The poem "Eldorado" by Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of a knight who journeys in search of the mythical city of Eldorado, hoping to find riches. However, after searching in vain, the knight grows old and insane. In his insanity, he asks his shadow how to find Eldorado, and his shadow replies that the path is "Over the mountains, Of the moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow". The poem can be interpreted as having a moral about the dangers of obsessively pursuing worldly riches, as the knight's quest leaves him in despair. Poe uses symbols, historical context from the Gold Rush era, and literary devices like rhyme and mood to engage readers
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The poem "Eldorado" by Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of a knight who journeys in search of the mythical city of Eldorado, hoping to find riches. However, after searching in vain, the knight grows old and insane. In his insanity, he asks his shadow how to find Eldorado, and his shadow replies that the path is "Over the mountains, Of the moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow". The poem can be interpreted as having a moral about the dangers of obsessively pursuing worldly riches, as the knight's quest leaves him in despair. Poe uses symbols, historical context from the Gold Rush era, and literary devices like rhyme and mood to engage readers
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"Eldorado" by Edgar Allan Poe analysis for Mrs. Norton. December 16 2008.
The poem "Eldorado" by Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of a knight who journeys in search of the mythical city of Eldorado, hoping to find riches. However, after searching in vain, the knight grows old and insane. In his insanity, he asks his shadow how to find Eldorado, and his shadow replies that the path is "Over the mountains, Of the moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow". The poem can be interpreted as having a moral about the dangers of obsessively pursuing worldly riches, as the knight's quest leaves him in despair. Poe uses symbols, historical context from the Gold Rush era, and literary devices like rhyme and mood to engage readers
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
The poem "Eldorado" by Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of a knight who journeys in search of the mythical city of Eldorado, hoping to find riches. However, after searching in vain, the knight grows old and insane. In his insanity, he asks his shadow how to find Eldorado, and his shadow replies that the path is "Over the mountains, Of the moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow". The poem can be interpreted as having a moral about the dangers of obsessively pursuing worldly riches, as the knight's quest leaves him in despair. Poe uses symbols, historical context from the Gold Rush era, and literary devices like rhyme and mood to engage readers
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Kareem Washington
December 16, 2008
Period 2 English Essay “Eldorado” Analysis The poem “Eldorado” by Edgar Allan Poe has an underlying meaning and can be
interpreted if closely analyzed. The poem surrounds the journey to the mythical city of Eldorado
which promises many riches in gold. The knight begins his journey with much enthusiasm but
after searching in vain, he grows old and insane as well. During his period of insanity he
questions his shadow to the road to Eldorado. His shadow replies and tells him the road to the
riches of Eldorado is “Over the mountains, Of the moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow”. The poem
has much to offer in its meaning due its symbolic and somewhat reflective nature. The poem also is a
response to the current events during the time in which it was written. The poem also uses a variety of
literary devices. The poem “Eldorado” is a bountiful source of symbols, historical perspective, and
literary techniques.
The poem has a deep, profound moral within its contents. Poe uses the term “shadow” within
each of its four stanzas which all have six lines. In the middle of each line the term is used to represent
something different. The first shadow represents the shade under the sun, the second represents the
darkness that has overtaken the knight’s heart, the third represents to the living figure of his shadow, and
the fourth refers to the “Valley of the Shadow”, which may be a reference to the “Valley of Death”. The
fact that the knight and had become old, and he must pass through the “Valley of the Shadow” at the end
of the poem can be seen as a symbol of death. The knight sets off in search of physical riches, yet after
finding nothing but insanity, reaches the end of his life. The moral can be seen as to avoid the constant
search for the riches of this world for it leads to nothing but despair. Poe published his poem during his
final year, and the knight could have been a reference to himself, since the knight was both aged and mentally unstable, as he was. Also, the knight during the journey never felt accomplished, as did Poe
during his lifetime. The knight, however, was most likely a reference to the many subjects to the Gold
Rush, which took place in the same time period as the poem was published, 1849. The poem could have
been a moral warning to the many who would suffer the same fate as the knight in the search for worldly
riches. Poe uses many literary devices in this poem, including symbols such as the knight for the subjects
of the Gold Rush, the “Valley of the Shadow” for death, or the journey for life. Symbols enhance the
poem by engaging the reader to think more in depth. He also uses internal rhyming throughout the poem,
which can be cited in nearly every line. Rhyming helps engage the reader by appealing to their level of
interest. Poe also uses the mood of the poem through emphasizing the irony surrounding the journey of
the knight. Setting a mood to the poem enhances the poem through helping the reader more clearly
understand how the subjects and events within the poem might function. Conclusively, the poem presents
the reader with the use of symbols, historical perspective, and literary devices.
The poem “Eldorado” in essence has a deeper, core significance than its outer story. He
primarily uses the knight and the shadows as a way to convey a deeper meaning. He uses it in
such a way to signify a reflection and moral outlook on the world. He takes into account the
Gold Rush through his poem as well when looked as from a historical perspective. He also uses
literary devices to enhance the poem and engage the reader. He uses these literary devices such
as symbols, internal rhyming, and mood. Undoubtedly, the poem is a great foundation for the use
of many different techniques to engage the reader in deeper thought in from an analytical,
