The
significance of Edgar Allen Poe actually stating that the bird in hiswork is a raven is that he
had to use a bird that could 'talk.' Of course, no bird can actually converse with humans in a
meaningful way, but it was enough to use a bird that could be taught to say a few 'words' as in
his confused state, to the mourner in his half-dream state, this would have made sense. It would
have been silly, for example, to use a robin or a swan. Ravens, as members of the crow family,
are birds of high intelligence and can be taught to repeat sounds to which we humans attach
significance, and to do tricks. I have read of Poe referring to a parrot also, and thought that
this gaudy, comical bird with it's bright colors would have added completely the wrong
tone.
Monday, November 11, 2019
What is the significance of the raven in The Raven?
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