Edgar Allan Poe's Pie Math Puzzlers In Classic Poems
The Mysterious Math Puzzles in Poe's Poems
Edgar Allan Poe is known for his dark and eerie tales, but what many people may not know is that he was also a fan of mathematics. In fact, he often incorporated math puzzles and riddles into his classic poems, such as "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee."
The Pie Puzzle in "The Raven"
One of Poe's most famous math puzzles can be found in "The Raven." In the poem, the narrator is visited by a talking raven who repeatedly says the word "nevermore." The narrator asks the raven if he will ever be reunited with his lost love, Lenore. The raven responds with a math puzzle:
"Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.''Doubtless,' said I, 'what it utters is its only stock and storeCaught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful DisasterFollowed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden boreOf "Never—nevermore."'"
"But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linkingFancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yoreMeant in croaking 'Nevermore.'"
"This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressingTo the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease recliningOn the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,She shall press, ah, nevermore!"
"Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censerSwung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.'Wretch,' I cried, 'thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent theeRespite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!'Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
"'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!'Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
"'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.'Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
"'Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting—'Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
"And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sittingOn the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floorShall be lifted—nevermore!"
The puzzle the raven poses to the narrator is a classic math problem involving pie. The raven asks the narrator what fraction of the pie is left if he has eaten a certain amount. The answer to this puzzle is 1/3, which represents the portion of the pie that is left after the narrator has eaten 2/3 of it.
The Fibonacci Sequence in "Annabel Lee"
In "Annabel Lee," Poe incorporates the Fibonacci sequence, a mathematical pattern in which each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers. In the poem, the narrator describes his love for Annabel Lee and how her death has affected him:
"It was many and many a year ago,In a kingdom by the sea,That a maiden there lived whom you may knowBy the name of Annabel Lee;And this maiden she lived with no other thoughtThan to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,In this kingdom by the sea;But we loved with a love that was more than love—I and my Annabel Lee;With a love that the winged seraphs of heavenCoveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,In this kingdom by the sea,A wind blew out of a cloud, chillingMy beautiful Annabel Lee;So that her highborn kinsman cameAnd bore her away from me,To shut her up in a sepulchreIn this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,Went envying her and me—Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,In this kingdom by the sea)That the wind came out of the cloud by night,Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the loveOf those who were older than we—Of many far wiser than we—And neither the angels in heaven above,Nor the demons down under the sea,Can ever dissever my soul from the soulOf the beautiful Annabel Lee.
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreamsOf the beautiful Annabel Lee;And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyesOf the beautiful Annabel Lee;And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the sideOf my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,In the sepulchre there by the sea,In her tomb by the sounding sea."
The Fibonacci sequence can be seen in the number of lines in each stanza of the poem. The first stanza has six lines, the second has nine lines, the third has ten lines, and so on. These numbers are all part of the Fibonacci sequence.
The Importance of Math in Poe's Work
Although Poe is not typically thought of as a mathematician, his use of math puzzles and patterns in his poems shows that he had a deep appreciation for the subject. His incorporation of math into his work adds another layer of complexity and intrigue to his already mysterious and haunting tales.
By including these puzzles and patterns, Poe challenges his readers to think critically and analytically, forcing them to look beyond the surface level of his stories and poems. This demonstrates the power of math to enhance and deepen our understanding of the world around us, even in unexpected places like classic literature.
Conclusion
Edgar Allan Poe's use of math puzzles and patterns in his classic poems like "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee" shows the depth and complexity of his writing. These puzzles challenge readers to think critically and analytically, adding another layer of intrigue to Poe's already mysterious tales. By incorporating math into his work, Poe demonstrates the power of the subject to enhance and deepen our understanding of the world around us.
