The first two stanzas of The Raven introduce you to the narrator and his beloved young daughter Lenore. You find him sitting on a “dreary” and dark evening with an open book in front of him, although he is dozing more than reading. Suddenly he hears a knock on his door, but only thinks it is a visitor, nothing more. He remembers another night, like this one, when he sought the solace of his library to forget his sorrows for his long-lost beloved and wait for dawn. Meanwhile, the knocking on his door continues. Poe's most famous poem begins with imagery that immediately draws the reader into a dark, cold, stormy night. Poe does not want his readers to stand aside and watch what is happening, but to actually be in the library with the narrator, hearing what he hears and seeing what he sees. Using words and phrases such as “dreary midnight” and “dark December,” Poe sets the mood and tone, wanting his readers to feel the cold night and reach for the warmth of the “dying embers” of the fireplace. You don't enter this poem thinking of daffodils and sunshine, but howling at the winds and shadows. By using these words, Poe makes you feel isolated and alone. He also contrasts this isolation, symbolized by the storm and the dark room, with the wealth of objects in the library. The furnished room also reminds him of the beauty of his lost Lenore. Additionally, Poe uses a rhythm in his beginning stanza, using "tapping", followed by "knock, knock on my door" and ending with "tapping on my bedroom door". You can almost hear the knocking on the library door as ...... middle of paper ......e opens the door. When he found himself opening the door, he saw only darkness. And that's when he feels there's nothing there. I think the reason Poe was so afraid is reflected in Lenore. I understood that Lenore was Poe's love interest at one point in his life. He's so depressed that he only thinks about her, but then again, he's also trying to forget her at the same time. And when he first heard rustling noises, he might have thought it might be Lenore's spirit. I think that was why he was so scared. Poe drew many of his ideas and images from his own imagination. And the images he had of Lenore didn't make him feel any better. I think most of Poe's thoughts and feelings came from his mind and not his heart..