Analysis of Dreamland
Crystal Taylor
English 124
Andrea Johnson
Analysis of “Dreamland” by Edgar Allan Poe The life and experiences of Poe are all incorporated into his poetry and stories. His life was filled with tragedy. Poe’s parents died when he was young, his foster mother, siblings and wife all died as well. On top of this throughout his life he accumulated debt and was constantly criticized by those around him. Dreamland is a journey alone in the world of dreams searching for something greater in life within what seems like a nightmare. Poe wrote this poem to show that people are constantly searching for a certain aspect to make their lives better. Poe shows the importance of this search by his use of imagery/symbols, sounds/words and figurative devices. The objects seen by the speaker and what they represent help define the mood and the tone of the poem. The tone starts of very dark because Poe uses the paradox “ill angels” (2, 52), angels are the embodiment of good and to think of them as ill is a foreign thought. This image is hard to picture but Poe uses it to show that the speaker is in a new world and that he feels lost in it with unfamiliar sights. After the angels Poe uses the term “Eidolon” (3, 53). This term means phantom and adds to the dark despair of the poem. “Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT, on a black throne reigns upright” (3-4) is an image of a strong phantom king ruling over the dreamland. His name is capitalized to show the power he has and the fear he instills in the speaker. This shows the speaker feels lost and alone in this world because everything he has seen so far is foreign to him. More mysterious creatures in the poem are “ghouls” (30). Ghouls in myths and tales are creatures that eat the flesh of corpses. It is hard to tell if Poe meant this or used the term to just mean another mysterious and evil monster. “By each spot the most unholy- In each nook most melancholy” (31-32) is saying that the ghouls are everywhere and they are evil.
English 124
Andrea Johnson
Analysis of “Dreamland” by Edgar Allan Poe The life and experiences of Poe are all incorporated into his poetry and stories. His life was filled with tragedy. Poe’s parents died when he was young, his foster mother, siblings and wife all died as well. On top of this throughout his life he accumulated debt and was constantly criticized by those around him. Dreamland is a journey alone in the world of dreams searching for something greater in life within what seems like a nightmare. Poe wrote this poem to show that people are constantly searching for a certain aspect to make their lives better. Poe shows the importance of this search by his use of imagery/symbols, sounds/words and figurative devices. The objects seen by the speaker and what they represent help define the mood and the tone of the poem. The tone starts of very dark because Poe uses the paradox “ill angels” (2, 52), angels are the embodiment of good and to think of them as ill is a foreign thought. This image is hard to picture but Poe uses it to show that the speaker is in a new world and that he feels lost in it with unfamiliar sights. After the angels Poe uses the term “Eidolon” (3, 53). This term means phantom and adds to the dark despair of the poem. “Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT, on a black throne reigns upright” (3-4) is an image of a strong phantom king ruling over the dreamland. His name is capitalized to show the power he has and the fear he instills in the speaker. This shows the speaker feels lost and alone in this world because everything he has seen so far is foreign to him. More mysterious creatures in the poem are “ghouls” (30). Ghouls in myths and tales are creatures that eat the flesh of corpses. It is hard to tell if Poe meant this or used the term to just mean another mysterious and evil monster. “By each spot the most unholy- In each nook most melancholy” (31-32) is saying that the ghouls are everywhere and they are evil.
Cited: 1. Poe, Edgar Allan. Dreamland. Poemhunter. Jan 28-31, Feb 1-2. 2. Poe, Edgar Allan. Dreamland. Poestories. Jan 30-Feb 2 < http://poestories.com/read/dreamland> 3. "clime, n.". OED Online. December 2013. Oxford University Press. 2 February 2014 . 4. "sublime, adj. and n.". OED Online. December 2013. Oxford University Press. 2 February 2014 . 5. "Thule, n.". OED Online. December 2013. Oxford University Press. 2 February 2014 . 6. "eidolon, n.". OED Online. December 2013. Oxford University Press. 2 February 2014 . 7. "tarn, n.". OED Online. December 2013. Oxford University Press. 2 February 2014 . 8. "lolling, adj.". OED Online. December 2013. Oxford University Press. 2 February 2014 .