Saturday 10 April 2010

How do poetic devices create an overall effect in "Annabel Lee"?

There are plenty of
aspects of this tremendous poem that you could talk about, but you might like to think about the
way in which the connection between the speaker andis described throughout the poem. Above all,
this is a poem of a love that even death itself cannot separate, and so a key theme is the
nature of their relationship. For example, examine the penultimate stanza and how it presents
their link or bond:

But our love it was stronger by far
than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than
we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the
sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel
Lee.

Note how this stanza consists in a central
comparison of the love of the speaker and Annabel Lee with those who are "older" and
"wiser." The comparison serves to emphasise the deep connection that they have
together and the way in which it defies age and wisdom with its purity and profundity. Likewise,
the connection is described as being so strong and eternal that neighter "angels" nor
"demons" can "dissever" their souls. The word "dissever" suggests
that in some way there is a kind of strong link that not even death can break, indicating the
depth of the relationship.

I hope this gives you some idea of how to begin.
You can go back now and examine other stanzas to identify other techniques and use ofto support
this idea. Good luck!

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