ABSTRACT
Jane. The Reflection of Edgar Allan Poe’s Personal Experience on Symbols and Theme of “The Raven.” Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
The background of this research is because there are so many researchers have
done their researches for “The Raven” from the psychoanalytical point of view, then
in this research the writer wants to use biographical background to prove that Edgar
Allan Poe’s work is written based on his biography or his life background. The writer believes that Poe wrote his work based on what has happened in his life, the experiences that the poet has in life influence him in writing and choosing the symbols and theme that the poet use in the work. The approach used in this research is a biographical approach. This approach used to prove that the biography or the background of the poet can be reflected through his work.
This research is divided into three problems. The first one is to find the symbols of the poem itself. Then, the second problem is to find the theme of the poem from the symbols in the poem. The third problem is to find the relation between the work and the poet based on his personal experience.
The analysis starts with the findings of symbols. The symbols used in the
poem are Lenore, Night’s Plutonian Shore, Raven, Bust of Pallas, and Nepenthe.
These symbols are used by Poe to show his feeling about the death of Lenore who in the poem described as a beautiful maiden. After that, the researcher finds the possible contextual interpretation of the theme then followed by the theme that the symbols probably suggest. The possible theme of the work is the death of someone we love may disturb our own sanity no matter how hard we try to be strong. This means that in facing the umpteenth time of lost, Poe tried to be strong but he failed and it brought him to the trauma and serious depression. This analysis then dealt with the poet’s personal experience. Poe’s personal experience of death becomes the main idea of the work that is proven in the last part of analysis.
As the results of this research, the writer proved that the poet’s personal experience reflected through his work seen from the symbols he chose and the theme
that was revealed by the symbols. “The Raven” is the mirror Poe created to reflect his
ABSTRAK
Jane. The Reflection of Edgar Allan Poe’s Personal Experience on symbols and theme of “The Raven.” Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
Latar belakang untuk studi ini disebabkan karena banyak peneliti sebelumnya telah menggunakan sudut pandang psikoanalisis dalam mempelajari dan meneliti
“The Raven” yang ditulis oleh Edgar Allan Poe, oleh sebab itu peneliti ingin
mencoba menggunakan pendekatan biografi yang bertujuan untuk membuktikan bahwa karya yang ditulis oleh Edgar Allan Poe adalah berdasarkan biografi atau latar belakang kehidupannya. Peneliti percaya bahwa apa yang ditulis oleh Poe adalah berdasarkan dengan apa yang telah terjadi pada dirinya di masa lampau, pengalaman-pengalaman pribadi ini mempengaruhi penulis dalam menulis karyanya dan memilih symbol-simbol dan tema yang tepat untuk karyanya. Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan biografis. Pendekatan ini digunakan untuk membuktikan bahwa biografi atau latar belakang si penulis karya dapat direfleksikan melalui karya itu sendiri.
Penelitian ini dibagi dalam 3 rumusan masalah. Rumusan masalah yang pertama adalah pencarian symbol-simbol yang digunakan puisi tersebut. Lalu, rumusan masalah yang kedua adalah mencari tema dari simbol-simbol yang telah ditemukan. Rumusan masalah yang ketiga adalah keterkaitan antara simbol dan tema dengan penulis puisi itu sendiri berdasar dengan pengalaman pribadi si penulis.
Analisa dimulai dengan penjabaran simbol-simbol dalam puisi.
Simbol-simbol yang digunakan di dalam puisi tersebut adalah Lenore, Night’s Plutonian
Shore, Raven, Bust of Pallas, dan Nepenthe. Simbol-simbol ini digunakan Poe untuk menunjukkan perasaannya terhadap kematian Lenore yang mana di dalam puisi tersebut disebutkan sebagai seorang wanita muda yang cantik. Setelah itu, peneliti menemukan interpretasi yang didapat ketika membaca puisi, lalu diikuti dengan tema yang dapat disimpulkan melalui symbol-simbol yang telah ditemukan. Tema dari karya tersebut adalah kematian orang yang kita cintai dapat mengganggu kewarasan kita tidak peduli berapa besar usaha kita untuk tetap kuat. Maksud dari hal ini adalah, dalam menghadapi kematian orang yang dia sayangi secara berulang-ulang, Poe mencoba untuk kuat tetapi dia selalu gagal dan kegagalan ini membawa Poe kepada trauma berkepanjangan dan depresi serius. Analisa ini lalu dikaitkan dengan pengalaman pribadi si penulis itu sendiri. Pengalam pribadi Poe mengenai kematian menjadi pikiran utama dalam analisa bagian terakhir ini.
symbol dalam karya tersebut. “The Raven” menjadi cermin yang diciptakan Poe
THE REFLECTION OF
EDGAR ALLAN POE’S
PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE ON SYMBOL AND THEME OF
“
The Raven
”
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
JANE
Student Number: 094214005
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
i
THE REFLECTION OF
EDGAR ALLAN POE’S
PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE ON SYMBOL AND THEME OF
“THE RAVEN”
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
JANE
Student Number: 094214005
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas SanataDharma :
Nama : Jane
Nomor Mahasiswa : 094214005
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah yang berjudul:
THE REFLECTION OF EDGAR ALLAN POE’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ON SYMBOL AND THEME OF “THE RAVEN”
Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan ( bila ada ). Dengan demikian saya memberikan
kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan
dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data,
mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain
untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalty
kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal: 25 Februari 2015
Yang menyatakan,
v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY
This is to certify that to the best of my knowledge, the content of this
undergraduate thesis is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any
degree or any purposes.
I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own
work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have
been acknowledged.
vi
You ain‟t seen nothing yet, the best is yet to come
-Michael Jackson-
If I was perfect then this would be easy
-Avenged Sevenfold-
I live by „Go big or Go home.‟ That‟s with everything. It‟s like either commit and go for it or don‟t do it at all. I apply that to everything
-Paul Walker-
No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way
ahead of everyone who isn‟t trying
vii
For the 2 angels who are more precious than anything in my
life,
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Firstly, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. F.X. Siswadi., M.A. for his
patience, supports and love towards me during the making of this research from the
very beginning until this final script. I also thank Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani S.S.,
M.Hum as my co-advisor for her advices and supports. Then to both of my parents,
Meliawati Salihin and Iwan Subagio Wirjan for their great love and powerful life, and
also to my brother, Reynaldi, who always becomes my loyal friend in the dark and in
the light.
The special thanks go to Patrick Anthonio Vespereza Andrada for the undying
love during this research and for all the helps, prayers, and also supports for me
during the process. I also thank Moses Dominick Putra for the love, support, and
smiles during the hard time. I am so glad to have both of you in my life. Also for
Alvieni M. Angelica MPsi., Psi (Mbak Alvi) for the psychological advices during the
hard times. My thanks also go to Mbak ninik, Mas Paryo, and Mbak Elis. Thank you
to Fira, Dian, Yuca, Ganis, Key, Okta, Yosi, Tjia, Sasa for all the beautiful memories.
They are the best friends I ever have. For all the names that I do not mention here, I
also would like to thank them for all the support and love. May God bless them.
ix PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS………....iv
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY………..v
D. Review on Biographical Background………. 13
E. Theoretical Framework………16
x
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION………....41
BIBLIOGRAPHY………..43
xi ABSTRACT
Jane. The Reflection of Edgar Allan Poe’s Personal Experience on Symbols and Theme of “The Raven.” Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
The background of this research is because there are so many researchers have
done their researches for “The Raven” from the psychoanalytical point of view, then
in this research the writer wants to use biographical background to prove that Edgar
Allan Poe‟s work is written based on his biography or his life background. The writer believes that Poe wrote his work based on what has happened in his life, the experiences that the poet has in life influence him in writing and choosing the symbols and theme that the poet use in the work. The approach used in this research is a biographical approach. This approach used to prove that the biography or the background of the poet can be reflected through his work.
This research is divided into three problems. The first one is to find the symbols of the poem itself. Then, the second problem is to find the theme of the poem from the symbols in the poem. The third problem is to find the relation between the work and the poet based on his personal experience.
The analysis starts with the findings of symbols. The symbols used in the
poem are Lenore, Night‟s Plutonian Shore, Raven, Bust of Pallas, and Nepenthe.
These symbols are used by Poe to show his feeling about the death of Lenore who in the poem described as a beautiful maiden. After that, the researcher finds the possible contextual interpretation of the theme then followed by the theme that the symbols probably suggest. The possible theme of the work is the death of someone we love may disturb our own sanity no matter how hard we try to be strong. This means that in facing the umpteenth time of lost, Poe tried to be strong but he failed and it brought him to the trauma and serious depression. This analysis then dealt with the poet‟s personal experience. Poe‟s personal experience of death becomes the main idea of the work that is proven in the last part of analysis.
As the results of this research, the writer proved that the poet‟s personal experience reflected through his work seen from the symbols he chose and the theme
that was revealed by the symbols. “The Raven” is the mirror Poe created to reflect his
xii ABSTRAK
Jane. The Reflection of Edgar Allan Poe’s Personal Experience on symbols and theme of “The Raven.” Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
Latar belakang untuk studi ini disebabkan karena banyak peneliti sebelumnya telah menggunakan sudut pandang psikoanalisis dalam mempelajari dan meneliti
“The Raven” yang ditulis oleh Edgar Allan Poe, oleh sebab itu peneliti ingin
mencoba menggunakan pendekatan biografi yang bertujuan untuk membuktikan bahwa karya yang ditulis oleh Edgar Allan Poe adalah berdasarkan biografi atau latar belakang kehidupannya. Peneliti percaya bahwa apa yang ditulis oleh Poe adalah berdasarkan dengan apa yang telah terjadi pada dirinya di masa lampau, pengalaman-pengalaman pribadi ini mempengaruhi penulis dalam menulis karyanya dan memilih symbol-simbol dan tema yang tepat untuk karyanya. Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan biografis. Pendekatan ini digunakan untuk membuktikan bahwa biografi atau latar belakang si penulis karya dapat direfleksikan melalui karya itu sendiri.
Penelitian ini dibagi dalam 3 rumusan masalah. Rumusan masalah yang pertama adalah pencarian symbol-simbol yang digunakan puisi tersebut. Lalu, rumusan masalah yang kedua adalah mencari tema dari simbol-simbol yang telah ditemukan. Rumusan masalah yang ketiga adalah keterkaitan antara simbol dan tema dengan penulis puisi itu sendiri berdasar dengan pengalaman pribadi si penulis.
Analisa dimulai dengan penjabaran simbol-simbol dalam puisi.
Simbol-simbol yang digunakan di dalam puisi tersebut adalah Lenore, Night‟s Plutonian
Shore, Raven, Bust of Pallas, dan Nepenthe. Simbol-simbol ini digunakan Poe untuk menunjukkan perasaannya terhadap kematian Lenore yang mana di dalam puisi tersebut disebutkan sebagai seorang wanita muda yang cantik. Setelah itu, peneliti menemukan interpretasi yang didapat ketika membaca puisi, lalu diikuti dengan tema yang dapat disimpulkan melalui symbol-simbol yang telah ditemukan. Tema dari karya tersebut adalah kematian orang yang kita cintai dapat mengganggu kewarasan kita tidak peduli berapa besar usaha kita untuk tetap kuat. Maksud dari hal ini adalah, dalam menghadapi kematian orang yang dia sayangi secara berulang-ulang, Poe mencoba untuk kuat tetapi dia selalu gagal dan kegagalan ini membawa Poe kepada trauma berkepanjangan dan depresi serius. Analisa ini lalu dikaitkan dengan pengalaman pribadi si penulis itu sendiri. Pengalam pribadi Poe mengenai kematian menjadi pikiran utama dalam analisa bagian terakhir ini.
xiii
symbol dalam karya tersebut. “The Raven” menjadi cermin yang diciptakan Poe
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
In learning American English literature, people deal with so many major
poets in the world such as Robert Frost, Robert Browning, A.E Housman, W.H
Auden, Edgar Allan Poe, and many more. Each poet has their own characteristic
for their own works. For example, Edgar Allan Poe always creates his work in a
very dark tone. The diction, the story, the poem, and all of his works have this
criterion. Edgar Allan Poe divides his works into five types. In his book, Edgar Allan Poe the Collection of Poetry and Essay, John H. Ingram stated that Poe has his own divisions of poems: poem of later life, poem of manhood, poem of youth,
doubtful poem, and prose poem are the types of his poem. Take for an example
“Alone,” the poem that he wrote in 1830. This poem is one of the very famous
works that Edgar has written. “Alone” has the horror aura in it; from the symbols
that he used in the poem, the writer can conclude that this poem is spooky. The
writer knows this from the symbols that he used in the poem such as demon,
thunder, storm which symbolize the darkness and loneliness that the poet feels
and also from the theme that the symbols suggest in the poem that emphasizes the
state of being lonely and horrifying. Another example for this poet are “To
Isadore”, “The Forest Reverie” which are included in the doubtful poem, “The
Island of the Fay”, “The Power of words”, “Shadow-A Parable” are the examples
“An Enigma”, “A Dream within A Dream‟ are the examples of the poem of later
life. (1874: vi-ix)
The work of art, especially the literary work by Edgar Allan Poe is written
based on his personal experience (http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poeautob.htm).
The writer of this research is about to prove that Edgar Allan Poe creates the
literary works based on what he had felt before in his past. His past experience
about his mother, his Lenore, and his wife (Virginia) pushed him to make a poem
about his lost and grieve. The writer believes that this amazing poet has emotional
relation with his own works which will be proved in the analysis. The writer
intends to figure out the meaning of the poem; here in this case is “The Raven”. It
is not only the literal meaning that the writer wants to figure out but also the
deeper meaning of the poem. After understanding the meaning of the poem, the
writer wants to figure out the experiences that the author felt during his personal
life. The writer aims to find the relation between the experience and the poet‟s
work which reflected in the poem through the choice of symbols (1963: 11).
Taken from a collection of famous quotations, Friedrich Nietzsche ever
said “Poets are shameless with their experiences: they exploit them”
(http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/40009.html). It means that all poets
exploit their personal experience into their works without any exception. It is
interesting to see how the works have relation with the author. This research is
related to Poe‟s biographical background. As people know, Edgar has no perfect
family life. His biological father left him with his mother when Edgar was still
His older brother lived with his grandfather and Edgar lived with his mother with
his younger sister. His mom died when Edgar was still 2 years old. This left Edgar
in deepest pain. His mother died because of the suffering and illness. His mother
had been a sick woman when his younger sister was born. His memories about his
mother were only her large dark eyes and the curly black hair which he, too,
possessed ( Poe, 1963 ).
“The Raven” was created in 1846. This poem is noted as the greatest poem
ever and often said as the success of his career. John H Ingram in his book stated
that “Poe became the “lion of the season”because of „The Raven‟.” “The Raven”
was translated into some different languages and from time to time read it in his
musical manner in public halls or at literary receptions. The story behind this
poem was about his beloved. Poe dated Lenore before he met Virginia (his own
cousin). Poe loved Lenore so much like he loved his mother and Jane Stanard (his
friend‟s mother). He created “The Raven” for Lenore because he also lost Lenore
from the same reason of death like his mother and Mrs. Stanard. Poe was very
sensitive to this case. This also became the reason why Edgar used the words
“Nevermore” repeated so many times in “The Raven” which means he did not
want death to grab anyone else whom he loves so much; he did not want to feel
any lost after he lost his mother, his brother (Henry), Mrs. Stanard, and Lenore
(1963: 128 ).
From Edgar‟s life timeline, the writer feels very interested and wants to
analyze more about the relation between the work and the biographical
experience and the work that Edgar created. In “To My Mother” Edgar felt the
hurt because of loss; the loss of his mother and wife. Edgar felt that he much
attached to the woman in his life; his aunt, his mother, and his wife; but all the
women he lived much died because of sickness. In “The Raven” Edgar dedicated
the poem to his girlfriend. He felt that sadness when his girlfriend passed away
and left him alone forever. He felt almost the same in both poem, but the woman
that he referred to were different and that creates different meaning and relation to
the readers. The writer uses the terms of “personal” experience because the
experience that the writer uses in this research is the poet‟s own personal
experience, the experience that only felt by the poet and not felt by any other
people or the public.
The urgency of discussing symbols in this poem is that the writer of this
research believes that the choice of symbols in a work is also determined by the
past experience of the poet himself. The symbols in the work arouse the readers‟
or listeners‟ imagination. In this research, the writer does not stop at describing
the symbols only, but also reveal the theme that the symbols probably suggest and
relate it all with the poet‟s past experience. The writer wants to prove that symbol
and biography has the emotional relation. Emotional here means that the poet‟s
emotion in writing the work reflected through the symbols he used. Also, the
theme and the symbols have the relation as Stanton stated in his book An Introduction to Fiction“this device cannot carry the theme by itself, it can help to define and emphasizes the theme” (Stanton 1965:4). So, because of those reasons,
B. Problem Formulation
To be able to understand this poem better, three problems were formulated
as follows.
1. What are the symbols used in the poem?
2. What is the theme of the poem the symbols suggest?
3. How do the symbols and the theme reflect the poet‟s personal experience?
C. Objectives of the Study
This research aims to find the relation between the poet and his work. The
writer believes that each literary works depends on the author and the experiences
he felt. This research has three objectives. The first objective is the writer‟s
needing to find symbols used in the poem. This aims to reveal the meaning of the
poem and to give understanding of the meaning of the poem. The second
objective is revealing the theme of the poem the symbols suggest. The third
objective is relating the poet‟s personal experience that reflected through the
choice of symbol that the poet used in the poem.
D. Definition of Terms
A work of literature is related to the author and it is possible that it has the
relation with the author‟s personal experience. The writer uses the title: The
reflection of Edgar Allan Po‟s Persona Experience on Symbol and Theme of“The
1. The term reflection means a sign that shows the state or nature of something (Oxford 2005: 1223). Reflection means for the writer is the image that
a mirror creates. In this research, the image is the work and the mirror is the poet‟s
past experience. This term related to this topic because the writer wants to relate
between the symbols used by the poet and the poet‟s experience that reflected in
using particular symbols in his works.
2. The phrase personal experience from the Oxford Advanced Learner‟s
Dictionary means the things that have happened personally to a person that
influence the way he or she thinks and behaves (2005: 513, 1084). The term
personal experience for the writer means an event or action that makes a memory
7
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review on Related Studies
Alan Poe‟s literary works have been analyzed by many researches. In this
part, the writer compares this study with other undergraduate theses. They are the
thesis from Petra Christian University student, Heidy Adeline, a book from Lorine
Pruette, and a study from C.D. Merriman.
The first study entitled “The speaker‟s optimistic attitude towards death in
Edgar Allan Poe‟s poems “Sonnet To My Mother,” “Annabel Lee,” and “For
Annie.” In her study, Heidy analyzed those works from the psychoanalytic point
of view. She wants to state that the poet wants to say that death cannot be denied,
death brings separation between him and the people he loved (the consciousness
and the unconsciousness). She stated that:
By doing this analysis, I want to prove that the speaker‟s attitude toward
death is optimistic by his employment of figurative languages, imagery, diction, connotation, and tone. Moreover, I also want to show that the optimistic attitude achieved by the speaker in three poems is the result
from Poe‟s background and his innermost experience in life that initiate
his overpowering longing for peace ( 2001: 5 ).
From the quotation above, it is clear that Heidy wants to prove that
Edgar‟s works affected purely by what he had experienced.
The second study which also analyzed the same thing comes from a book
written by Lorine Pruette. Her book entitled “The Psychoanalytical Study of
Edgar Allan Poe” analyzed the poet also from the psycho-analytical point of view.
effects of stimulants and temporary fits of insanity toward the last of his life. She
stated:
….with the peculiar genius of the poet himself, his sensitiveness to the
effects of stimulants and temporary fits of insanity toward the last of his life, form fairly conclusive evidence that there was in the Poe family a decided organic inferiority. The lesion on the brain from which Edgar suffered in later life may have been either the result of syphilitic infection or apoplexy, or caused by an inherited inferior brain for which, according to Lombroso, genius is an over-compensation ( 1920: 372 ).
From the quotation above, the writer can conclude that Pruette also agrees
that Edgar wrote his works from his unconsciousness mind that affected by his
personal experience. His genius mind and his unconscious mind blend together
and urged him to create such a work that is really beautiful. He suffered in his
mental illness that haunted him for years. This happened because he received
traumatic experience that strengthens his genius mind and his unconscious part to
take a portion in his work.
Not only those, the third study which analyzed Edgar‟s work from psycho
-analytical point of view comes from C.D.Merriman in his “Online Literature”
about Poe. He stated:
Poe‟s psychologically thrilling tales examining the depths of the human
psyche earned him much fame during his lifetime and after his death. His own life was marred by tragedy at an early age (his parents died before he was three years old) and in his oft-quoted works we can see his darkly passionate sensibilities—a tormented and sometimes neurotic obsession with death and violence and overall appreciation for the beautiful yet tragic mysteries of life ( http://www.online-literature.com/poe/ ).
From the quotation above, the writer can say that Edgar Allan Poe wrote
stated that Poe wrote his works because of his bad experience toward life but the
writer thinks it is not the important thing that dealt with Poe‟s works.
B. Review on Related Theories
There are two theories that the writer uses in this research. The first is the
theory on theme and the second is the theory on symbol.
1. Theory of theme
In An Introduction to Fiction, X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, stated that
“The theme of a story is whatever general idea or insight the entire story reveals”
(2010:183). This means that the theme of the story has one idea that can cover all
aspects in the story. In this book, Kennedy and Gioia considered some points to
recognize a theme in a literary work.
1.1. The first step is to look back once again at the title of a literary work used
and to find what it indicates.
1.2. Make sure whether or not the main character changes in any way in the
story.
1.3. Make sure whether or not the author makes any general observation
related to life or human nature.
1.4. Make sure whether or not the literary work contains curious objects,
repeated names and whatever that hint at meanings and larger than its ordinary
meaning.
1.5. Make sure that the statement we use should be into general language, not
1.6. Make sure that the statement we have made can cover all aspects of ideas
from the whole story and not just from a single part of the story (Kennedy et
al, 2010: 185).
This definition of theme also stated by Elisabeth Memahan, Susan Day,
and Robert Frank in their book, Literature and The Writing Process, Third Edition.
Theme has been defined in many ways: the central idea or thesis, the central thought; the underlying meaning, either implied or directly stated; the general idea or insight revealed by the entire story; the central truth; the dominating idea; the abstract concept that is made concrete through representation in person, action, and image. (Frank, 1989:122)
From the quotation above, the writer concludes that theme is the idea or
thought that is revealed by the entire story through the representation in person,
action, and image. In short, theme is the controlling idea in the work.
The same idea is taken from Robert Stanton in his book, An Introduction to Fiction. In this book, Stanton stated that theme is like the „central meaning‟ we
usually meet or experience in our daily life. In our everyday life we sometimes
experience many feelings and they make us an impact to remember it (Stanton,
1965: 4). Stanton also said that
Usually, too, we find that such a meaning has a larger value: having
experienced grief ourselves, we can better understand any man‟s grief. A
central meaning of this short corresponds to what, in a story, we call the
“theme” or “central idea” (Stanton, 1965: 4).
In this case, Stanton wanted to say that many feelings that we experience
can bear a larger meaning and value. Hence, we can consider it as the „theme‟ or
„central idea‟. The theme of our life is just like the theme in the story; its value is
power and „unity‟ to every event or action described and also „tells us about life in
general‟. The theme usually has value and any kinds of value it has, the theme is
still needed or necessary and it is the „integral part‟ of the reality found in the
story. This thing then brought the consequences that the theme of a story is like a
very useful thing, like a moral warning for someone. As the example is „Honesty
is the best policy‟ (Stanton, 1965: 4). A theme also generalizes life and it could
also deliver one single fact of one‟s experience.
2. Theory of symbol
Based on M.H. Abrams A Glossary of Literary Terms, symbol means anything that signifies something. Symbols can be a word or a phrase that
contains deeper meaning of the word and the phrase (1981: 311). Symbol is
categorized into three divisions: Cultural symbol, Conventional symbol, and
Private Symbol.
Cultural symbol is a sign that belongs to a cultural group in certain area,
but understood by mostly all people. For example white flag in certain cultures are
known as the symbol of death. This kind of symbol only can be understood by
some cultures which use this symbol.
Conventional symbol is signs that are agreed, used, and mean the same to
all people in the world. For example is the traffic light‟s color. All people around
the world understand that red means stop, yellow means proceed with caution, and
Private symbol is a sign that is created by someone and only that person
who understands perfectly what the meaning is. This kind of symbol is usually
used in literary works (Abrams, 1981: 312).
Holman and Harmon stated that symbol is an image which evokes an
objective, concrete reality then suggests another level of meaning (1968:44). Guth
also said that symbols are images that have a meaning beyond themselves, and
Perrine states that a symbol may have more than one meaning (1974:20). In short,
the writer concludes that symbols in a literary work emphasize the meaning of the
work.
Perrine also gives some cautions for the reader to interpret literary work.
First, the story itself must furnish a clue that a detail is to be taken symbolically.
Symbol shows the existence through emphasis, repetition, or position. The reader
of a poem should be reluctant to identify a certain idea as symbolical when the
signal is absent. The second, the whole context of the story must support and
establish the symbol (Perrine 1974: 212). The meaning of the symbol lies inside
the story. The third, a symbol must suggest a meaning which is different from its
literal meaning and should be more than a representative of class or type. The
fourth, as it should be different from its literal meaning, a symbol should also
have more than one meaning. Its cluster of meaning is controlled by the context of
the story (Perrine 1974: 214).
C. Literature and Biography
Literature and biography are two inseparable things. The involvement of
also involves the feeling, emotion, ideas, and personality of the author which refer
to his or her personal life. This also means that in order to better analyze a literary
work, it is important to put the biographical approach as it conveys the author‟s
personal life (Rohberger and Woods, 1971: 8). In this case, it could be said that a
literary work is also influenced by the personal life of the author (Wellek and
Waren, 1956:75). There is a very close relationship between the work and its
author (Rohberger and Woods, 1971: 8). E. D. Hirsch in Bleich (1978: 239) said
that the most fundamental means of understanding the literary works is to know
the originators‟ intention to it. Hawtron also has the same idea that the possible
context that can fit the analysis of a literary work is the knowledge of the author‟s
biography (Hawtron, 1987: 80). Hawtron stated that
It is characteristic of untrained or unsophisticated readers that they fail to
come to terms with author‟s use of personae and treats statements in
literary works as statement made by an author (Hawtron, 1987: 81).
This means that in order to be a sophisticated reader, one must have
knowledge on the author‟s life, his or her society and culture.
D. Review on Biographical Background of Edgar Allan Poe.
Edgar Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. His parents were
David and Elizabeth Poe. David was born in Baltimore on July 18, 1784.
Elizabeth Arnold came to the U.S. from England in 1796 and married David Poe
after her first husband died in 1805. They had three children, Henry, Edgar, and
Rosalie.
Elizabeth Poe died in 1811, when Edgar was 2 years old. She was already
husband and had taken her three kids with her. Henry went to live with his
grandparents while Edgar was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Allan. John Allan was a
successful merchant, so Edgar grew up in good surroundings and went to good
schools (Poe, 1963: 4).
His life with his foster parents was not going well, especially with his
foster father. Poe started to spend his time away from home. The old friendly
relationship with Mr. Allan that he remembered so well seemed to be
disappearing. The man he tried to think of as his father was displeased with him
often. Unhappy because of the quarreling at home, Poe visited with Rob Stanard,
Jack Mackenzie, and other friends. Rob Stanard‟s mother is a very loving figure to
Poe. He felt the pure perfect love he craves for. As a boy of 15 years, the love he
felt for the 31-year-old Mrs. Stanard was a worshipping, noble one. Mrs. Stanard
loved to hear Poe‟s poems. He was quick to accept every time she asked him to
read one of his works. From Mrs. Stanard he got both encouragement and
suggestions for improving his poetry. But during these meetings, the sensitive Poe
began to notice that Mrs. Stanard was changing in a strange way (Poe 1963: 128).
On April 28th, 1824, Mrs. Stanard died. For Poe days of deep sorrow followed. In
the death of Jane Stanard he had lost his dearest friend and the one who had given
him the help and the encouragement he needed so much. But as an imaginative
boy of 15, the greatest, unforgettable sadness was the loss of the beautiful woman
be worshipped-his perfect love.
Edgar Allan Poe went to the University of Virginia in 1826. He was 17.
what he needed. Although Edgar had done well in Latin and French, he started to
drink heavily and quickly became in debt. Edgar Allan had no money, no job
skills, and had been shunned by John Allan. Edgar went to Boston and joined the
U.S. Army in 1827. He was 18. He did reasonably well in the Army and attained
the rank of sergeant major. In 1828, Mrs. Allan died and John Allan tried to be
friendly towards Edgar and signed Edgar's application to West Point.
While waiting to enter West Point, Edgar lived with his grandmother and
his aunt, Mrs. Clemm. Also living there was his brother, Henry, and young
cousin, Virginia. In 1830, Edgar Allan entered West Point as a cadet. He did not
stay long because John Allan refused to send him any money. It is thought that
Edgar purposely broke the rules and ignored his duties so he would be dismissed.
In 1836, Edgar married his cousin, Virginia. He was 27 and she was 13. Many
sources say Virginia was 14, but this is incorrect. Virginia Clemm was born on
August 22, 1822. They were married before her 14th birthday, in May of 1836.
In 1845, Virginia's health was fading away and Edgar was deeply
distressed by it. In her five year struggle she had been near death several times,
but had always regained her strength. On January 30th, 1847 Virginia died, 10
days after Edgar's birthday. After losing his wife, Poe collapsed from stress but
gradually returned to health later that year. She was 24 years old, the same age
Edgar‟s mother and Brother Henry had been at their death. Since that time, Edgar
Allan Poe‟s mental condition was no longer healthy. He suffered from his mental
illness because of losing the people he loves for the umpteenth time
Poe became a literary sensation in 1845 with the publication of the poem
"The Raven." It is considered a great American literary work and one of the best
of Poe's career. In the work, Poe explored some of his common themes—death
and loss. An unknown narrator laments the demise of his great love Lenore. That
same year, he found himself under attack for his stinging criticisms of his fellow
poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Poe claimed that Longfellow, a widely
popular literary figure, was a plagiarist, and this written assault on Longfellow
created a bit of backlash for Poe. With his short stories and poems, Edgar Allan
Poe captured the imagination and interest of readers around the world. His
creative talents led to the beginning of different literary genres, earning him the
nickname "Father of the Detective Story" among other distinctions. His life,
however, has become a bit of mystery itself. The lines between fact and fiction
have been blurred substantially since his death
(http://www.biography.com/people/edgar-allan-poe-9443160#synopsis).
E. Theoretical Framework
In order to answer the questions stated in the problem formulation, the
writer uses the theory of theme and the theory of symbol. The writer uses the
theory of the theme and symbol to analyze and to understand the theme of the
poem seen from the symbol that is analyzed in the research. After finding the
theme and the symbols, the writer uses the biographical background of the poet.
symbols and the theme that he used in his work. The description can be seen in
the chart below.
From the chart above, the writer puts the poem as the source of this
research. From the poem, what the writer wants to analyze first is the symbol.
From the symbol, the writer then can analyze the theme. In this case, the writer
wants to analyze what theme the symbols suggest. After finding the symbols and
theme, then the writer analyzes the poet‟s personal experience related to these two
things.
POEM Theme (seen from the
symbols in the poem)
The Influence of the
18
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
In this research, the writer uses a poem by Edgar Allan Poe as the object of
study. The poem entitled “The Raven.” This poem was published in 1845. This is
a unique poem because this poem looks more like a short story rather than a poem
because this poem has 18 stanzas and each stanza consist of 5 lines. This poem is
free in rhymes. “The Raven” is considered as the most famous work from Edgar
Allan Poe until a famous actor, Vincent Price, read it as a monologue.
Poe wrote “The Raven” because he lost his love, Lenore. Not only that,
but also he could write “The Raven” because he heard that bird like knocked on
his door at night and he associated the bird with the death of Lenore. The bird,
raven, also symbolize something else in the poem.
B. Approach of the Study
The approach that the writer uses in this research is biographical and
approach. Biographical used to analyze the poet life’s timeline and connected it
with the works. However, the timeline that the writer uses are more to the early
life and educational years of the poet. According to Reaske
Biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts (education, work, relationships, and death), biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae (résumé), a biography presents the subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of his or her life, including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality. Biographical approach examines the literary work in relation to the
analysis simply by nature of its material in relation to the background of the author's personal experience (Reaske : 1966).
Biography is different from curriculum vitae because biography is
concerned with the person’s life story, the experiences that happened, and
sometimes also the personality of the person that is being biographed. From the
quotation above, the writer can simply say that Biographical approach is an
approach used to understand and comprehend a literary work by studying deeper
about the life of the author himself.
The writer uses this approach because the writer thinks that this approach
is right for the work and the topic of this research.
C. Method of the Study
This research is a library research because the writer only uses some
printed and electronic sources without going to the field and collecting data using
questionnaires. The primary source the writer uses is the poem by Edgar Allan
Poe entitled “The Raven” and the secondary sources are the books of Poe’s
biography, and internet sources with the related topic.
The writer did three steps in this research. First, the writer read the poem
that she wanted to analyze in this research and find the symbols of the poem.
Second, the writer analyzed the symbols of the poem to reveal the theme that the
symbols probably suggest. Third, the writer relates the biography of the poet and
the work he wrote with the approaches stated above. The writer did her research
20
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this part of research, the writer wants to analyze the primary source, the
poem used in this research, ―The Raven‖, which was published in January 1845
before its writer, Edgar Allan Poe‘s death in October 3rd, 1849. The writer of this
research divides the analysis into three parts. The first part is the description of
symbols of the poem. The second is the theme that the symbols probably suggest,
and the third is the relation between the symbols and theme with Poe‘s personal
experience as the writer of the poem.
The writer of this research concentrates to the symbols that Poe used in his
works to reveal the meaning. As stated before, symbols are divided into three:
cultural symbol, conventional symbol, and private symbol. In every literary
works, the author or the poet used private symbols to convey the meaning of the
works itself. In the Literary Terms, Wheeler stated that:
…but private symbols may only be discernable in the context of one specific story or poem. Examples of private symbols include the elaborate mythologies created by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Silmarillion (such as the One Ring as a symbol to represent poetic artifice in ―Sailing to
Byzantium,‖ or Yeats‘ use of a gyre to symbolize the cycles of history and
the sphinx as an emblem of the Antichrist in ―The Second Coming‖ (http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_P.html).
Wheeler claims that story and poetry uses the private symbol because it
depends on the author or the poet himself. Also as stated in the previous chapter,
the writer uses Perrine theory in recognizing symbols through emphasis,
A. The Symbols of the Poem
Symbol can be recognized by the repetition in the poem and it can be
words or phrase. In the first poem, there are some repeated words which can be
the keywords and of course bring a certain meaning to the poem. These key words
are categorized as the visual symbols because each key word is referring to a
particular object when stated. There are some symbols found in the poem which
are discussed here. The writer orders the symbols in such way because the very
first that occurred is the most important symbol then followed by the other.
1. Raven
Raven is the title and also the second object in this poem. In this poem the
Raven bird repeated for six times, in line 46
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
―Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,‖ I said, ―art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night‘s Plutonian shore!‖ Quoth the Raven ―Nevermore‖ (Poe: stanza 8).
Here, the writer of the poem told the presence of that bird in the poem
which was actually wanted to bring the deception to him. Not only that, it is also
mentioned in line 83: ―But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling‖
,
line 89:
―
But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling‖, line95:
―
Quoth the Raven ―Nevermore‖, line 101, and line 102. In this poem, the poetuses ―Raven‖ as the symbol of darkness and loneliness, from the dictionary of
Olympian god of prophecy and oracles, healing, plague and disease, music, song
and poetry, archery, and the protection of the young. This symbolization by Poe
makes it sense in the poem, because the poet in the poem lost himself in grief of
the loss Lenore. Raven came into his chamber as the messenger of Apollo to cheer
the poet‘s grief and gloomy night. In some countries, this bird is also known as
the bird of messenger.
The Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Semitic and Siberian legends depict the raven as a messenger of storms or bad weather. In African, Asian and European legends, the raven forecasts death. Shakespeare presents ravens as messengers or exponents of evil (like in "Julius Caesar", "Macbeth" and "Othello"), while in "Titus Andronicus" they are described as benefactors feeding abandoned children. In his poem "The Raven", Edgar Allan Poe associates this bird with lost love and despair
(http://news.softpedia.com/news/10-Amazing-Facts-About-Ravens-70914.shtml).
Another meaning of the Raven is a large bird of the crow family, with
shiny black feathers and a rough unpleasant cry (Oxford Dictionary, 2006: 1205).
So the raven here symbolizes the atmosphere or the situation of the poet himself.
Also, the bird Raven creates imagination in the readers‘ mind about death or
something evil because Raven is one of the crow families which eat their own
family or the dead body (http://ww2.netnitco.net/~legend01/raven.htm). From
other research also proved that Raven is one of a very special kind of birds. The
Cornell lab of Ornithology stated that Raven is smart and has kind of special
personality.
Common Ravens are smart, which makes them dangerous predators. They sometimes work in pairs to raid seabird colonies, with one bird distracting an incubating adult and the other waiting to grab an egg or chick as soon
creepy. The captive ravens at the Tower of London are beloved and perhaps a little feared: legend has it that if they ever leave the tower, the British Empire will crumble. Native people of the Pacific Northwest regard the raven as an incurable trickster, bringing fire to people by stealing it from the sun, and stealing salmon only to drop them in rivers all
over the world
(http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_raven/lifehistory).
Here, the Raven can mean or express the feeling of rage. It also can imitate
other birds‘ vocal note and mimic the crows perfectly the same. Raven's calls can
express tenderness, happiness, surprise, emotion or rage
(http://news.softpedia.com/news/10-Amazing-Facts-About-Ravens-70914.shtml).
From the quotations and descriptions above, the writer of this research can
simply conclude that raven is a bird that has two personalities, it can be a
messenger of light and it can be the symbol of true sorrow (death), but the poet
saw the raven as the symbol of death rather than a messenger although at first he
tried to talk to the Raven but all he heard was ―nevermore.‖
Another interpretation comes from Native American Indian Lore about the
Raven. This tribe sees Raven as the bird of long distance healing. As Native
American Indian Lore said
From the quotation above, there are three symbolical meaning of the
raven. First one is the long distance healing. In the poem this can be interpreted as
the will of Poe to be healed from his grief and broken heart because the death of
Lenore. He wanted to be freed from the pain he felt.
The second is the raven as a keeper of secrets, and can assist us in
determining answers to our own hidden thoughts. It is clearly stated that the poet
has his own thought about the death of Lenore. He sees the death of Lenore as a
mystery that he did not have the answer ―Let me see, then, what thereat is, and
this mystery explore—Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
― (Line 34-35). In every stanza he keeps asking the bird about Lenore. He thought
that the Raven bird has the answer to the mystery of the death Lenore but the bird
keeps it from him. Finally he get so mad because the bird only sit on the bust of
Pallas without answering his question about the death of Lenore. ―And the Raven,
never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above
my chamber door; ― (Line 104-103). Here, the writer finds that the ‗Raven‘ brings
a negative meaning. It is the signal of a bad news; the presence of the ‗Raven‘
here indicates that something‘s bad will be happened.
2. Lenore
Lenore is the first subject in this poem. ‗Lenore‘ is mentioned several
times in the poem.
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore— For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore— Nameless here for evermore (Poe: stanza 2).
Here, the poet said that Lenore was an angel. Unfortunately, he was in
sorrow for the lost of that woman. The poet used Lenore to symbolize a woman in
his life that he loved the most. Lenore in this poem does not mean the real women
named Lenore.
―Prophet!‖ said I, ―thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore— Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore— Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.‖ Quoth the Raven ―Nevermore‖ (Poe: stanza 15).
Here, the poet chose the name Lenore because that name usually
associated with a young, rare, and ‗radiant maiden‘. The poet stated the
description of Lenore in his eleventh lines ―for the rare and radiant maiden whom
the angels name Lenore.‖ This word is categorized as visual symbol because the
word Lenore creates the image of a young and beautiful woman, not only in the
poet‘s mind but also in the readers‘ or listeners‘ mind. Lenore symbolizes
someone in the poet‘s life whom he loved very much.
3. Night‘s Plutonian Shore
In this poem, the phrase ―night‘s Plutonian Shore‖ repeated by the poet
two times. In line 47 ―Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian
shore!‖
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night‘s Plutonian shore!‖ Quoth the Raven ―Nevermore.‖ (Poe: stanza 8)
Here, the poet wanted to tell how he met the raven which brought the
sadness from the Night‘s Plutonian shore and he wondered who he is. In line 98
―Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!‖
―Be that word 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 hath 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!‖
Quoth the Raven ―Nevermore‖(Poe: stanza 17).
Here, the poet wanted to say how he actually denied the bad news from the
Plutonian shore by the raven. He showed his rejection to the bird and asked him to
go back to the Plutonian shore.
The Night‘s Plutonian Shore is in fact referring to the Roman‘s god, Pluto,
who rules the underworld or in other word it is the god of the world of the death.
Pluto is known in Greek as Hades. As one of the study of this god says:
Pluto is the Roman god of the underworld and the judge of the dead. Pluto was the son of Saturn. Pluto's wife was Proserpina (Greek name, Persephone) whom he had kidnapped and dragged into the underworld. His brothers were Jupiter and Neptune. People referred to Pluto as the rich one because he owned all the wealth in the ground. People were afraid to say his real name because they were afraid it might attract his attention.
meaning that he is the god of the death, who has the authority to take someone‘s
the true feeling of him that is afraid of another death of his beloved people. The
phrase ―Night‘s Plutonian shore‖ emphasize the nothingness, sadness, and
emptiness that Poe felt at that time. Night in that phrase confirms the state of
being dark and night also symbolizes death. The Greek believes that night and
dark are the time when all things can happen including the evil things (1971: 228).
This phrase is categorized as the visual symbol because when this phrase stated, it
clearly creates the sharp imagination of how dark and empty the situation was for
the author.
4. Bust of Pallas
In the poem, the ―bust of Pallas‖ repeated for three times in line 41 and
implicitly in line 53 and line 55.
―Perched upon a bust of Pallasjust above my chamber door‖ (line 41)
―Bird or beast upon sculptured bustabove his chamber door,‖ (line 53) ―But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,‖ (line 55)
Referring back to the Greek myth, Pallas (usually known as Pallas Athena)
was one of the god‘s of the Greek.
Pallas Athena, goddess of Wisdom and Armed Resistance, was a purely Greek divinity; that is to say, no other nation possessed a corresponding conception. She was supposed, as already related, to have issued from the head of Zeus himself, clad in armour from head to foot
(http://www.talesbeyondbelief.com/myth-stories/pallas-athena.htm).
From this statement, the writer can say that Pallas was the wisdom one. In
thought the Raven had. He believed what the bird said were from god that there would be no grief after the lost of Lenore. Still, it could not help him to forget his
pain that night. The wisdom he got still could not resist the pain that grew stronger
in his heart. That was proven in stanza 9 line 50
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door— Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door, With such name as ―Nevermore‖ (Poe: stanza 9)
Here, ―though its answer little meaning –little relevancy bore;‖ this shows
that no matter how many wisdom he got, he still could not forget the pain as he
lost the one he loved very much. The pain and grief he had could not make him
want to accept the presence of that bird.
5. Nepenthe
In the poem, this Nepenthe thing was mentioned twice by the poet.
Nepenthe is a kind of plant that is used as a drug by the ancients to induce
forgetfulness of pain or sorrow (Merriam-Webster.com). Clearly stated by the
poet himself in line 82-83 ― Respite – respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Then, me thought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
―Wretch,‖ I cried, ―thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee
Quaff, oh quaff this kind of nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!‖ (Poe:
stanza 14)
This means showed how the writer of the poem really felt in sorrow after
losing Lenore, the one he loved very much, and then he tried to forget all those
terrible things he had. This nepenthe plant has the same function as the balm in
Gilead mentioned in another line. The poet used this kind of plant to symbolize
the strong will of him to get healed from his broken heart of the lost Lenore.
Again, this ―nepenthe‖ drugs existed in the Greek mythology.
There is also another meaning of this flower. From the Botanical Society
of America said that Nepenthe is a kind of plant that traps the prey. Once the prey
is inside the cup, it will never get out from it.
Nepenthes, a native of Southeast Asia and Australia, forms pitchers (cups) that hang from trees. Its pitcher is similar to that of the North American pitcher plant in that it relies on a pool of water to trap its prey. It has a most unusual leaf that first looks like a normal leaf, then develops a tendril at its tip, and finally the tip of the tendril develops an amazing pitcher. It gains support by twining the tendril around another plant. The trap, like our own pitcher plant, lures its prey into the pitfall trap by a combination of decaying odors and sometimes a red coloration. As the pitcher develops, it swells and droops due to its weight (http://botany.org/Carnivorous_Plants/Nepenthes.php).
From the quotation above, the writer can also conclude that the pain and
grief have the same quality with Nepenthe; things to what he was trapped in. Poe
wanted to show his feeling that was being trapped to the pain and grief because of
the death of Lenore. He could not forget the pain and feel so hard to move on
So, from the poem, the writer of this research can simply conclude the
meaning of the poem. The literal meaning of the poem is only to tell the readers or
the listeners about how he felt when the dear Lenore left him. The poet expressed
his feeling into a poem and chose the certain symbols to emphasize his own
feeling toward the death of Lenore.
The deeper meaning of the poem is the poet felt depressed, hopeless, and
the darkness that surrounded him when he lost his beloved. There is no
explanation whether this poem was dedicated to the young lady named Lenore or
not because there is no evidence that strengthen this argument, but the writer of
this research sure that this poem was dedicated to someone the poet really loved at
that time.
B. The Theme of The Poem The Symbols Suggest
A theme is a ‗central idea‘ or ‗central purpose‘ we can find in our daily life
which is the same with the theme in the literary work. A theme generalizes life
and theme of a literary work is its own meaning. In this poem, the symbols found
contribute a specific central idea or theme. From the symbols, it is clear that in
this poem, the writer felt the pain and grief; deep depression after losing someone
he loved. The theme of the poem the symbols suggest is the death of someone we
love may disturb our own sanity no matter how hard we try to be strong. Disturb
our own sanity here means that sometimes in losing someone we love, the pain
feeling through the choice of symbols he used. The chronology of concluding
theme of the poem can be seen in the chart below:
Symbols Meaning of the symbols Theme of the work that the symbols
suggest
Lenore The woman that the poet loved so much
Referring to ―Virginia‖ the poet‘s
wife who was dead because of the tubercolosis the poet felt at that time because he lost his beloved thought that he could talk to the bird to forget about his sorrow but
all that he heard was ―Nevermore‖
which then frustrated him.
Bust of Pallas The wisdom. Because Pallas is the god of wisdom (In Greek
Nepenthe The strong will of the poet to forget his sorrow and grief.
This nepenthe thing is actually a plant that is used by the ancient as a drug to induce forgetfulness of pain or sorrow.
The poet tried to find another reason to be strong and forget the pain but again he failed and he felt the sorrow even more.
Poe used those symbols because he found out that those symbols stood for
all the things related to his feeling and what he experienced in the past. Here, he
had lost his beloved for the umpteenth time. It left him in such a trauma and the
terrifying sight of death. This trauma leads him to his pessimism in seeing life.
First of all, he called a lovely maiden with the name of ―Lenore.‖ This is very
reasonable because he had lost all of the women he loved in his past for the same
reason. That was why he used the name ―Lenore‖ to refer to the person he loved.
After that, he also used the bird as the title and also as the main symbol of
the poem. He used the Raven as the bird to show his honest feeling about the The theme of the poem:
death of his beloved. The writer finds that the bird itself has two personalities; it
can be the messenger of light and the symbols of darkness. This is also reasonable
because Poe wants to show his feeling which as dark as the bird‘s feather. His
heart filled with darkness when the lovely maiden named Lenore was dead. This
―darkness‖ was also symbolized by the phrase ―Night‘s Plutonian‘s Shore.‖ As
been described before, this phrase also symbolizes the never ending sorrow
because the death of Lenore.
Poe was not stopped there to show his gloomy and hopeless feeling. He
takes Pluto and Pallas from the Greek gods. He chose this with a reason because
Pluto is the god of underworld where the people go after life and also Pallas is the
god of wisdom. The use of these gods are the most reasonable to show his courage
to face the fact that his beloved has dead (Pallas) and the grief because of it
(Apollo).
Since the death of his beloved left him in deep depression, Poe tried to find
an escape from his grief. He used Nepenthe as one of the symbols in the poem.
Nepenthe, which has been explained before, is a plant which used by ancient
people as a drug to induce forgetfulness of pain or sorrow. This clearly show his
will to forget the pain he felt because the death of the one he loved. The Nepenthe
plant was first known in Greek mythology as the drug for healing pain.
The theme of the poem revealed through the symbols Poe used in his
work. These symbols symbolize the same idea of death which is dark and
