POE

Edgar Allan Poe is a genius, a confused and odd one; nevertheless, he is still a genius. I explicated his poem “Alone,” and found it truly remarkable considering the detail and content.

Alone by Edgar Allan Poe

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

First I will discuss the content of the poem. In this piece, a speaker describes how he or she—in their childhood, was different from everyone else. The speaker did not have the same interests as others and no one in return particularly cared for the speaker’s interests. Also, the narrator states how their childhood was a harsh life that composed of good and bad memories, and the fact of that being so, confuses the speaker. Then the poet recalls a memory about how a cloud took the form a demon. They way this poem is written seems as if the speaker himself is deeply confused. For example, in the beginning of the poem, it starts off gloomy and dark and then it switches between light and dark references—torrent, fountain, sun, storm, Heaven then demon. These are actually clashing images. It seems as if there were two speakers instead of one.
The content may seem as if the speaker is confused by the structure suggests another point of view. There are 22 lines with a definite end rhyme scheme—aabbccddeeffgghhiijjkk. In a way it may seems as if the content and the structure are unrelated, but they do complement each other. The end rhyme guides you through the poem and creates this rolling or smooth effect when you read the poem.
But why is this poem called “Alone,” if he is alternating moods or tones? Maybe, calling it “Alone” actually shows how the imagination creates images to cope with the condition of begin alone. A person can became enlightened by what their imagination presents when you find yourself alone on a cliff.