Themes
English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Love & Relationships, topic 5.1.2
Incompatibility of the Lovers
The poem Neutral Tones is about the end of a relationship. Here are some techniques that Hardy uses to show the distance between and incompatibility of the lovers:
Juxtaposition
- The narrator uses juxtaposition (putting things close together for effect) in phrases like 'alive enough to have strength to die' to create a sense of the incompatibility of the lovers.
- The sun is 'white', implying it is cold.
- His lover’s smile is a dead 'thing' and an 'ominous' sign.
- This shows the disintegration of the relationship.
Pronouns
- The collective pronoun 'we' is only used in the beginning of the poem to show how the lovers have come apart.
- 'Us' and 'our' are also used but only to refer their love fading away even more.
Lifelessness of Relationship
Neutral Tones is about the end of a relationship. Hardy uses a variety of methods to show the lack of vitality (life) in the relationship.
Pathetic fallacy
- The poem uses pathetic fallacy to reflect the bleak lifelessness of the relationship.
- In particular, setting the poem in winter reflects the freezing of the former lovers' feelings and allows Hardy to use a dull colour scheme.
Repetition
- Hardy repeats the colour ‘gray’ throughout, to emphasise the lack of vitality in the landscape and their relationship.
Bitterness of the Narrator
Hardy's narrator is reflecting on the end of a relationship. Hardy creates a bitter sneering tone to show his dislike of his former lover.
Alliteration
- Alliteration in ‘wrings with wrong’ helps to create a bitter, sneering tone and reflects the narrator's anger and frustration.
Assonance
- Assonance (repetition of similar sounds) in the line ‘keen lessons that love deceives’ adds to the bitter tone of the narrator.
Test yourself on Themes
Which of these quotes from Neutral Tones uses juxtaposition?
What pronoun is used at the beginning of the poem but not the end?
Which of these techniques does Hardy use to show the lifelessness of the relationship?
Which colour is repeated throughout the poem?
Which of these techniques help reflect the narrator's bitterness in Neutral Tones?