Comparison of Poetry

Comparison of Poetry

            This essay compares and contrasts McKuen’s   “Thoughts on Capital Punishment” and William Stafford’s “Traveling through the Dark.” Even though the two have comparable subjects, their rhythm and style differ. In my view, Stafford’s “Travelling through the Dark.” does better in conveying the message as compared to Rod McKuen’s “Thoughts on Capital Punishment.” I find that Stafford expresses his sentiments better than McKuen.

An analysis of both poems portrays unhappy imagery of an animal slain why crossing a motorway. In McKuen’s “Thoughts on Capital Punishment,” the speaker starts by expressing a strong emotion towards individuals who drive carelessly and end up hitting innocent animals (McKuen, 2005). While reading the poem, I found that the speaker utilizes compelling word choice to make the readers empathize with how these innocent animals feel. Words like “hell, killing, and guts as elaborated by Cotter (2009), caught my attention, and I consider that the speaker was too harsh why delivering the message.

Stafford’s “Traveling through the Dark” the speaker gives an emotional approach to the situation. Unlike the speaker in McKuen’s verse, the speaker here explains how a man found a lifeless animal by the roadside and decided to move it by the river. He takes this action to prevent possible harm to the dead animal or any related human accidents. In my opinion, the speaker’s effort to move the lifeless animal from the roadside depicts sincere sympathy and compassion. The third stanza of the poem demonstrates how the speaker shows empathy when he finds out that the dead animal is pregnant. Stafford’s choice words give the reader a strong close connection with the lifeless pregnant animal. Words like “waiting, alive, still, never to be born” are too powerful (PoemHunter, 2003).   The thought of unborn animals having denied a chance to live brings a feeling of mawkishness to the readers.

In conclusion, Stafford’s poem is better than McKuen’s, as far as message delivery is concerned. Even though both poems bare a similar subject, Stafford expresses an outstanding emotion and empathy as compared to McKuen. McKuen takes a direct a harsh, and aggressive approach towards the situation, and this could frighten a reader and make them misunderstand or misinterpret the poem. Stafford gives the readers a sense of compassion concerning the lifeless animal and its unborn fawn. Therefore, in my opinion, Stafford’s poem is superior of the two.

References

Cotter, J. (2009). Thoughts on Capital Punishment, a poem by Rod McKuen. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from the real deal website: http://cottertherealdeal.blogspot.com/2009/01/thoughts-on-capital-punishment-poem-by.html?m=1

McKuen, R. (2005). Thoughts on Capital Punishment. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction,        Poetry, and Drama. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Ninth ed. Np: Longman.

PoemHunter. (2003, January 13). Traveling Through the Dark Poem by William Stafford – Poem Hunter. Retrieved May 9, 2019, from PoemHunter.com website: https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/traveling-through-the-dark/