Skip to main content

Line By Line Explanation of Poem "Alone" by Edgar Allan Poe

Line By Line Explanation of Poem "Alone" by Edgar Allan Poe:


Overview And Theme:


The Poem "Alone" was written by Edgar Allan Poe and was published in the year 1875. The Poem consists of 22 lines written in couplets. The Poem is written in a dark and solemn tone and comprises strong sentiments, solitude, and loneliness that most young and teens feel when their loved ones leave them. The Poem silently gives us a message about how to live alone. The Poem is also about the lonely poet whose perception of the world is much different from others.



Explanation:


From Childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen!

 

The poem starts with the lines in which the poet says that- From the age of their childhood, he feels different from others. He saw differently from others. His perception was different in context from all the things that an average person sees. The poet wants to convince that he used to found an abnormality in all those things that are standard for others.


As others saw; I could not bring;
My passions from a common spring!


In the following lines, the poet tells us that he was not passionate about ordinary things. He has not developed their passion just by seeing others. The poet has affections in different things.


From the same source; I have not taken!
My sorrow; I could not awaken!


In these lines, the poet says that- His sorrow is different from others; he was not sad by everyday problems; his problem was something different. His sorrow was deep and unique from others.


My heart to joy at the same tone:
And all I loved, I loved alone.


Again comparing his views with others, the poet says that although he listens to the same tone/music as others, he does not feel like others. No strike of sound knocks his soul. He senses the music in a very different way. Since the poet has different views, he has different opinions, and as he loves to live in solitude, he is happy with his loneliness. He says that he knows the method to live alone in subsequent lines, and he finds himself happy in solitude.


Then, In my childhood, in the dawn,
Of a most stormy life- was drawn;


In these lines going back to childhood, the poet says that the stormiest life had just begun in the childish age when he was growing. These days changed his life completely. Probably here, the poet is referring to stormy days to the days when his parents died. The death of his parents has changed him completely. From the age of childhood, the poet's life complete was with troubles and upheavals.


From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:


The early life of the poet was full of goodness and evilness. And now the poet finds himself still after thinking about the cause which caused the development of a different person in the poet. From childhood, the poet has tasted both good and evil, but he still does not know the reason for; his different perception than others.



From the torrent,or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain.
From the sun that round me rolled;
In its autumn tint of gold.
From the lightning in the sky;
As it passed me flying by.
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form.
When the rest of heaven was blue
Of a demon in my view.


In the following lines, he says that while others cherish, enjoy, and love the beautiful torrents, they enjoy beautiful water streams and love to see the mountain, but the poet does not feel the same for these things. Silence and solitude always surround him. The sun, which revolves around us and its goldish autumn tint adorn the roads and woods, does not circulate any joy in the poet. The fascinating thunder and the storm, which attracts the view of observers and the curly clouds in the clean blue sky which grace the sky, does not catch any attraction from the poet besides these all are like demons in his view.

Basically, by using words like torrents, fountains, sun, autumn and clouds, the poet conveys that he sees things differently in all the five elements of the earth- Land, fire, water, wind and sky. These things are like demons that remind the poet about his loneliness and solitude. Here the poet also wants to convey that the world does not fit him, and he also does not suit it.


More Links:

Jane Austen Poetry: https://themotivationaladda.blogspot.com/search/label/Jane%20Austen
William Shakespeare Poetry: https://themotivationaladda.blogspot.com/search/label/William%20Shakespeare
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE SONG OF ENGINE - Christine Weatherly

Song of Engine:- Know Summary, Theme And Related Questions. We are presenting a wonderful, motivating poem written by  Christine Weatherly . In this poem, she personifies an Engine of a Train As A human. And she pictures what the train feels when she moves uphill and when she goes downhill. The writer did all this in a very beautiful rhyme, along with a wonderful message. So enjoy the poem. Poem When you travel on the railways, And the line goes up a hill, Just listen to the engine, As it pulls you with a will, Though it goes so very slowly  It sings this Little song, "I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN, " And so it goes along. But later on the journey, When you're going down a hill,  The train requires no pulling,  And the engine's singing still,  If you listen very quietly,  You will hear this little song,  "I THOUGHT I COULD. I THOUGHT I COULD! "  And so it speeds along. By - Christine Weatherly Summary: In the poem, the writer personifi...
13 comments
Read more

Little Things Full Poem Explanation

Little Things: Poem Little Drop of water Little grains of sand Makes the mighty ocean And the pleasant land So the little moments, Humble though they be, Make the mighty ages Of eternity. Thus our little errors, Lead the soul away From the path of virtue Far in sin to stray. Little Deeds of Kindness Little words of love, Help to make earth happy, Like the heaven above.   - J.A.F. Carney Explanation: Theme and Overview: The poem "Little Things" written by "Julia A.F. Carney" is a simple poem written in four stanzas. Although the poem seems to be simple, the message it conveys in quite big. In the poem, the poetess asserts the values and importance of all those things which are small for us, and we generally don't give much importance to them. Poetess also wants to say those small things are much more important than many big things and without giving much importance to them we just wait for something big. And these small things also affect our lives to a lar...
2 comments
Read more

The Laburnum Top Full Poem Analysis And Explanation

Know the Summary, Theme, Analysis, Literary devices and related Questions and Answers of the poem:   The Laburnum Top:- Analysis The poem The   Laburnum Top is a free verse poem written in 15 lines. In the first stanza of the poem, the poet used literary devices like alliteration ( September sunlight ) , consonance ( consonant 'S' is prominent in the second line )  and assonance ( vowel 'I' is prominent in the first line ) . In the second stanza of the poem, the poet used literary devices simile ( sleek as a lizard ) , metaphor ( as a machine ) , alliteration ( the thickness and tree trembles ) . Now coming to the ending of the poem, the poet used poetic devices like the metaphor ( It is the engine of her family ) . And throughout the poem, the poet also used onomatopoeia many times in the poem like chirrup, chittering, trillings, whistle-chirrup whisperings . Summary In the poem, The poet portrays his experience of what he witnesses about the Laburnum tree . T...
2 comments
Read more