Edgar+Allan+Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

//1. A Dream Within A Dream// This poem by Edgar Allen Poe questions the validity of what we consider reality. The speaker toys with the idea that what is seen may well be an illusion, where he compares reality to the grains of sand, which easily slips through his finger tips and get lost in the deep.

//2. Song// *Set on a 'bridal day' *The last stanza is a repetition of the first stanza, the only difference being that the first stanza is described from the speaker's perspective, while the last stanza is from the third person perspective, 'he.' *The motif of brightness and 'light' is perhaps used to foreshadow a happy marriage. There is a 'kindling light' in the bride' eyes, her 'glow' raised a 'fiercer flame.' *The marriage is so full of happiness and love that 'the world' appeared to be full of love, and her beauty and happiness was all the speaker could see on 'Earth'

//3. Alone// *From the beginning, the speaker establishes himself as a solitary figure, an outcast, someone who is different from everybody else. He has 'not been as others were' and he has 'not seen as others saw.' *The speaker was also perhaps somewhat emotionless, as he could not bring his 'passions from a common spring.' Spring could represent the first season in the year or a tranquil flow of water. Either way, neither is very wild or energetic, which further establishes the personality of the speaker to be very calm and detached. *The speaker then speaks of his childhood, the beginning of a 'most stormy life.' *The next few lines refer extensively to nature, through which he expresses the swiftness of time flying by. 'The sun that round me rolled.' 'lightening in the sky as it passed me flying by.' The speaker also speaks of the season 'autumn,' which is the season of disintegration and decline, in contrast to 'spring' mentioned along with his childhood. *In the closing line, the speaker tells the audience there is a 'demon in my view.' 'When the rest of heaven was blue.' This expressed the idea that the speaker is seeing darkness and evil, while others are seeing the purity of 'heaven.' Which once again separates him from the rest, making him alone.