Not Again!

One of the most famous poems in American literature is “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe. As you probably know, it depicts a man – the narrator – reading alone in his “chamber.” He is already in a very unhappy state of mind because he has recently lost the love of his life – apparently through her death. The object of his grief is a woman named Lenore (which happens to rhyme nicely with “nevermore,” the thematic word of this whole piece). His solitude is interrupted by an unexpected visitor, whom he accidentally lets in by opening a window. It is a black bird, a Raven.

This bird apparently has the power to speak – and in English. But throughout the poem, all we hear it utter, repeatedly, is a single ominous word: – “Nevermore.”

This poem’s 18 stanzas also contain another kind of literary device – no fewer than 34 usages of what is known as alliteration; that is, repeated beginnings of two or more associated words with the same sound. Here are a few examples:

“weak and weary”

“nodded nearly napping”

“with many a flirt and flutter”

“startled at the stillness”

“on this home, by horror haunted”

“leave my loneliness unbroken.”

But it’s not only in modern poetry that we find abundant examples of repetition. The Bible, particularly the Old Testament, is brimming with repetition, especially that of certain numbers like seven and forty. I am enchanted by the account of the conquest by the Israelites of the City of Jericho. Led by Joshua, this was their first great military challenge after crossing the Jordan River into the country of Canaan.

Following God’s instructions, as relayed by Joshua, the whole tribe marched around the walled city once a day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. At the assault’s climax, they were to use the weapon of noise, including a blast of trumpets and their own voices. Sure enough, under this sonic bombardment the walls came tumbling down.

But this story has an interesting sidenote. Before the attack, Joshua had sent some spies to report on the condition of the city’s defenses. Those men had been sheltered and hidden by several filles de joie (King James calls them “harlots”). When the city was taken, there was a general slaughter of all its inhabitants – even the animals. But the women who had taken in the spies and protected them were spared, despite their unsavory profession.

Getting back to our theme of repetition, this seems to be a general characteristic of prayers and devotions in many different religions. One example that comes readily to mind is the Roman Catholic prayer called, from its first words, the “Hail Mary”. The whole thing is about 40 words. Since it’s probably the most important prayer in the Catholic liturgy, what seems most notable to me is the emphasis upon the Mother, rather than her Son, who is mentioned only at the end. But the words “Hail Mary” have come to have wider significance in our culture. In Church terms, a sinner might be given a penalty of reciting the prayer a certain number of times (i.e. so many “Hail Marys”.) But even in football, we hear about a “Hail Mary Pass” – meaning the quarterback’s lengthy downfield throw is so unlikely to succeed, its completion may well depend on the power of prayer.

Of course, other religions have their own formulaic recitations. Muslims have special towers called minarets from which prayers and calls to prayer are proclaimed. The basic message is that Allah is the only god, and Muhammad is his prophet.

I was brought up in the religion called Judaism, in which there is also one basic prayer, which is called in Hebrew “Sh’ma” – which means “Hear,” or “Listen” – from the prayer’s first word. The entire prayer says, “Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord Our God, the Lord is One.” I remember being told that this is an appropriate prayer for reciting on one’s deathbed.

I’m not sure why the one-ness of God has become so salient a feature in many modern religions. After all, the ancient Greeks and Romans got along with a multitude of Gods and Goddesses. And even today, in Hinduism, the predominant religion of India, there are said to be millions of Gods!

Nevertheless, where repetition is concerned, a key concept in certain religions is that of a “mantra” – a sacred utterance or sound used in meditation, often repeated. The mantra is usually given by a teacher to a trainee. But if nothing else occurs to you for this purpose, I have no objection to your using my name.