Neutral tones Flashcards
(8 cards)
brief summary
the speaker is recounting meeting with a former lover at the side of a pond. it is winter when they meet so the atmosphere is cold and deathlike suggesting they no longer love each other
context
Thomas hardy was known as being insecure depressed and sensitive as a result of two unhappy marriages. these experiences are reflected in his poems
analyse
“we stood by the pond that winter day”
pathetic fallacy establishes sadness and coldness. the verb “stood” is in the past tense suggesting the relationship is over.
analyse
“they had fallen from ash and where gray”
the idea of falling leaves is linked to autumn which implies their relationship is entering winter and the warmth is leaving it
analyse
“And some words played between us to and fro”
“words” is personified to highlight the lack of communication between them
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“the smile on your mouth was the deadest thing”
juxtaposition between life and death shows the pain caused by love
analyse
“your face, and the God cursed sun, and a tree”
“God cursed sun” suggest God is fundamentally against the relationship
structure
the poem starts and ends in the same location this represents the stagnant nature of the relationship.
