The Raven Several points in The Raven can be emphasized to add detail.

We chose to emphasize three major items that enhance the mood and feeling of the poem. They include: darkness, the presence of the raven, and the use of biblical words. We chose these because they all influenced the poem. In the beginning of the poem, the speaker calls the night a midnight dreary. This phrase sets the mood of the whole poem. Together, both words can be defined as of darkness and causing sadness or sorrow. The feeling of darkness is very important to the meaning of the whole story because the speaker is mourning over the loss of Lenore. As the poem goes on, more words bring out the darkness and sadness that the speaker feels. To emphasize this mood, the lights will be turned off and scary music will be playing softly. We chose to play scary music softly because many people associate scary music with darkness and this will enhance the mood. Although there will be a small amount of light to read the poem, we hope that the audience will be able to actually feel the mood of the story, instead of just reading the speakers feelings. The raven is a necessity in the poem because it reminds the speaker of the death of Lenore. At first, the speaker finds it rather funny to have a bird perched above his door, but later demands him to leave because he says the word, nevermore. Nevermore is defined as never again. With the repetition of the same word by the raven, the speaker struggles to get rid of the sorrow that he feels behind that word. He cannot grasp the idea that he will never see Lenore again. Because nevermore is such an important word in the story, we chose to emphasize it by having another person that is not reading the rest of the poem say, Nevermore. We also chose to have a picture of the raven on the board to have that constant reminder of how the speaker felt. In choosing to emphasize the word nevermore, this will bring out the importance of the word

and will help the audience realize the struggle between the speaker and the fact that Lenore will never come back to him. Towards the end of the poem, the speaker realizes that the raven is bringing back the darkness that he was trying to get rid of. We felt the need to emphasize the biblical vocabulary that the speaker uses. The poem reads, Then, methought the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer swung by seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor. Wretch, I cried, thy God hath lent thee- by these angels he hath sent thee. At this part in the poem, the speaker is angry at the raven because he has reminded him of the sorrow he has felt from the loss of Lenore. We chose to emphasize that he used the word seraphim. A seraph is another word for angels. Because he says that the bird was sent by these angels, even though he was trying to get rid of the sorrow, there is a feeling of tension that arises between the speaker and the bird. This can be considered to be like a fight between light and darkness. In a later part of the poem, the speaker calls the raven a thing of evil, showing that the speaker realizes the fight between good and bad. Later in the poem it reads, Quaff, O Quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore! Quoth the raven, Nevermore!. At that point in the poem, the speaker wants to get rid of the sadness by happily drinking the nepenthe, a beverage that induces a pleasurable sensation of forgetfulness of sorrow. This is telling the audience that he is willing to do anything to make the sadness and remembrance of Lenore that the raven is pressing on him to go away. Although, he learns later that the sorrow will never disappear. We chose to emphasize this fight between a small amount of light and darkness because it shows that he will never get away from the darkness that he has experienced.