Question

Read this stanza from "The Raven."

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me–filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
"'Tis some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door–
Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door;
This it is and nothing more."

Answer 1

Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' is a Gothic poem that enshrines the narrator's descent into despair, with key elements such as a mysterious tapping and an ominous raven symbolizing an unstoppable force of sorrow.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage provided is an excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem The Raven, which is a classic example of Gothic poetry characteristic of the Romantic era. The stanza describes the narrator's growing terror as he hears what he at first assumes is a late visitor tapping at his chamber door. The poem utilizes a dark and eerie atmosphere to convey themes of despair and the supernatural, as later in the poem, a raven enters and ominously perches above the chamber door, repeating the word 'Nevermore'.

Poe's use of alliteration, internal rhyme, and a haunting rhythm contribute to the poem's overall chilling effect. The repeated tapping and the rustling of the curtains in the poem symbolize an invasion of the narrator's solitude, bringing with it fantastic terrors and leading to a confrontation with the raven, which represents unrelenting despair.