HOL Ravenclaw

The sign of parting is very important
No one really knows what can it be
The sign of parting is very unique
No one really knows how does it seem

The sign of leaving is very difficult
It hurts every one - no exceptions
The sign of leaving is very sad
It makes all of us cry

The sign of parting is hurtful and sad
We all are taken aback
The sign of parting can't be forgotten

When the time comes around
We all need to say goodbye
No one really knows when
But is going to be then

When the time comes around
Your family will go apart
And there is nothing to do about
This separating part

When the time comes around
The end will cover your life
You will never see another night
Yet you do not know why

When the time comes around
The shadow will creep in
The sign of parting
The sign of death

The death of Edgar Allan Poe has confused people for over a hundred years. He was found in a gutter, delirious, on the 3rd October 1849 in Baltimore, after having not been seen since he left Richmond, travelling to Philadelphia, over a week earlier. He remained in a hospital in Baltimore, without regaining full consciousness, until he died four days later. There have been many attempts to explain how he ended up in this state, but we have no real idea of what actually happened. Some of the theories include that he was beaten, he was the victim of cooping (coercion into voter fraud), he had drunk copious amounts of alcohol, a brain tumor, flu, and rabies. It is unlikely we will ever know the truth, and many have pointed out how the mystery seems as if Poe wrote it himself.

[b][i][u]Sign of Parting[/u][/i][/b]

A note,
a note was left,
with nothing but the word
'goodbye'.

I waited, I waited so long
just for something from you,
a goodbye, a sign of your parting.

I miss you, I want you back,
but the note,
it burns a letter into my palm.
That wretched sign of your parting,
is a nightmare for me.

I dream of it, hear your voice in my head,
but sadly I have nothing, but the memories within.

Looking back at the poem, what struck me was that the raven said the same answer to everything, giving only "Nevermore" as an answer to everything the narrator said. This made me wonder if the raven would give the same answer if the narrator asked the questions in the opposite way - "Will I always be apart from my dear Lenore?" - would that still get a "Nevermore" from the raven?

This actually makes me think of a basic type of brainteaser: "The guard will answer any question you ask with the word 'no'. How can you obtain permission from the guard to pass?" But then again, given that the poem was meant to symbolise the [i]breakdown[/i] of reasoning, I think that such a simple ploy would be unlikely to work!

[i][b]”Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”[/b][/i]

[i][u][b]Task[/b][/u][/i]:
Using [b]75 words[/b] or more, [b][i]Reflect[/i][/b] on any symbolism found within [i]The Raven[/i]. What does this poem mean to you, or how might it be interpreted?

Alternatively you may contribute an original [b][i]Poem[/i][/b] in [b]75 words[/b] or more titled “[i]Sign of Parting[/i]” or write a [b][i]Research[/i][/b] piece all about some aspect(s) of Edgar Allan Poe and his life, with the same word count expectations.

This task is worth [u]15 beans[/u], with an additional [u]15 bonus[/u] beans for completing all Week Four tasks by end of activity. [b][i]Deadline is 11:59pm ([url=http://hol.org.uk/calendar][color=#0080BF]HOL time[/color][/url]) on Halloween, Monday October 31st.[/b][/i]