The Differences of Readers' Response towards the Meaning of “Nevermore” in The Raven



Rizal Saryadi

 
            The word “nevermore “ (is the most interesting aspect in this poem. “Nevermore” here is depicted as the heart or the point of the poem because this word comes from the raven. According to the title “The Raven”, the presence of the raven as one of the characters in the poem is something eagerly awaited and of course the word “nevermore” has strong relation to the primary point of raven's presence which is said as the point of the poem in advance.
            On this paper the writer will present reader response approach as the guide in analyzing the poem. Specifically, the writer only focus on the word “nevermore” which is very interesting to discuss based on reader response approach. The writer tries to see the deferent responses among The Raven's readers in electronic media towards the meaning of “nevermore”. After that the writer will try to conclude the final result of their responses by combining them in a sentence.
            In the followings are the readers' response towards the meaning of “nevermore” which was taken from http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/poem-raven-by-poe-what-does-phrase-nevermore-mean-129297 & https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091020141737AATuwKj:
pohnpei397

In general, the word means "never" or "never again."  But the meaning is slightly different at different points in the poem.
The first time it appears, it means "never."  The speaker asks the raven to tell him its name and it says it will not.
It means the same thing the third time it appears -- bird says he won't leave.
But then in Stanza 13, there's a different meaning.  Now it means "never again."  The speaker is saying that Lenore will never again sit in that chair.  Most of the rest of the times the word appears in the poem, that is what it means -- including the last line, which says that the speakers soul will never again be lifted out of shadow.
kmcappello

In Poe's famous poem "The Raven," the speaker, who has just lost his true love, Lenore, slowly goes mad from grief.  The raven seems to represent a visitor from the world of the dead, and the only phrase it utters, "nevermore," changes through the course of the poem.
At first, the raven gives it as a name, causing the speaker to marvel at such a strange creature and wonder about its previous owner.  Then, the word reminds the speaker that Lenore will "nevermore" be with him, and he begins to become enraged.  He asks the raven if Lenore is in heaven, and again, it answers, "nevermore."  In the end, the speaker goes insane, and the word "nevermore" can mean here that he will never be sane again.
jk180 |

My comment is brief, but I want to make it anyway.
"Nevermore" is the central word of the poem, if we go by Edgar Allan Poe's 1846 essay, "The Philosophy of Composition." In this essay he writes about how he wrote the poem, and it all started -- according to his essay -- with that one word. "The Philosophy of Composition" is a short essay, well worth reading (see the link below). In the essay, you'll find a discussion of how Poe decided on using a raven (at first, he was thinking of a human and then of a parrot) and of how he arranged the questions from the speaker from the general to the most personal, always receiving the same, one-word answer.
? answered

It means Lenore is dead - gone and buried - and will not ever been seen again.
"Nevermore" for Lenore's life = she will nevermore be seen.




            Based on the readers' response mentioned earlier, the writer notes some points of how they interpret the meaning of “nevermore”. They are
a. pohnpei397
- The first time it appears, it means "never" (which it won't tell its name).
- In Stanza 13, there's a different meaning. Now it means "never again."The speaker is saying that Lenore will never again sit in that chair (So that he must keep the memory of her in happiness).
b. kmcappello
- Lenore will "nevermore" be with him
- He will never be sane again (the speaker goes insane).
c. jk180 |
- Nevermore" is the central word of the poem
d. ?
-Lenore will nevermore be seen

            Based on the point previously mentioned, it can be concluded that “nevermore” is the central word of the poem which indicates the meaning of the raven won't tell its name, the speaker goes insane, and Lenore never be back again.

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