What is the purpose of the stanza?
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.
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er,
But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!