In "The Raven," Edgar Allan Poe gradually increases the sensation of fear throughout the poem until the speaker and readers are both filled with a tense horror.

PETAL stands for point, example, technique, analysis, and link. First, you make your point. This can be something like the sentence above, which shows what Poe does with fear in "The Raven." Next, you will find an example (or two) from the poem to support your point. You might take one from the beginning of the poem when the raven first knocks on the door and then one from the end where the speaker is shouting at the raven to leave.

After you identify your examples, you will talk about the technique the poet uses in your chosen examples. You might look toward suspense and symbolism, for instance. Then you should analyze the point and examples. Go over your examples in detail, explaining exactly how Poe excites fear in the speaker and the readers. The raven doesn't even do very much. It just sits there. Yet the raven stands for the speaker's helplessness in the face of the loss of his beloved as well as the madness that seems to be descending upon him.

Finally, you will provide a "link," which is a brief summary of what you have written that links back to your main point.