VOICE AND TONE
JOHN MILTON (1608 – 1674)
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English poet and man of
letters.
Author of political,
philosophical, and religious
poetry and prose in Latin
and English.
Served in Oliver
Cromwell’s government.
Lost his eyesight while on
public service.
“WHEN I CONSIDER HOW MY LIGHT IS SPENT”
1 When I consider how my light is spent
2 Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
3 And that one talent which is death to hide
4 Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent
5 To serve therewith my Maker, and present
6 My true account, lest he returning chide,
7 "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
8 I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
9 That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need
10 Either man's work or his own gifts: who best
11 Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
12 Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed
13 And post o'er land and ocean without rest:
14 They also serve who only stand and wait."
EMILY DICKINSON (1830 – 1886)
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A major American poet.
Unrecognized and
almost unpublished
during her lifetime.
Lived an extremely
lonely life.
Enjoyed gardening and
literature,
communicating to
people mostly through
correspondence.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Does the poem clearly fall into a certain
category (type, genre)?
What kind of a speaker do we encounter?
Does the speaker have a set identity
(personality type, occupation, gender, etc.) or
is he/she anonymous?
Whom does the speaker address?
Do you, personally, connect to the speaker?
Why?
THE TONE OF THE POEM
The Tone: the speaker’s attitude toward the
subject or the audience, expressed through
word choices, sentence structure, imagery,
meter, rhyme, etc.
 What kinds of tone can a poem have?
 Does the tone stays the same or
can it change as the poem unfolds?
THE TONE
Serious
 Comic
 Ironic
 Sarcastic
 Formal
 Joyful
 Sad (elegiac)
 Playful
 Condescending
Et cetera…
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THOMAS GRAY (1716 –1771)
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English poet, not prolific
but influential.
Most famous for “Elegy
Written in a Country
Churchyard” (1751).
General James Wolfe
said in 1759:
"Gentlemen, I would
rather have written that
poem than take Quebec
tomorrow.”
“ODE ON THE DEATH OF A FAVOURITE CAT”
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The Ode: a genre of
lyrical poetry; a
relatively lengthy poem,
serious in subject
matter, elevated in its
diction and style; written
in praise or
commemoration of a
person or an event.
IRONY
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Irony involves a difference
or contrast between
appearance and reality that is a discrepancy
between what appears to be
true and what really is true.
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There are three common
types of irony in literature.
http://serc.sogang.ac.kr/erc/Literature/Irony.htm
Verbal irony occurs when people
say the opposite of what they
mean.
There are two kinds of verbal irony :
 Understatement occurs when
one minimizes the nature of
something.
 Overstatement occurs when
one exaggerates the nature of
something.
Verbal irony in its most bitter and
destructive form becomes
sarcasm. Someone is
condemned by a speaker
pretending to praise him or her.
A.
http://serc.sogang.ac.kr/erc/Literature/Irony.htm
IRONY
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B. In situational irony,
the situation is different
from what common
sense indicates it is, will
be, or ought to
be. Situational irony is
often used to expose
hypocrisy and injustice.
http://serc.sogang.ac.kr/erc/Literature/Irony.
htm
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C. Dramatic irony occurs
when a character states
something that they
believe to be true but
that the reader knows is
not true. The key to
dramatic irony is the
reader's foreknowledge
of coming events.
http://serc.sogang.ac.kr/erc/Literature/Iro
ny.htm
ELEGY
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A poem written in elegiac
couplets.
A song or poem
expressing sorrow or
lamentation especially for
one who is dead;
Something (as a speech)
resembling such a song or
poem;
A pensive or reflective
poem that is usually
nostalgic or melancholy.
http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/elegy
DENISE LEVERTOV (1923-1997)
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British-born American poet,
critic, feminist, and political
activist.
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Prominent representative
of American avant-garde.
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Claimed to have been a
poet since age five.
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“What Were They Like?”
ROBERT FROST (1874-1963)
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A major American poet.
Associated with New
England.
Author of works of deep
philosophical and
psychological complexity
“disguised” as “realistic”
poems.
Winner of four Pulitzer
Prizes.
“Fire and Ice” (1920)