Neutral Tones Flashcards
Context for the poem?
Written by Thomas Hardy who had 2 unhappy marriages, one with his secretary
In the Victorian Era when the poem was created, a woman’s role was defined as having children and marriage
How is love presented in the poem?
Distant and a lack of love
What are some themes in the poem?
No connection, No colour, Melancholy
“Winter day”
Setting of pathetic fallacy - represents death and gloominess, pessimistic viewpoint
“Words played”
Verb - contrasts the overall theme of the poem
Personification - they can no longer share words of support
“The sun was white”
Chidden of God”
Metaphor - lack of colour represents lack of love in relationship
Simile - God told off the Sun, wife could represent sun and speaker God
“Fallen from an ash”
Season symbolism - autumn is before winter, preparing for the end, death
“Starving sod”
Sibilance - emphasises the desperation of the speaker and how he is starving for love
“Have shaped to me/ your face”
Hyperbole - wife is the image of deception, alters how he views her
Enjambement - emphasises this
“Like an ominous bird a-wing”
Simile - There is a predator around, something looming menacingly and blames wife for it
In Stanza 2 why is there a half rhyme between “rove” and “love”?
It shows how their love isn’t full or isn’t complete
Importance of the rhyme scheme?
The middle rhyme is trapped within the outer rhyme, like women in marriages of the time
Importance of the structure?
It is cyclical - emphasises how boring and repetitive their relationship was, links to theme of melancholy
Is a juxtaposition to their relationship as it has ended
Links to other poems?
When We Two Parted - both speakers have emotional pain and express it through pessimistic imagery
