THE CONQUEROR WORM

HISTORY OF PUBLICATION

• first published as a stand-alone poem in the January 1843 issue of Graham's Magazine.
• Shortly after, it was included among several other poems by Poe in the February 25 issue of the Saturday Museum in a feature called "The Poets & Poetry of Philadelphia: Edgar Allan Poe"
• It was later included in Poe's poetry collection The Raven and Other Poems in 1845.

HISTORY OF PUBLICATION CONTINUED

• it was incorporated into "Ligeia" for the first time when the story was reprinted in the February 15, 1845, issue of the New York World.
• Ligeia" was again republished with "The Conqueror Worm" in the September 27, 1845, issue of The Broadway Journal while Poe was its editor.

MEANING OF THE POEM

• The poem implies that human life is a lack of good sense ending in hideous death
• the universe is controlled by dark forces man cannot understand, and the only supernatural forces that might help are powerless spectators who can only affirm the tragedy of the scene

HOW THE POEM CONNECTS TO POES LIFE

• Poe is writing about his views on death
• The reason why is that Virginia popped a blood vessel the year before

EFFECTS OF LITERARY DEVICES

• Symbolism
• Imagery
• Allegory

RHYMING PATTERNS

• The poem has five stanzas, representing five acts in a typical play. Each stanza has eight lines.
• In the first four stanzas, Lines 1 and 3 rhyme; Lines 2, 4, 6, and 8 rhyme; and Lines 5 and 7 rhyme.
• In the last stanza, Lines 1 and 3 rhyme and Lines 2 and 4 rhyme

RHYMING CONTINIED

• Lines 5 and 7 are in eye rhyme–that, is the vowels in each word are the same, but their pronunciations are different
• Lines 6 and 8 rhyme with each other but are in near rhyme with Lines 2 and 4.

METER

• Iambic tetrameter