Can anyone tell me the tone of this poem?
THE INVADING SPRING - Phoebe Hesketh
Man has fenced the wilderness back in the hills;
Tamed in the town he walks on concrete blocks;
And in the park his heart with pleasure fills -
But not at Wordsworth’s school-book daffodils.
No, his delight is catching up with clocks
And turning knobs and pressing button A -
The train is due; there’s half a minute to go
But the lift’s gone down and the escalator’s slow -
Praise God for the Underground this lark-song day!
Breathing, yet dead, his life is caged with steel -
Wire, wheel, and cable - automatic aids
To living - he exists but cannot feel
The slow barbaric beauty that invades
A world at Spring. He moves in crowds and queues
And reads the Morning Star and the Evening News
But cannot read the sky though April beats
A golden fanfare down the dusty streets
And breathes a green breath through the petrol fumes.
Yet a third-floor room is powerless to deny
The feel of leaves, the pollen-smell behind
New flowered cretonnes where a rebel wind
Is strong and blue with ranging through the sky.
And though the files of his mind are entered up
Like office ledgers, unknowing he holds the cup
Brimmed with the light of moons beyond his reach.
The street is thronged with more than he can know -
The Invisibles who know him; without speech
They call him; without form they come and go
And catch him by the sleeve until the slow
Unwilling flesh is beckoned from its task.
Released, he finds the vital stream that spills
A primrose light on sullen window-sills.
Here's a list of words that may describe the tone of a literary piece
angry, sad, sentimental, sharp, cold, fanciful, upset, urgent, complimentary, silly, joking, condescending, boring, poignant, sympathetic, afraid, detached, contemptuous, happy, confused, apologetic, hollow, childish, humorous, joyful, peaceful, horrific, allusive, mocking, sarcastic, sweet, objective, nostalgid, vexed, vibrant, zealous, tired, frivolous, irreverent, bitter, audacious, benevolent, dreamy, shocking, seductive, restrained, somber, candid, proud, giddy, pitiful, dramatic, provocative, didactic
I'm sorry I don't know the source of this list. It was given me by a student in a Raleigh high school English class.
And remember that "mood" in a literary piece goes beyond simply feeling or atmosphere or ambiance.
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/mood.html
It's "the emotional attitude the author takes towards hir subject."
The tone? Exultant, I guess, and perhaps smug, because the author knows something everyone else is missing. It’s a kind of exhortation - but from a distance, as if the world is going on within her and without her.
To determine the tone of a poem, one must analyze the overall attitude or mood conveyed by the poet. This can be achieved by examining the language, imagery, and themes presented in the poem.
In the poem "The Invading Spring" by Phoebe Hesketh, the tone can be described as critical and contemplative. The poet expresses a sense of dissatisfaction with modern society and the way people have become detached from the natural world. The use of words like "fenced," "tamed," and "caged" suggest a feeling of confinement and restriction. The poet laments how people are more focused on technology and materialism, represented by "catching up with clocks" and using the Underground.
Additionally, the poet contrasts the beauty and vitality of spring with the artificiality of urban life. The descriptions of "slow barbaric beauty" invading a world at Spring, and April's golden fanfare through the dusty streets, evoke a sense of natural wonder and rejuvenation. However, the people in the poem are portrayed as being oblivious to this beauty, absorbed in their daily routines and detached from the environment.
Towards the end of the poem, there is a glimmer of hope as the poet suggests that even within the confines of a third-floor room, one can still experience a connection with nature. The mention of leaves, pollen-smells, and rebel winds create a sense of freedom and transcendence. The final lines of the poem describe the protagonist being beckoned from his tasks and finding a primrose light that illuminates the sullen window-sills, implying a momentary escape from the confines of urban life.
Overall, the tone of the poem is a mix of disillusionment and longing for a deeper connection with nature, with a glimpse of hope for finding moments of escape and illumination.