Tone in poetry
Tone
• Tone, in literature, may be defined as the
writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward his
subject, his audience, or himself.
• It is the emotional coloring, or the
emotional meaning, of the work and is
extremely important part of the full
meaning
Tone
• The tone may be ecstatic, incredulous,
despairing, resigned etc.
• Obviously, a correct interpretation of the tone will
be an important part of understanding the full
meaning
• For instance, if someone calls you a fool, your
interpretation of the tone may determine whether
you roll up your sleeves for a fight or walk off
with your arm around his shoulder
Tone
• In poetry tone is likewise important. We
have not really understood a poem unless
we have accurately sensed whether the
attitude it manifests is playful or solemn,
mocking or reverent, calm or excited.
Means to recognize the tone
• Since we don’t have the speaker’s voice to
guide us to recognize the tone, we have
some other means:
- connotation
- imagery
- rhythm
- sentence construction
Tone
• Accurately determining tone is extremely
important in reading poems or in real life
• For the experienced reader it will be
instinctive and automatic.
• For the beginning reader it will require
study.
Tone
• But beyond the general suggestions for
reading that we already have made, there
are no specific instructions we can give.
• By reading poems carefully a reader can
sharpen his instinct to get the tone easily
Tone
• Recognition of tone requires increasing
familiarity with the meanings and
connotations of words, alertness to the
presence of irony and other figures, and
above all, careful reading.
• Poetry cannot be read as one would skim
a newspaper or a mystery novel looking
merely for facts.