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:
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.
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.
"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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