What is the purpose of the stanza?

Question

example: The purpose of this stanza is to develop a general time and place - setting - for 'The Raven'. In this stanza, the month is identified as a cold one and an unsavory one. Additionally, a fire is dying as a person seeks to grieve through reading a book. He is grieving over the loss of his love, Lenore. At this point, because it's so early in the narrative poem, no real tension - stress - has been developed, but we can begin to wonder over how the character will cope with the loss of his love. After all, he does refer to her as a "rare and radiant" maiden.

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—
On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—
Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

Answer 1

The purpose of this stanza is to show the speaker's response to the arrival of the raven. The speaker addresses the raven as a prophet and questions its origin and purpose. The speaker is desperate for answers and asks if there is any hope or relief ("balm in Gilead") for his sorrow. However, the raven's only response is the word "Nevermore," conveying a sense of despair and bringing a sense of finality to the speaker's search for solace.