Both Poems
Compare and contrast the structure of the two poems, paying attention to the stanza length and rhyme scheme. Analyze how the differing structures contribute to the meaning and style of each poem
(e.g., one being more formal/serious, the other more ballad-like/storytelling
Both poems explore the relationship between a character and their promise or vow (the vow to Lenore/the vow to Sam McGee). Analyze in detail a shared theme related to commitment or promise-keeping. How does the development of this theme differ between the two texts based o
Sam McGee focuses more on keeping a promise, and the narrator goes insane losing his friend and having to endure the struggle of cremating him. In the end, it was "happy" because he thinks Sam is alive. In "The Raven" the narrator loses his loved Lenore and goes insane trying to get the raven to tell him where she is and if he will ever see her again. A shared theme would be "love" "loyalty" "grief"
The poems use very different diction (word choice)—one is informal, and the other is more formal. Explain how this difference in language reflects the distinct time periods, settings, and tones of the two poems. Use a line from each poem to support your analysis.
Sam McGee- informal and Sam is from Tennessee during the gold rush "T'aint being dead, it's my awful dread of the icy graves that pains". The Raven, formal and during older times - ""visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door"
Imagine a different poet wrote these poems and reversed the settings: Poe's "The Raven" is set in the frozen Yukon, and Service's story of Sam McGee is set in a gloomy study. Critique the effectiveness of this change. Why are the original settings essential to the characters, the incidents that occur, and the overall meaning of each text?
Reversing the settings of Poe’s “The Raven” and Service’s “The Cremation of Sam McGee” would make each poem lose much of its meaning, mood, and emotional impact. The original settings are essential because they match the characters’ emotions, influence the events that take place, and strengthen the themes each poet is trying to express..... In “The Raven,” the gloomy study is a quiet, enclosed space that mirrors the narrator’s grief, isolation, and mental breakdown. The tapping on the chamber door and the silence of the night make the visitor—the raven—feel mysterious and frightening... “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” the Yukon is necessary because the extreme cold drives the entire plot. Sam’s freezing misery, his death, and the narrator’s promise to cremate him all come from the harsh winter setting. If this poem were moved to a gloomy study, the danger and desperation would disappear.