Neutral tones Flashcards
What can be said about the title neutral tones
Neutral could refer to the two lovers, who are so out of love that they are completely indifferent about each other.
However, it could also describe the natural setting of the poem, showing us that there natural setting is completely uninterested in the human affairs taking place. This challenges romanticism, where nature is very significant and important.
When humans are under emotion or stress, we can often misinterpret nature’s indifference as symbolic and important.
When was neutral tones written and what can be said about this
Despite being written in victorian times, neutral tones follows lots of conventions of romanticism, such as love of nature, and dislike of modernisation.
What can be said about the setting in neutral tones
From the first to final verse, things change, e.g “grey” to “greyish”, and “god chidden sun” to “god curst sun”
The setting changes because the speakers memory changes over time, which makes us question if we should read symbolic meaning from it
What can be said about the use of the colour grey in neutral tones
Gray is a neutral colour, which symbolises indifference, which is a hint from hardy aht the setting is uninterested in the human affairs which are occuring
What pathetic fallacy is seen in neutral tones, and what does this tell us
Words like “winter”, “gray”, “white”, either, they DO in fact reflect the situation hardy is experiencing, OR it is the emotion of the speaker taking control, and believing that everything matches his own emotions and feelings.
What does the fact that neutral tones is set in winter tell us
It is the final season, with harsh conditions, which reflects the relationship . The sun is white instead of yellow, which adds to the bland, monochromal fell, which further mirrors the relationship
What four pieces of evidence in neutral tones show that the speaker is stuck in the past, and cannot get over the experience of his break up
The fact that the poem feels romantic, despite being written in the victorian era show that he is unable to escape his memories.
The poems cyclical structure, starting and ending by the pond - shows us that the speaker can never find closure
The rhyme scheme ABBA is also cyclical, showing he felt trapped in his relationship perhaps due to social norms
His use of outdated words (even for victorian times) such as “chidden”, and his spelling of “curst” shows us that he feels trapped in his past
What literary techniques tell us that the couple were not good for each other
The oxymoron - “deadest thing alive” makes no sense, just like the couples relationship
What does the lack of colour in the setting tell us about the reader in neutral tones
Shows nature’s indifference, but NOT the readers feelings. The reader feels frustrated and angry that he is trapped in this cyclical, endless, inescapable emotional torment.
What literary technique shows us the speaker feels angry, and is having an angry outburst
The repeated use of the word “and” makes it sound like a young child’s angry outburst, and the word and is very unpoetic, so its repetition seems emphasised and deliberate.
What moment does the perfect rhyme scheme break, and what does this show
There is a half rhyme of “rove”, and “love”, which is the only half rhyme in the entire poem. This reveals the true nature of the speaker, as perhaps the next rhyme he wished to use was “loathe”, but instead covers up his emotions and replaces it with love.
