Tone in poetry

1. Tone in poetry

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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.