ananya asked 7 years ago
What makes the poem ‘Abou Ben Adhem’ by Leigh Hunt seem as if it belonged to the realm of supernatural?
The poem “Abou Ben Adhem” has many supernatural overtones. The angel is referred to as a “vision” or a “presence” making it seem mystical and paranormal. The setting of the poem, which is at night with the moonlight making Ben Adhem’s room rich, also contributes to this feeling. The angel was writing in a book of gold, and when Ben Adhem asked it to write his name down as a person who loved their fellow men, it disappeared. The next night it reappeared with a “great wakening light” or the light of enlightenment. This contributes to the supernatural feeling of the poem.
The presence of an angel in Abou’s room, the ‘great wakening light’ making it rich and like a lily in bloom, and the ‘book of gold’ make us think of a supernatural setting in the poem “Abou Ben Adhem”.
Again, the use of archaic words like ‘writest’, ‘thou’, ‘thee’ and ‘nay’ adds to the old-world and supernatural feel.
In presence of angel, the great wakening light and the book of gold makes it supernatural.