Tone/Mood

Tone dictates the mood of the play by giving the authors attitude about the subject. It uses diction and sounds to help give the poem and rhythm and feeling of that tone. The tone can shift depending on the author and what he's trying to say. For example, Coy Mistress is like three different poems, each stanza's diction and sound shifts and changes the mood with it. The First stanza drags along as if he were taking up all the time he could, the second is short and straight to the point as if he had no more time, and the third expresses how he feels and emphasizes "carpe diem" and gives the point of the poem. Therefore the tone always revolves around the main theme of the play and gives a certain attitude about it. However, compared to To the Virgins the tone is very different. Herrick isn't in a rush to get his point across, instead he is just giving out a warning to the women in the world and saying take it or leave it...BUT if you leave it you will lose your prime forever and your life will be a waste. (no big deal) Moreover, the mood in a play can be a bit different as it may shift from character to character. Claudius evokes the arrogance of a king while Hamlet demonstrates his immaturity as a young boy. Other character's moods help balance the play from moving too far in one direction; leaving the overall mood of the play as one that is gloomy and dark until the very end where revenge is fulfilled.

Diction

Diction in poems is the word choice used by the author he thinks best fits with his ideas and the tone. Diction often determines the poems tone by direction the flow and structure of the poem. For example, Ulysses has a long slow feeling to it as if time is moving so slowly and everything is boring. This goes hand in hand with the idea of Ulysses life, he was once a great warrior and king but his adventure away from home has taken up the majority of his prime and now he has nothing left but to live out the rest of his life being a past memory. The diction in to the virgins also flows with the idea because it is about youth and viginity; therefore, he uses roses and flowers to make his point. The naural beauties in his poem are part of his diction and allow his point to be undetstood by his readers.

Imagery/Figurative Language

Figurative language gives a deeper meaning to the words on the page and can help convey the message of the author in a simpler and more related way. Figurative language can take a complex idea and make it easier to understand because of how a metaphor relates it to the real world. For example, in To the Virgins he compares a woman virginity to a rose bud and then a flower to time. The flowers arrival and passing shows the suddenness of time and how as soon as it is there it will be gone. He compares life to a race in order to exemplify his point of taking advantage of the time you have and waiting for nothing. This language makes the poem smoother and helps us understand his point in real world situations. Therefore, figurative language does its purpose by improving the flow and meaning of the poem.

Poetry Sounds

Poetry sounds can give a poem rhythm, emotion, and tone.  Sounds can be incorporated in the pace and use of either short or long words in a poem or it can be the literal sounds of a machine or object. For example the poem out out by Robert Frost examplifies sounds by using words like “snarled” and “rattled” to discribe the buzz saw. This personificaion of an animal is foreshadowing to the boy’s fate. The sounds also give the saw an aggressive persona. The saw is then givin a mind when he seems to jump at the boys hand when his sister calls for supper as if he understood what she said. The harsh sounds go hand in hand with the harsh reality of what happens after the boy passes.

Symbol/Theme

The symbols and themes of literature dictate the direction and meaning of the story and help guide the reader through it. Symbols like the Ghost of Hamlet Sr. represent corruption of the kingship and sets the basis for the direction of the play. The ghost tells Hamlet to revenge his death and set him free from being a ghost. Most of the play is Hamlet's indecision about what to do and how to make sure he does his job correctly. The theme of revenge goes hand in hand with the symbol. Themes give charaters meaning because they give them a reason for their actions.