The Storm On The Island Poem Analysis

“The Storm” by Theodore Roethke and “Storm on the Island” by Seamus Heaney both depict the effects and build-up of a storm. They both describe the storms in first person and from the victims’ point of view. Both groups also hide indoors; taking shelter from the storm. They both include descriptions of the wind and sea very often, showing their roles of high destruction to the land. They are both written in first verse. “The Storm” is based in America and “Storm on the Island” is set on a small island in Britain.

A main difference in these two poems are the people who are targeted: the victims of the tragedy that occurs in their respective towns.
The islanders from the “Storm on the Island” poem are prepared, (“We are prepared: we build our houses squat”), as if they were expecting the storm, even though “the wizened earth” had never
The island is smaller compared to America, it therefore could be more vulnerable, as it is quickly effected by the storm, which could be a metaphor in itself. “The Storm” is arranged in a more disorganised fashion than the latter, to describe the huge mess the storm creates. Both uses of length are good for effect, and both also make good impact for suspense and tension. Both vary in sentence length, which successfully creates effect for both. Long sentences in “Storm on the Island” such as “leaves and branches can raise a tragic chorus in a gale” and “listen to the thing you fear, forgetting that it pummels your house too” are useful; the organisation of them in poem makes them even better.
I prefer the length of “Storm on the Island” because it’s more concise and to the point and gives you the chills, whereas “The Storm” drags on and it doesn’t feel as suspenseful or