Literary Analysis: Annabel Lee, I Have a Dream, and The Gift of the Magi

Literature is a medium of art. The proper conveying of ideas both abstract and literal require careful technique, construction, and delicacy with words. In romantic poems, iconic speeches, and simple short stories alike, words and sounds are painted to shape the reader’s perception of important ideas and create powerful experiences that make the writing count. The effective use of figurative language technique results in the reader’s true comprehension of the text and meaningful communication between artist and viewer. Edgar Allan Poe mourns heartbreakingly in the poem “Annabel Lee” through hyperboles, Martin Luther King, Jr. demands justice with profound symbolism in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, and O. Henry tells an emotional short story with his use of tone in “The Gift of the Magi.”

Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee'' is a tragic poem that tells the tale of his true love’s death and his yearning for her, with the incorporation of vivid hyperboles to express their unbreakable bond. The lines “And this maiden she lived with no other thought / Than to love and to be loved by me” describe their infatuation with each other and their shared dependency and love. Later in the poem, Poe dramatizes the death of his loved one by daring to say that “The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, / Went envying her and me -- Yes!...” and the angels then killed Annabel Lee with the chilling wind of a cloud. Some supernatural heavenly being had done this cruel deed purposefully to Poe’s love, and the anger and madness in his mourning is clear to the reader. It was not nature nor sickness: it was murder. In the outlandishness of these exaggerations, truth and meaning is found; these examples colorfully illustrate how reliant “Annabel” and Poe were on each other, and the great value of their love to the narrator, intensifying the reader’s image of the pain her loss caused him. Likewise, hyperboles in any other work using figurative language depict emotions and depth, nevertheless through pompous exaggeration.

Here, a less romantic piece will be reviewed for its artful use of symbolism: “I Have A Dream,” a grand piece for racial justice painted into picture by activist Martin Luther King, Jr.. Although known best for its hopeful refrain, this speech begins first with the disappointment of the Black community in the world of segregation. “But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in its great vaults of opportunity of this nation.” This means that justice is available, and it must be officially acquired with “... a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice,” a symbol of advocacy. As the tone continues to ascend from this point, MLK describes the lack of urgency for equality as “the tranquilizing drug of gradualism” and “the valley of despair,” itching for action onward. He reaches out to his dream of justice holding onto “a stone of hope,” speaking to achieve “a beautiful symphony of brotherhood,” showing that the fight will be worth it in the end for the American community. This speech is a call for action, and the ideas conveyed vividly in the speech with symbolism compel the viewer to join the campaign for justice.

A shift of genres in art leads a viewer to the path of storytelling, to follow the perspective of a character. This is achieved through the effect of tone found in O. Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi.” Following Della, a not-so-well-off housewife in the 1960s, the story begins with a despairing, helpless tone: “There was nothing to do but fall on the bed and cry.” Della is terribly saddened that she couldn’t get her husband a good Christmas gift, with very little money in her savings. However, after selling her long precious hair off for money and finding a watch chain for her husband, “... the next two hours seemed to fly,” ecstatic to give the thoughtful present. When her actions set in, “[she] started to try to cover the sad marks of what she had done,” and the reader can feel her intensified shame and regret when “... she heard his step in the hall and her face lost color for a moment.” A wave of relief comes over when it is revealed that her husband had also sacrificed his watch to give her a present, and the reader is left with the pleasant taste of warmth and family. O. Henry’s transitions of tone with turning events in the plot compose an emotional mural that can be clearly seen and felt.

Looking back on all of these pieces, the reader can hold in their mind the feelings that arose. These images are supported by the strong fluidity of figurative language. Hyperboles create depth in Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee,” symbolism displays meaning in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream,” and tone takes the reader through the story in O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.” Means of communication is crucial to the understanding of the viewer, even as the brush ends.