The Cremation Of Sam Mcgee Comparison

Kaden Steed
Mrs. Gudorf
Honors English 10
6/3/23

In "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe and "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert W. Service, the structures of the poems play a crucial role in creating mystery, tension, and surprise. Despite the different forms used, the two poems share a commonality in their use of repetition, imagery, and narrative perspective. This essay will argue that the structure of each poem contributes to the creation of suspense and surprise in different ways, and both are highly effective in their respective forms.
"The Raven" is structured as a narrative poem with a single narrator's inner monologue. The poem is composed of eighteen stanzas, each containing six lines and employing the rhyme scheme AABB. This structure creates a feeling of monotony and builds tension as the narrator descends into madness. The repetition of the word "nevermore" at the end of each stanza emphasizes the narrator's despair and creates a sense of foreboding. Furthermore, the use of symbolism, such as the raven, contributes to the poem's sense of mystery and uncertainty. The bird's ominous presence and the narrator's reference to "Lenore" leave readers to interpret their significance, adding to the poem's overall effect of suspense.

The poem's structure creates a sense of uncertainty and surprise, as readers are unsure of what will happen to Sam McGee and how his story will end. The poem's use of vivid imagery, such as the description of the frozen landscape and the burning of Sam McGee's body, creates a sense of unease and adds to the poem's overall mystery and tension. The repeated refrain, "and he would talk to the Arctic sun, and the things he'd say were queer," builds tension by suggesting that something strange and unsettling is going to