Tone in Poetry

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Tone in Poetry

Tone can be defined as the attitude a writer takes toward his or her subject, characters or audience. Tone is also sometimes defined as the emotion or feeling of a piece of writing. For example, the e.e.cummings poem a leaf has a tone that is lonely, sad or depressed as evidenced by the word “loneliness” in the poem. Other words that could be used to describe tone are angry, sarcastic, funny, sad, hateful, joyful, etc.

a leaf

ee cummings

1(a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
l
iness

Robert Frost said “tone is what comes through a closed door when people are speaking out of earshot.” We cannot understand the exact words, but the tones of voice tell us what is going on. You can tell if the voice is pleading, demanding or doubtful, angry, happy, etc.

Tone Chart

Directions:Read the three poems in this packet. In the Poem Title/Author box write the name of the poem and the poet’s name. In the Tone boxwrite a word or phrase that you think describes the tone of the poem. In theEvidence box, copy the words or a phrase from the poem that you think shows or proves what the tone is. In the box labeled Explanation, describe how the evidence you found proves what you think the tone is. An example using the e.e. cummings poem a leaf is done for you.

Poem Title/Author / Tone / Evidence / Explanation
A leaf by e.e. cummings / Lonely, sad / The word “Loneliness.”
The form of the poem looks like a single falling leaf. / Cummings uses the word loneliness in his poem in conjunction with the form of single letters falling down the page to show us a feeling of loneliness and sadness.

Hazel Tells Laverne

Katharyn Machan Aal (b. 1952)
last night
I’m cleanin out my
howard johnsons ladies room
when all of a sudden
up pops this frog
musta come from the sewer
swimmin aroun an tryin ta
climb up the sida the bowl
so i goes ta flushm down
but sohelpmegod he starts talkin
bout a golden ball
an how i can be a princess
me a princess
well my mouth drops
all the way to the floor
an he says
kiss me just kiss me
once on the nose
well i screams
ya little green pervert
an i hitsm with my mop
an has ta flush
the toilet down three times
me
a princess

First fig

Edna St. Vincent Millay

My candle burns at both ends;

It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--

It gives a lovely light!

A Barred Owl

Richard Wilbur
The warping night air having brought the boom
Of an owl's voice into her darkened room,
We tell the wakened child that all she heard
Was an odd question from a forest bird,
Asking of us, if rightly listened to,
"Who cooks for you?" and then "Who cooks for you?"
Words, which can make our terrors bravely clear,
Can also thus domesticate a fear,
And send a small child back to sleep at night
Not listening for the sound of stealthy flight
Or dreaming of some small thing in a claw
Borne up to some dark branch and eaten raw.