William Cullen Bryant’s “To a Waterfowl” (p.151) and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” (p.181)
Read the selections and write a detailed response to the following:
- Compare/contrast the different views of nature that are being presented in the poems. Refer to the list of classical and romantic characteristics and provide specific examples from the poems to support your analysis.
In “To a Waterfowl”, the view of nature is more serene and harmonious. The narrator is a viewer, but not actually connected to the story. It is not an emotional point of view, it is an orderly materialistic portrayal of the scene. There is a message, but it is not emotional or imaginative. The poem is more plain than ornate. The poem takes place at sunset when it’s calm and peaceful. The speaker is happy and optimistic.
“The Raven” is gloomy and dark. There is a much more personal and emotional tone. Nature is indifferent or torturous which brings out the man’s emotions. This also brings out paranoia in the man because he feels like nature is hurting him. The poem itself is ornate and difficult to find an answer to. There is no resolution or knowing at the end. It takes place on a dark dreary night in December. There is more of a depressing feeling and the speaker is crazy.
Of course both poems are about birds and a man interacting with the bird. The poems have good rhyming and structure.
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