Journal 7: Signs from Nature

In both poems, “To a Waterfowl” and “The Raven”, there are many similarities as there are differences.  Both involve a similar overview of watching nature and describing their reaction as they watch birds fly in the distance.  However, the significant difference between each poem is the meaning given by the author.  William Bryant  gives his poem, “To a Waterfowl”, a very optimistic and peaceful view of life, making the reader believe the idea that there is always light in every darkness.  This poem chose to leave the audience in a happy and graceful mood, while “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, would leave them shaking in fear.  “The Raven” is thought to be a very dark and dreary poem that captivates the idea of being haunted by the death of a loved one.  In this poem, it is the death of Lenore that comes back to haunt her husband by having a raven crow “Nevermore”.  The poems use either emotions or logic to help persuade the reader to realize that the most important decisions in life as based from the heart.  While “The Waterfowl” uses rationality to balance and make logical choices, “The Raven” uses emotion and depicted images to make a more sudden and heartfelt choice.

Each author writes his poem with a different style of writing.  “The Waterfowl” was written in a more plain and straightforward style.  There was no confusion on what the author was trying to depict throughout the poem.  “The Raven” was different because it was very detailed and ornate.  Although, it was a little trickier to understand and did not have a resolution, it was still enjoyable to read.  For a similarity, both poems were written in a first person point of view.  However, this does not mean that their setting were any bit similar.  “The Waterfowl” took place at dusk to create a romantic nature scene of a sunset to bring beauty to his writing.  “The Raven’s” setting was at midnight when a bird would enter a dark house to terrorize a human being.  This created a feeling of suspicion and obscurity.   

Finally, they both deal with internal conflict.  “The Raven” was written to help deal with an internal problem of losing a loved one and grieving over their death.  “The Waterfowl” ends the poem stating the fact that if you follow your heart, God will lead you in the right direction.  This is still an internal conflict because you have to believe in his guidance to take you to heaven.  “The Raven” is more depressing because it symbolizes that there is no afterlife while “The Waterfowl” is written to describe the joy there is in eternal life with God even after you die.  While both of these poems are written for different reason, the idea that a bird is delivering a message of either happiness or sadness is similar.