hello everyone, by wednesday, december 10th, i, for my AP english 3 class, need a full explication of "Alone." I've already analyzed it line by line and essentialy translated its meaning, but what I'm confused about is how the rhyming scheme, meter (iambic tetrameter?), and rhythm aid in the poem's meaning. Although I was able to translate the entire poem, I wasn't sure if there was some underlying message that i was supposed to get out of it. any help would be greatly appreciated -chirag shah

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2003

Answers

In any poem, listening to HOW the meter etc. affects you is the obvious clue. The drive of the meter added to the overlapping verses is to drives the sections in a sweep similar to the time and visual sweep of the narrative. The signal words "From" "Then" "Since" begin each sweep to a dramatic brief conclusion, so effective that very little explanation or philosophical discourse is necessary. This is., after all, a rendition of the author's childhood pre-verbal experience and the author lets it show itself in pristine innocence with little obvious intrusion. The sweep and beat says it all with a downbeat of solitary mood and stunning counterpoint to the rest of the world.

That's a start. Poe despite his use of narratives is very spare in his devices actually. Even in short poems however, the organic unity of all characteristics of the poem ARE the message. Something marshall McLuhan commented on in saying "the medium is the message."

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2003