An Essay on the Comparative Analysis of two Poems

Samalea, Ma. Bianca O.

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng MaynilaCollege of Architecture and Urban Planning

On Death of Anne Bronte

by Charlotte Bronte
There's little joy in life for me,
And little terror in the grave ;
I 've lived the parting hour to see
Of one I would have died to save.

Calmly to watch the failing breath,

Wishing each sigh might be the last ;
Longing to see the shade of death
O'er those beloved features cast.

The cloud, the stillness that must part

The darling of my life from me ;
And then to thank God from my heart,
To thank Him well and fervently ;

Although I knew that we had lost

The hope and glory of our life ;
And now, benighted, tempest-tossed,
Must bear alone the weary strife.

Charlotte and her little sister, Anne was very close. That is why when her sister passed
away it brought her grief and unspeakable heartbreak. Poets usually express their

feeling through literature. This poem, The Death of Anne Bronte, is obviously
dedicated to her deceased sister. On the first two lines in the first stanza,
There's little joy in life for me,
And little terror in the grave
the tone of depression is observable. She says there there's little joy in life for me,
which basically indicate that she is extremely sad and And little terror in the grave,
which means that shes not afraid to die anymore, she doesnt mind anymore because
in death, she may be reunited with her beloved sister. The next two lines,
Ive lived the parting hour to see
of one I would have died to save.
Tells us that she has witnessed the death of Anne, the one she would have died to save.
The next stanza gives out description about her sisters situation.
Calmly to watch the failing breath,
Wishing each sigh might be the last
Longing to see the shade of death
O'er those beloved features cast.
The words failing breath indicates that her sister is suffering from a disease. In fact,
her sister died due to pulmonary tuberculosis. It is a disease that mainly affects the
lungs, the organ primarily used for breathing. On the second line, wishing each sight
might be the last, the author want to her sisters suffering to end. Though it might be

contrary to what she really wants to happen, it would be selfish to wish for her sisters
longer existence if it means that her sufferings would prolong.
On the third stanza, Charlotte used metaphors to add rhetoric to her literature. Her tone
here becomes grateful. She is grateful to God for her sister. She is thankful for making
her a part of her life. She is thankful for ending all her sisters pain and sufferings.
The theme of the fourth stanza is very tragic. She says there, that she has lost the hope
and glory of life. And because of her sisters departure, her life would be overtaken by
grief and darkness.

Annabel Lee
by Edgar Allan Poe
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea,

But we loved with a love that was more than love
I and my Annabel Lee
With a love that the wingd seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,

Went envying her and me
Yes!that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we

Of many far wiser than we
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darlingmy darlingmy life and my bride,
In her sepulcher there by the sea
In her tomb by the sounding sea

Edgar Allan Poe has been famous for his dark-themed poetry, this poem, Annabel Lee, one
of his good works. It is about a man and Annabel Lee, who loved each other even when
they were young and little. Their love was so precious and powerful that even the angels
envied them. And one day, a strong wind came and chilling and killing his Annabel Lee.
But he was convinced that their love was stronger than any other elements and nothing can
stand against the, not even death. So at night, he always dreamt of her, and sees her in the

morning. He always lies by her sepulcher, never letting her go, never losing his love for his
dear, dear beloved Annabel Lee.

On the first stanza, the narrating character introduced the story of him and a girl, named
Annabel Lee, Also, in that stanza, the author gave as an insight of the setting in which the
story happened. It says there,
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
So in this moment, you can now picture a place by the sea, a maiden and a gentleman. In
the next lines,
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
the narrator indicated their affection for each other. Annabel Lee loved him, and he love him
in return.

In the second stanzas first few lines, he gave us a brief background of his relationship
with Annabel Lee. He says there,
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,

which indicate that they knew each other even when they were younger, and maybe, the
sea was a very special place for them, they may have spent a lot of time together by the
sea. On the next lines,
But we loved with a love that was more than love
I and my Annabel Lee
With a love that the winged seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me
He describes that their affection for each other was something that the word love cannot
define. Its a love too precious that even the angels of Heaven yearned to possess what
they have- love for each other.

On the next two stanzas, he revealed the death of his love. He blames the angels for
chilling and killing the love of his life. He was so convinced that reason was envy. That the
angels from above were jealous because he and Annabel love each other so
overwhelmingly it overpowers them.

On the last lines of the second stanza he said,

So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea
which tells us that Annabels family took her decease body from him and buried her in a
sepulcher by the sea.
On the fourth stanza,

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we
Of many far wiser than we
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee
he stressed that the nothing can stand against their love, not even death. Because their
love is so strong they could never be apart- not their souls.

The poem gets darker on the fifth stanza. It says there,

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee
in this phase, we can clearly say that the narrating character doesnt want to move on and
let go of Annabel Lee. Convinced that they can never be separated, he believed that she is
still with him as she haunts her in his dreams on the night and feel her presence in the day.
To conclude the poem last few lines were,
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darlingmy darlingmy life and my bride,
In her sepulcher there by the sea
In her tomb by the sounding sea

which lead us in to a conclusion that the narrating characters love has, and Annabels love
for him, overwhelmed him and her death tore him. He can never accept that shes gone.
Truly, it is a love more than love.

Comparative Analysis:
On Death of Anne Bronte & Annabel Lee

Two great poets Edgar Allan Poe and Charlotte Bronte have created a rhetoric literature
with the theme of grievance for loss. The poems The Death of Anne Bronte and Annabel
Lee, it was pointed out that a loved one was lost due to death. Both narratives are
subjected to great distress. The words, the metaphors and the tone of the poems indicate
that great love was exchanged between the narrating character and the deceased
character that is why they were benighted at their departure.
Annabel Lee is a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe, a man well known in the world of
literature for his gothic themes and depressing tones. In this poem, he told a story of a man
and the love of his life, Annabel Lee. She died without him seeing her body that is because
of his family keeping her from him. He was deeply hurt and blamed the angels for killing
Annabel Lee. He greatly believes that death cannot separate them thus he can never move
on.
On the other hand, the poem written by Charlotte Bronte, The Death of Anne Bronte,
was dedicated to her sister. She died due to an illness called Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
Unlike Annabel Lee, the relation of the narrator was not directly told in the poem and death
of loved was witnessed, even at the pain the deceased suffered were seen. Though the

narrator is in great distress, she is still thankful to God. She chooses to move on though
she knows that the future wouldnt be so bright and nothing will ever be the same.
Nevertheless, the two poems contribute to the body of world literature in the sense
relativity. People wont feel singular in a kind of grief each poem represents. Sadness due
to loss is universal. Its not that we want people to be sad if when are, its just comforting to
know that you are not alone when you are.

References:

Edgar Allan Poe (1849) Annabel Lee

Charlotte Bronte (1849) On Death of Annabel Lee
Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/carlachavezs/on-the-death-of-anne-bronte,
March 23, 2015
Retrieved from: https://yourlovepills.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/analysis-on-the-poemannabel-lee-by-edgar-allan-poe/, March 23, 2015
Retrieved from: http://lowellwriter.hubpages.com/hub/Analysis-of-Charlotte-Brontes-OnThe-Death-Of-Anne-Bronte, March 23, 2015