Question

name: neal l. period: 5 date: 4/19/25 annabel lee & the raven comparison instructions: read “annabel lee” and “the raven” carefully. then, complete the chart and respond to the analysis questions below. only use claim and evidence (no reasoning needed) answer the questions below in complete, thoughtful sentences. (only use claim and evidence (no reasoning needed)) comparison chart element annabel lee the raven main character annabel lee, the speaker lenore, the speaker, the raven setting sunset at a kingdom by the sea a dreary midnight in the middle of a town. conflict: person vs. person how?? analysis questions: 1. compare the emotional states of the speakers in both poems. 2. which poem do you think is more tragic? why?

Explanation:

1. In "Annabel Lee", the speaker is consumed by grief and love for Annabel Lee who has passed away, with a sense of longing and a belief in their eternal love. In "The Raven", the speaker is in a state of deep - seated melancholy and madness, tormented by the raven's "Nevermore" and his own loss of Lenore.
2. For the question of which is more tragic, "The Raven" could be argued as more tragic as the speaker descends into madness, with the raven's constant "Nevermore" symbolizing the finality of his loss and his inability to find peace. Evidence is the speaker's deteriorating mental state throughout the poem. Another view could be "Annabel Lee" as the speaker's love is so pure and the loss so cruel, with external forces (angels) seemingly causing her death. Evidence is the description of their idyllic love and its tragic end.

Answer:

1. In "Annabel Lee", the speaker is filled with grief and love; in "The Raven", the speaker is in melancholy and madness.
2. "The Raven" could be more tragic due to the speaker's descent into madness; "Annabel Lee" could be more tragic because of the purity of love and cruel loss.