“There was a sad midnight, while I pondered, weak and weary,” (“The Raven” 1). “The Raven,” probably one of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous poems, is the story of a depressed man longing for his lost love. Faced with a talking crow, the man slowly loses his sanity. “The Haunted Palace,” a ballad by Poe, is a brilliant and skillfully crafted metaphor that likens a palace to a human skull and mind. A palace of opulence slowly turns into a crumbling ruin. This deterioration is the symbol of madness and death. In true Poe style, both “The Raven” and “The Haunted Mansion” belong to the gothic/dark romance genre. These poems highlight sadness, death, and loss. As expected, analysis of the poems reveals differences and parallels. An example of this is Poe's use of poetic devices within each poem. Although different in structure, setting, and symbolism, these two poems show striking similarities in tone and theme. The structure and setting of these poems are quite different. "The Raven" is a narrative poem consisting of 18 stanzas. Each stanza consists of six lines. In contrast, “The Haunted Palace” is a ballad consisting of only 6 stanzas and a total of 48 lines. The setting of “The Crow” takes place in a room. We're not sure what type of room the room is; only it's dark because the fire is dying out and casting shadows on the floor (“The Crow” 1-8). The setting of “The Haunted Palace” takes place in a palace in a valley. At first the palace is beautiful and peaceful, but then it turns into a dark and sad ruin. Recall that the palace is a metaphor (allegory) of the mind, so the setting also includes the healthy mind going mad (Meyer, p. 893). Even if the structure and setting are different, the same… medium of paper… and demons. Upon closer examination, I feel that the two poems reflect Poe himself. Poe was a tormented soul who dealt with these themes throughout his life. This may be an indication of why dark themes are so prevalent in these poems. Regardless of the reason for the similarities, much like the darkness that surrounded Poe's life, the connected correlations of these poems will persist forever. Works Cited Meyer, M. (2013). Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Boston: Bedford Bks St Martin's.Poe, EA “The Haunted Mansion.” Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford Bks St Martin's. 2013. 891-893. Print.Poe, EA “The Raven”. Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford Bks St Martin's. 2013.789-791. Press.