The Raven Literary Devices

Definition of Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics, emotions, and behaviors to animals or other non-human things (including objects, plants, and supernatural beings). Some famous examples of anthropomorphism include Winnie the Pooh, the Little Engine... read full definition

Explanation and Analysis—The Raven:

It is clear by the end of “The Raven” that the titular bird is no ordinary raven but an eerily supernatural creature holding some sinister power over the grieving narrator. As Poe describes the Raven and the interactions between it and the narrator, he uses anthropomorphism as a device to convey the Raven’s power:

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

by the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,

“though thy crest be shorn and shaven, though,” I said, “art sure no craven,

Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”

As soon as the raven appears before the narrator, it is ascribed with human qualities and expressions. The bird bears a “grave and stern” countenance and, apparently, the ability to speak. By ascribing human characteristics to the Raven, Poe immediately makes it clear that this is an otherworldly—and quite foreboding—bird. The narrator perceives this distinction, and treats the Raven as another human character in the story: he immediately demands to know its "lordly" name. Through anthropomorphism, then, Poe makes the Raven into a worthy conversation partner for the narrator as the narrator continues his descent into grief-driven madness.

The Raven

Edgar Allan Poe

The Raven: Anthropomorphism 1 key example