This is an important poem of Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849). He wrote this poem based on his poetic theory discussed in his critical treatise "The Philosophy of Composition". Poe belived that the purpose of poetry is to excite the soles of the readers. As he firmely belived that "Art is for Art's sake". Poe was not for any didactic element in poetry. He said that both beauty and its death are in an early period are the must suitable subjects for poetry. The poem "The Raven" is a typical poem written by Poe, celebrating beauty and morning the loss of it. "The Raven" bird plays the role of an inducing agent which increases the meloncholy of the poet. The story of the poem is as follows. On a later Winter evening the poet was reading a book and he was deeply impressed in the thoughters about an accident maiden called Lenore. She was very beautiful, she was deeply impressed in his thoughts about Lenore that he felt sleepy. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of tapping on his door. He a visitor a human being. But to his surprise he found a raven. It was sitting on the bust of the Statue of Pallace. The Greek Goddess of Wisdom. He spoke to the raven to find out why he had come to his room tapping. But for all the questions asked by the poet, the raven coarked only one word "Nevermore". The poet thought that the reason for the birds inability to utter any other word might be due to some commercial diaster. His curiosity increased and the poet wheeled his chair closer to the raven and began to explore the reasons for the raven's uttering the word "Nevermore". He asked the bird wheather he had been sent by angels in a sleepy state. He aslo asked eather he to could drink nephenthe like the raven and free himself from the thoughts of Lenore. Again the raven said "Nevermore". The poet asked the bird wheather there was any balm in his place which would givew him relief from the thought of Lenore. Finally he asked the bird wheather he could clasp the radiant lenore atleast in the distant heaven. or all his questions the raven uttered the sound "nevermore" only. The poet was frustrated and asked the raven to leave his room. He wanted his lonliness to unremain broken. The raven did not fly away, it sat these with dreaming eyes and its dark shadow on the floor absorbed the poets melancholie soul. Poe has used many symbols in the poem. The desert land, the bust of pallas, Lenore, an ancient maiden of beauty, the dark night, hell and heaven are some of the symbols effectively used in this poem. The poem praises the magical beauty of lenore and mourns the loss of its subsequently. It portrays the poet as a lonely and meloncholic man. The symbol Raven is used in contrast to the consoling thoughts of the beauty of lenore. It symbolises the harsh reality of the world which is full of miseries.