The Poem "Alone"
The poem "Alone" discusses Edgar Allan Poe's existence. It demonstrates how he led a sad existence that was different from others. He had experienced a lot of bad things throughout his existence. The word "alone" comes from his extreme loneliness.
Topic and Theme
The poem's topic and theme are primarily related to Poe's life. He lost a lot of very important individuals in his life when he was young, which affected him. He lost his mother first, then his adoptive mother. Due to the loss of these individuals, he lived a life that was distinct from that of other kids. It is reflected in the first two lines, where he indicates that since his childhood, he viewed matters differently from other people (Poe et al., 1982). His adopted father was also abusive which made his life more difficult. It is the reason why he is being compared to the devil in the last line of the poem. Poe could also be seeing himself as a devil because of how his life was different and the view he had about life. The theme, therefore, is that of loneliness.
Tone of the Poem
The tone of the poem "Alone" is somber. It talks about sorrowful things that happened in Poe's life. It discusses how he was alienated from the rest of people. It is reflected in lines six to ten. It shows how his life was sad and he could not even make his heart to rejoice, he clearly states that he could not make his heart joyful (Poe et al., 1982). Also the use of the words sorrow, torrent, loved alone and mystery have been used to depict this somber and sad tone.
Main Image
The main image that the poem presents is loneliness and separation. Poe also uses images of nature to show things that contributed to how his life was, for instance, "the red cliff of the mountain" and "in its autumn tint of gold" (Poe et al., 1982), this shows what shaped Poe's life. These two images used to demonstrate the good things that happened in his life. Another image used in the description of the lighting in the sky which demonstrates the bad things that happened in his life.
Main Allusion
The main allusion that exists in the poem "Alone" is the allusion to heaven and demon which shows the good and bad things that happen in his life. The demon that prevented him from seeing the good things, heaven, is his adopted father who mistreats him causing his life to be a difficult one (Poe et al., 1982). The allusion used shows that things were not going the right way or not working for him because of this evil that spoiled everything.
Rhyme Scheme
The rhyme scheme for this poem is AABB. The rhymes rhyme and also there are sight rhymes. The main function of these rhymes is to help those who read the Poe's poem to read it how it should be read and also give it its general rhyme. The language used by Poe in the poem is simple. He uses everyday words to make it easier for those reading the poem to understand its meaning. Poe also uses repeated punctuation in order to put emphasis on what he had gone through. The use of repeated punctuation is seen in lines one and two and also in line seven. The repeated use of a hyphen helps the reader to have a deeper understanding of what the poet experienced.
Organization of the Poem
Lastly, Poe organized his poem in a descriptive form. He arranged it in this way in order to describe and bring out what he went through in his lonely life.
Reference
Poe, E. A., In Quinn, A. H., In O'Neill, E. H., & Kauffer, E. M. K. (1982). The complete poems and stories of Edgar Allan Poe: With selections from his critical writings. New York: A.A. Knopf.
