afree verse. Poe uses alliteration in line 5 with "grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt" that ties into the theme of repetition that is heavily present. He repeats phrases and words "ominous bird of yore" is used twice in a row, and the word "fancy" is used three times. This repetition can be read as a representation of the mental circles the narrator turns in his head as he ponders the bird, which he describes as "linking fancy unto fancy." It's a very surreal experience, and Poe uses these literary devices to create an atmosphere of a room outside of normal time and space.

The second stanza is telling the reader that the speaker is recalling a gloomy December day or evening.  While he was sitting in his study, the fire that he had in his fireplace was dying out and casting shadows that reminded him of ghosts on the floor.  He is sitting down to read his book and wishing for the day to be over while he thinks about his "lost love" named Lenore.  That is a modern day summary of the second stanza.

Literary devices that are found in this stanza are as follows:    

There is assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) in line one -- "Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December" -- in the words remember and December.  This also exemplifies internal rhyme.  The second line contains personification in that the burning logs were "dying" --  "And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor."  Lines 4 and 5 contain alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of consecutive words) -- these examples are "surcease of sorrow -- sorrow" in line 4 and "rare and radiant" from line 5.

There are numerous literary devices we can identify in these two stanzas of the poem. First, we can identify the use of alliteration in several places—"much I marvelled," "feather . . . fluttered," "bird or beast" and so on. What is particularly interesting is that Poe often combines his alliteration with instances of internal rhyme, where a word in the middle of a line rhymes with the word at the end of it—for example, "agreeing . . . being" and "uttered . . . fluttered." This draws the reader's attention to these lines.

If we look at the line "Nothing further then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered," we can see a further device underlining this single line: parallelism. This occurs when the first phrase mirrors the second in terms of its structure, and, in this case, it also mirrors it in the initial letters of the words.

We can also see personification in the description of the raven. Personification is when human attributes are given to animals; in this case, the raven is imagined "outpour[ing]" his "soul" in the one word he speaks. Animals are not usually thought to have souls; the idea of the raven pouring out its innermost feelings gives it a deeper purpose than might be expected from a bird.

• In stanza 10 there is alliteration: "Nothng father then he uttered--not a feather then he fluttered." Here there is the repetion of the sound of the letter f.
• In both stanzas there is repetition, too, with the last line acting as a refrain. (...."Nevermore.")
• In both stanzas there is parallelism as the last lines 4-5. and the second-to-last lines each contain the repetition of a word:  "chamber door" in stanza 9; "flown before" (ll.,58-59)
• In stanza 9 there is assonance in the repetition of the "o" sound
• In stanza 10 there is cosonance with the repetition of  "s" sound.
• Stanza 10 has personification:  "my Hopes have flown"
• The meter of the lines of both stanzas is trochaic octometer ( a trochee is the opposite of an iamb:  two unstressed syllables are followed by an unstressed syllable--eight of them make octometer)
• In the first and third lines of each stanza there is internal rhyme:  "ungainly fowl" rhymes with "plainly" ; "lonely' rhyme with "only" and "farther" with "feather."
• The final word of every line has either an internal rhyme or an end rhyme.

Further examples of alliteration—the repetition of an initial consonant sound—include "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, / Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before" (these lines repeat the "d" sound, almost drumming on it, to help create the mood of ominousness and inevitability). Another example of alliteration: "And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, 'Lenore!' / This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, 'Lenore!'" The alliteration of the "w" sound is much softer compared to the alliteration of the "d" sound in the lines immediately preceding it. Going from the repetition of such a loud sound to the repetition of such a soft sound makes the softer sound seem a little spooky in this case.

Also, the raven is described as "ebony"—a color often symbolically associated with death, especially in Poe's stories. Given the narrator's preoccupation with death, especially that of his lover, as well as his belief that the raven has come from either the Underworld, the devil, or heaven, seem to confirm this symbolism. He also personifies the raven, insisting that he has some "lordly name" in the Underworld, and thinking that "his soul in that one word he did outpour."

Perhaps the most prominent poetic device used in "The Raven" is alliteration. This use of alliteration seems to thrust the poem forward, as if hastening to a conclusion. Good examples are:

And the silken, sad, uncertain... 
...filled me with fantastic terrors...

The most brilliant use of alliteration in all poetry is to be found in these lines:

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfurmed from an unseen censer
Swung by seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.

The "s" sounds begin with "denser" and recur in "unseen," "censer," "Swung," and "seraphim." They are followed in the second line by "f" sounds in "foot-falls" and by "t" sounds in "tinkled" and "tufted."

There are many internal rhymes throughout the poem, beginning with:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary...

Poe uses similes and metaphors throughout "The Raven." For example:

...and his eyes have all the seeming, of a demon's that is dreaming...

Poe's major contribution to poetry was in his symbolism. The raven obviously symbolized death. The French, especially through Charles Baudelaire, were so capitivated by the innovation that "symbolisme" became a major movement in French poetry. Poe explains his theory of poetry with special attention to his composition of "The Raven" is an essay titled "The Philosophy of Composition" (see reference link below).

Poe's poem is primarily about death -- of his beloved Lenore, of hope, of redemption.  The raven itself is death personified.  Stanza 10, where the narrator states that "Other friends have flown before-" makes the implication that other friends have died, along with hope, and he hopes the bird will as well- a bit of a tongue in cheek joke that he would refer to the raven as a friend.  But of course, the raven replies "Nevermore," as if he, as death, has arrived and remains. This notion is reinforced in the last stanza, 18, where the narrator states that his soul will never escape the raven's shadow; that although perhaps not physically dead, he is trapped, hope is gone, and his love has died. The last sentence can also be interpreted that the narrator's soul is floating on the floor, and it "shall be lifted--nevermore!"

Poe uses visual imagery to describe the "ebony bird"; imagery is created by the description of sensory information (anything you can experience with your five senses).

He also personifies the raven itself—giving it human attributes—when he describes the "grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore," as though the bird could be quite serious and somber as well as make a facial expression that expresses this. Poe also personifies the speaker's "fancy," or imagination, as something that can experience sadness or smile.

Poe uses an allusion when he refers to the "Night's Plutonian shore"; an allusion is an indirect reference to another text, character, or event. Pluto is the Roman god of the Underworld, the equivalent of the Greek Hades. Thus, the Night's Plutonian shore seems to allude to the Underworld itself.

Poe employs alliteration—the repetition of initial consonant sounds—in "then" and "this," in "bird" and "beguiling," and in "sad" and "smiling."

There is internal rhyme—the presence of rhyming words in one line—with "beguiling" and "smiling" as well as "shaven" and "craven." There is also end rhyme—when rhyming words come at the ends of lines—with "wore," "shore," and "'Nevermore.'"

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is one of great balance and rhythm; it is noted for its melodic qualities in its rhyming trochaic octameter.  Stanza 12 of this poem certainly exemplifies the beauty of Poe's poem. In it there are several literary devices employed:

Allusion

Poe makes reference to the bust of Pallus, the bust of Athena, the godess of wisdom.  Also, he refers to the raven as "this ominous bird of yore"; the raven has been historically connected to magic, having been associated with witches and warlocks.  The Celts believed that the goddesses of war called the ravens to feast upon the dead in battlefields.  And, Native Americans associated the raven with death, as well, perceiving it as a symbol of the transition into the afterlife.

Parallelism

Poe's poem is replete with parallelism.  For instance, in each line, Poe makes use of participles lending rhythm to the lines.  In this stanza, the first and third lines are parallel in sentence structure.

Imagery

The fifth line contains images of death:  "grim, ungainly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore."

Anaphora

The repetition of the first set of words, or anaphora, is used in the first line of Stanza 12 as "But the Raven" is repeated from Stanza 10.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds followed by different cosonant sounds, occurs in the first line of Stanza 12:  "sad fancy" as the /a/ sound is repeated with different cosonants, /s/ and /f/

In the fourth line, "ominous bird of yore-- has the /o/ repeated with different cosomants.

One technique is the use of repetition... the word "Nevermore" is the only word the bird can say.  The narrator even admits that this is probably true when he says, "Doubtless...what it utters is its only stock and store".  However, the narrator begins to question the bord, although he knows that the answer will always be "Nevermore".  This repetition allows the narrator to sink deeper into his depression by the questions he asks: "Is there balm in Gilead?", and Will I ever "clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore?"  Deep down, he knows the answer, but he asks the question anyway.  Another repetition is the word "Lenore", which is a constant reminder of what he has lost.

Poe also uses rhyme to create a melancholy, depressing mood.  Lines 2, 4, 5, and 6 of every stanza end with the "---ore" sound, which is like a moan.  The long "o" and the reverberation of the "r" can be carried out to sound like a person in pain, which the narrator is.

The raven is a symbol of death, being a mysterious black bird that arrives at midnight and stays "perched upon a bust of Pallas" just above the man's chamber door.  This is a symbol of the lingering thoughts of Lenore's death that the man will never get over.