Week Three - Annabel Lee and Ulalume

Annabel Lee

Annabel Lee could either be a sweet love poem about two young lovers who are torn apart by death or it could be a poem written by a man who was totally obsessed with his dead lover. I am going to go with the latter, since this is Poe we're talking about.
I feel very sad reading this piece, because it plainly shows that the narrator is very sad and depressed about losing his Annabel Lee. They loved each other very much and when that loved ended by death it seems that the narrator just couldn't let go... which is a reoccurring theme in Poe's poetry. Beautiful woman dies, narrator can't let go. That's the gist of it, really. It's beautiful in it's sadness, though.

Ulalume

Ulalume is one poem I didn't think I would like. When we discussed it in class, however, it turns out to be a poem that I really love. Sometimes you need someone else to throw a fresh view on something to really see it and appreciate it.
Another poem about another beautiful dead woman, but the narrator in this piece is trying to get over her. He's trying to move on, but his subconscious won't let him. He's under the impression that he's just out for a walk with Psyche and it ends up that hey! He has walked down to Ulalume's tomb on the anniversary of her death. Of course, when one walks with Psyche one is actually walking with themselves. Deep down I think the narrator knew where he was going, but he didn't want to accept it. He let his subconscious guide him and when he realized what was going on, he accepted it.
This poem is haunting, and a little creepy when you get right down to it.