What is the tone of Neutral Tones by Thomas Hardy?
Neutral Tones is a love poem, but focuses on the sadness of the end of a relationship rather than the joy of sharing love. It has a tone of tenderness mixed with deep regret and even bitterness, packing poetic devices and original imagery into the four short stanzas to make a powerfully emotional piece of poetry.
What imagery is used in the poem Neutral Tones?
Imagery. Water is often used by poets to represent life – here it is a small, still body of water with no movement, emphasising how the relationship is not going anywhere. Usually associated with life and joy – here the sun is white and seemingly deprived of its power to warm and nurture.
What does starving sod mean in Neutral Tones?
“And a few leaves lay on the starving sod;”(3) Leaves fall from trees when they are dead, and the term ‘starving’ refers to the dying of the ground. This first stanza indicates that something once beautiful is dying.
What is the structure of Neutral Tones?
Neutral Tones is a four stanza, 16 line poem, with a set rhyme scheme abba, all full end rhymes except for the slant rhyme rove/love in the second quatrain.
When did Thomas Hardy write Neutral Tones?
1867
“Neutral Tones” is a poem written by Thomas Hardy in 1867. Forming part of his 1898 collection Wessex Poems and Other Verses, it is the most widely praised of his early poems.
What colours are neutrals?
Examples of neutral colors include beige, taupe, gray, cream, brown, black, and white. While neutral colors are not on the color wheel, they complement primary and secondary colors. You can combine primary colors—like red, white, and blue—to make a range of other colors.
Is Neutral Tones a dramatic monologue?
Thomas Hardy’s poem “Neutral Tones” is a dramatic monologue consisting of four tetrameter quatrains. The speaker addresses an estranged lover and reminisces about a foreseen moment in their past, which anticipated the demise of their relationship. It is a sad, pessimistic poem that portrays love as painful and doomed.
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