Question

Use context to determine the meaning of the word seraphs as it is used in line 11 of “Annabel Lee.” Write your definition of seraphs here and explain how you figured it out.

Answer 1

seraphs meaning angelic being or an angel in general - usually associated with purity, light, or ardor.

Step-by-step explanation:

In line 11 of Annabel Lee written by Edgar Allen Poe it says, "With a love that the winged seraphs of Heaven" using the context clues of "heaven" and "wings" you can easily rule out that seraphs is an angelic being or an angel

Answer 2

The word 'seraphs' in 'Annabel Lee' refers to high-ranking angelic beings, inferred from the poem's supernatural and celestial themes, implying purity and divinity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The word 'seraphs' in line 11 of Edgar Allan Poe's poem 'Annabel Lee' can be defined as celestial or heavenly beings of high rank in the angelic hierarchy, often associated with purity, light, and fire. We deduce this meaning from the context of the poem, where it describes ethereal entities that could potentially envy the perfect love between the speaker and Annabel Lee. By examining the use of the term 'Seraphim' in the line "Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor," we can infer that the author is referring to these beings in a spiritual and possibly divine sense. The overall context of the poem, which deals with themes of love, loss, and the supernatural, supports the mystical and angelic connotation of the word 'seraphs'.

Additionally, in exploring the poem's usage of purity and sin, one can discern a shift in the narrator's perspective from an innocent view of love to a more troubled one, tying in with the theme of divine beings like seraphs who may envy human emotions. This usage complements the inference about the meaning of 'seraphs' within the poem.