After reading “The Philosophy of Composition,” I was taken back by how strong and clear Poe’s voice was. It was interesting to read what he thought the process of writing a good poem or good prose should be. While I had read “The Raven” before, it was exciting to see how Poe viewed his work and what he was trying to convey in his words. I noticed themes that Poe intended, like the idea of longing for a lost love. However, there were also things that Poe intended, that I didn’t originally pick up on, like the idea that melancholy is the most relatable human experience.

 After reading Poe’s explanation of his process in writing “The Raven,” I was reminded of Dupin in “The Purloined Letter.” His voice and narrative felt very similar to Poe’s. Dupin was very confident in explaining his process as to how he found the letter and had an answer to any question that the narrator thought of. This is very similar to how Poe had an explanation for every single stanza in the poem and how his process was very clearly thought out. Dupin was also adamant about thinking outside the box and not immediately coming to the first thought that comes to mind. This is how he was able to see that the letter was hiding right in front of his eyes. Poe also describes this with his process. He doesn’t immediately set the poem in a forest. Instead, he thinks of other settings to give off a better message. 

It is clear that Poe’s voice is strong and he is confident in how he writes. Many of the characters in his stories, reflect this about him. I find that this is a common thing for writers to have an influence on the characters that they create, because in the end, they are just expressions of themselves.