Photo Essay: Tree Picture

The Raven

This picture evokes so much emotion in such a compact space. What may be deceiving about this image is that to the obtuse eye it is just a plain tree, but to the keen eye you may notice that there is a bird concealed with its leaves, an unidentifiable species. The contrast between the lightness of the sky and the rich green of the leaves creates a saturated image. The quality of the photo, as well, contributes to the overall beauty. But what is so unique about this picture is the bird perched on one of the branches, which makes me recall a very curious tale. It's late at night, and late in the year probably December and there is a man is sitting in his room, half reading, half falling asleep, and trying to forget his lost love, Lenore. Suddenly, he hears someone (or something) knocking at the door. He calls out, apologizing to the suspicious "visitor" he imagines must be outside. Then he opens the door and finds…nothing. This freaks him out a little, and he reassures himself that it is just the wind against the window. So he goes and opens the window, and in flies a raven. The raven settles in on a statue above the door, and for some peculiar reason, the guy's first instinct is to talk to it. He asks for its name, just like you usually do with strange birds that fly into your house, right? Amazingly enough, though, the raven answers back, with a single word: "Nevermore." (Intense, I know.) Understandably surprised, the man asks more questions. The bird's vocabulary turns out to be pretty limited though, all it says is "Nevermore." Then the man catches on to this rather slowly and asks more and more questions, which get more painful and personal. However the raven doesn't change his story, and the poor speaker starts to lose his sanity. I believe that this photo's ambiguity and hidden treasure that you may or many not be able to see, almost personifies the story of a mad man, who is interacting with metonymous figure, but is actually in extreme, indefinite mourn of his lost love.