Question

Read the poem.

excerpt from “Annabel Lee”
by Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee; —
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her high-born kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:—

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee,
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;—
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Question
How does Poe refine the idea in the poem "Annabel Lee" that true love never dies?

Responses

The speaker states that nothing can ever "dissever [his] soul from the soul" of Annabel Lee.
The speaker states that nothing can ever "dissever [his] soul from the soul" of Annabel Lee.

The speaker describes himself and his beloved by stating, "I was a child and she was a child."
The speaker describes himself and his beloved by stating, "I was a child and she was a child."

The speaker states that Annabel Lee's kinsmen "shut her up in a sepulchre."
The speaker states that Annabel Lee's kinsmen "shut her up in a sepulchre."

The speaker describes Annabel Lee to readers as "a maiden...whom you may know.

Answer 1

The best response that highlights how Poe refines the idea that true love never dies is:

**The speaker states that nothing can ever "dissever [his] soul from the soul" of Annabel Lee.**

This line encapsulates the enduring nature of their love, suggesting that even death cannot separate them, reinforcing the theme that true love transcends life and death. It emphasizes the strength of their bond and the idea that their connection persists beyond physical existence.