Neutral Tones Flashcards
“We stood by a pond that winter day”
“winter” - cold, quiet, lack of life (plants shed leaves).
- Reflects the mood of the couple.
- symbolic of relationship.
Technique: pathetic fallacy, symbolism
Mood is unwelcoming, hostility between couple.
reader is exposed immediately to the troubles in the relationship.
“The sun was white, as though chidden of God”
“white” - blank, plain, lack of colour, happiness.
“chidden” - to scold.
Technique: nature imagery, colour imagery.
- Sun shows that nothing can create warmth/love between the couple; extremity of problems.
- Religious reference reinforces how bad the problems are.
Reader sees the lack of love between couple.
“A few leaves lay on the starving sod”
“leaves” - metaphorical/symbolic of character and partner.
“starving” - a lack (maybe in relationship).
Technique: metaphor, symbolism
-No life and a lack is seen.
Reader sees that something is missing in the relationship.
“Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove
Over tedious riddles of years ago”
“rove” - to wander without fixed destination - don’t know what they are looking for in relationship/where relationship is going.
“tedious” - tiresome or monotonous - not enjoyable.
“years ago” - not in present, no love now.
Technique: metaphor
-Don’t want this relationship.
-Struggling to understand each other’s problems.
Reader given an insight to the attitudes of the partners towards each other. Find each other tiresome.
“And some words played between us to and fro
On which lost the more by our love.”
“played” - an act, a facade.
“lost” - signifies the loss of feelings for each other.
Technique: enjambment
-How their lack of conversation has led to their loss of feelings.
Reader notices a lack of communication, indicating a troubled relationship.
“The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing
Alive enough to have strength to die.”
“deadest” - superlative, ending, lifeless.
Technique: contrast, juxtaposition, superlative
- Smile is happy but is compared to death.
- Alive and die are juxtaposed to show the difference between the facade they are putting on and the reality of their relationship/feelings.
Reader feels a sense of pity for them as they can’t communicate their differences and come to a resolution.
“And a grin of bitterness swept thereby
Like and ominous bird a-wing.”
“grin of bitterness” - false expressions, forced, no actual emotion.
“ominous” - inauspicious, threatening, foreshadows.
Technique: simile, adjective.
- The fake grin foreshadows the physical splitting of the couple.
- A-wing implies that they are soon going to separate (one will leave).
Reader gets the sense that they are soon going to actually split and stop faking their partnership.
“keen lessons that love deceives”
“keen” - importance, regrets not learning before.
“deceives” - to trick or carry out a fraud. Blames the partner for the break, not loving or respectful.
Technique: verb
-Pushes the blame onto partner, not accepting own fault.
Reader given insight to how the relationship couldn’t work as there wasn’t a balance.
“…have shaped to me
Your face, and the God-curst sun, and a tree,
And a pond with greyish leaves.”
“God-curst” - a wrathful deity, drains hope from situation.
Technique: circular structure
-In the same position as at the start, no improvements in relationship.
Reader feels sorrow as the relationship has come to an end; unable to resolve problems.
Form, rhyme scheme
- Dramatic monologue; gives an insight to character.
- ABBA rhyme scheme, except for slant rhyme in rove and love (to signify start of distance being realised).
