it were a real raven, then food and drink would be essentials. “Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore." And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadows on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted--nevermore!” The part about the sleeping eyes, it might mean that the Raven is a horror to be released. The part about the shadow might be a memory or haunting thought, and not the actual shadow. The Raven is a mysterious figure, and the narrator even more so. I think this poem very difficult to understand, but entrancing. It describes forces of power biding their time, waiting for the moment to explode. It tells of curses and of disasters befalling others. Overall, the Raven is a deep, powerful work of literature.

sorry, i meant to post this for the raven...

Doesn't matter - without any white space, it is unreadable anyway.

Why is the narrator haunted by the Raven? Did the man kill Lenore and the bird represents his guilt?

I find it interesting that everyone is analysing the title when it wasn't even Poe that called it "Alone". He did not give it an title.

[www.eapoe.org] />
[www.eapoe.org]

Thanks Hugh for that info. A good point Elise raised, about the title not being Poe's. Not correct though to say everyone [in this thread] is analysing it. It's the thread name that each post repeats. Only I and the chap who adopted my comments mentioned the title which was presented to us with the poem. Now I understand why it didn't seem wholly appropriate to the full poem.

Does anybody know what Night's Plutonian shore stands for? Ploutoon being the god of wealth and all...

Pluto is the god of the underworld, so its dark, therefore Night's dark shore..
Plutus is the god of wealth.
Pluvius is Jupiter as god of rain.

I need to know the full meaning of all the lines and words in Edgar Allen Poe's poem Dream-Land. Please help.

By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule -
From a wild weird clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of SPACE - out of TIME.

Bottomless vales and boundless floods,
And chasms, and caves, and Titian woods,
With forms that no man can discover
For the dews that drip all over;
Mountains toppling evermore
Into seas without a shore;
Seas that restlessly aspire,
Surging, unto skies of fire;
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Their lone waters - lone and dead, -
Their still waters - still and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily.

By the lakes that thus outspread
Their lone waters, lone and dead, -
Their sad waters, sad and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily, -
By the mountains - near the river
Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever, -
By the grey woods, - by the swamp
Where the toad and the newt encamp, -
By the dismal tarns and pools
Where dwell the Ghouls, -
By each spot the most unholy -
In each nook most melancholy, -
There the traveller meets aghast
Sheeted Memories of the Past -
Shrouded forms that start and sigh
As they pass the wanderer by -
White-robed forms of friends long given,
In agony, to the Earth - and Heaven.

For the heart whose woes are legion
'Tis a peaceful, soothing region -
For the spirit that walks in shadow
'Tis - oh 'tis an Eldorado!
But the traveller, travelling through it,
May not - dare not openly view it;
Never its mysteries are exposed
To the weak human eye unclosed;
So wills its King, who hath forbid
The uplifting of the fringed lid;
And thus the sad Soul that here passes
Beholds it but through darkened glasses.

By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have wandered home but newly
From this ultimate dim Thule.

1844.


Let's see, now. Eidolon means a spirit, I guess. Also doppleganger. Thule (pronounced tooly) means an imaginary far northern country. Titian is probably a brown color, not the painter famous for his nudes. Eldorado is the fictional city of gold that the Europeans were hoping to find in the New World.

So, once again, Poe is chasing his haunted visions through fantastic lands known only to him?

Titian is that "bright golden auburn" that the painter used for the girls' hair colour.

Titian // adj.
(of hair) bright golden auburn.
[from the name of Tiziano Vecelli, Italian painter d. 1576]
COD

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