I have chosen Lenore to start this list as it functions as a perfect introductory piece. It is one of the shorter works, consisting of several small sections, dealing with the narrator's lamentations on the death of his beloved. The anger and despair is realistically portrayed, which most likely could have mirrored events that had happened or were happening in Poe's own life. And what is expected of society in terms of death and funeral services is brought into question and critique:
"Wretches! ye loved her for her wealth and hated her for her pride,
"And when she fell in feeble health, ye blessed her - that she died!
"How shall the ritual, then, be read? - the requiem how be song
"By you - by yours, the evil eye, - by yours, the slanderous tongue
"That did to death the innocent that died, and died so young?"
The reader can just see the fake polite smiles on faces while, as a person turns their head, the satisfied gleam in their eyes becomes evident. As is the disgust of the narrator. And the plea in the final lines, "Let no bell toll!" is a poignant plea that, for any person who has been forced to say farewell to one that they have loved, will understand all too well.
The second reason that this poem is included on the list is for the title. The subject of this poem, Lenore, was also the name of the tragically lost love in Poe's The Raven, and so it felt right to include this as the first showcased work.
No comments:
Post a Comment