Therefore, this poem refers to the idea of lost love, family and the forces of nature about the man. ... We can see this theme reflected in the stanza number five "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.... Written in a fairytale type story, Poe expresses his deep love for Annabel Lee, hence showcasing the main theme of the poem. Regardless of how old they are, the speaker feels that he can provide everything she needs because in his eyes, love is the most important characteristic. .....

• Word Count: 1035
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

During this trying time, Poe lived with his Aunt, and eventually fell in love with his thirteen-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. ... The narrator is a man home alone at night mourning the loss of his love Lenore. ... It is most obvious that Poe's rhyme scheme in this poem reinforces the theme of inconsolable loss through the emphatic repetition of "Nevermore." ... This very intense use of repetition suggests that the theme of "The Raven" may not be so much about "inconsolable sorrow," as so many critics have deemed, but more about a kind of obsessive grief that one feels when a loved o...

• Word Count: 2529
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

The second characteristic of the Gothic theme is the fascination with the unconscious and abnormal psychology. ... This is the most obvious of all the themes present in the novel. ... In "The Tell Tale Heart," the main character hears the beating of the heart of a man that he killed and buried in the floor. ... Victor feels a sense of guilt about creating this hideous being that roams the earth to kill much like the killer in Poe's story feels guilty about killing the old man. ... Everyone that has ever been close to Frankenstein ends up dying and even Walton is in danger of being ki...

• Word Count: 1350
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

This theme of hardships and death is carried throughout Poe's writings. ... The reader is told that the narrator appears to be a happily married man, who has always been exceedingly kind and gentle. ... To the narrator in "Heart", that fear is represented by the old man's eye. The belief in the evil eye dates back to ancient times, and even today, is fairly common in India and the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. ... This is what makes Poe an extremely intriguing man from all viewpoints. ...

• Word Count: 932
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

The juxtaposition of Poe's life and work is most evident in the morbid personalities and melancholy themes of his literary compositions, similar to those of his life. ... Poe's paternal grandfather had been a wealthy man, but his father, David Poe, had left the family to become an actor, and Edgar was left with nothing. ... During the fall of 1823, when Edgar was fourteen years old, his classmate Robert Stanard introduced Poe to his mother, Jane Stanard, who was a beautiful and compassionate young woman. ... In the first of the poem's three stanzas, Poe compares Helen's b...

• Word Count: 3026
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

The distinction between right and wrong in Poe's stories is a very powerful theme, ever present in his horrific accounts. ... The reader is told that the narrator appears to be a happily married man, who has always been exceedingly kind and gentle. ... As the narrator begins to depict his story in the form of a rather subtle flashback, the reader discovers that the man's personality has undergone a drastic transformation, which he attributes to his abuse of alcohol and the perverse side of his nature, which the alcohol apparently evoked, as it serves as a catalyst. ...

• Word Count: 4324
• Approx Pages: 17
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School