“Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe

“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 lov’d—I lov’d alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From ev’ry 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 roll’d
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass’d 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—

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Title: "Alone"
Paraphrase: A speaker in this poem tells what he was, saw, and felt in his childhood. Moreover, he tells how he was different from others. He saw different things from other "normal" kids in their childhood. From his childhood, he was isolated and separated because he is just "different". In my opinion, this poem tells about Mr. Poe himself considering his rough childhood and how it influenced his later life.
Connotation: A lot of imagery is shown in this poem. Many senses are used - sight, hearing and feeling. Rhyme, which is the famous characteristics of Poe's poems, is present. Some phrases are repeated in order to make rhythms. Also, structure of this poem, such as, ending the line in next stanza, makes the poem more rhythmic.
Attitude: Through out the poem, loneliness and sorrow from being different dominate the poem's atmosphere. In fact, the title, "Alone", indicates the whole atmosphere in this poem.
Shift: Although there is not a significant shift, in stanza 9, he tells how he was different.
Title: The abnormal one
Theme: The uniqueness of a speaker in his childhood/coming of age