Tone is a major contributor to the work of the “Hate Poem”. “Tone is an aspect of point of view since it has a great deal to do with the narrator. Tone is the narrator’s predominant attitude toward the subject, whether that subject is a place, event, character or idea” (Writing Essays about Literature, Kelley Griffith page 46). When analyzing the “Hate Poem” by Julie Sheehan, “To understand the tone of the poem, we need to listen to the words, as we might listen to an actual conversation. The key is to hear not only what is being said but also how it is being said.” (Kennedy and Gioia) Her use of several styles of irony help with the tone she is trying to convey. She uses the word hate when it has the ability to actually mean it’s opposite, love. It clearly makes a difference in what the speaker was saying and how people may react to it when exchanging those words. She uses the repetition of the words hate, you, and my which add emotion and emphasize her personal deep down feelings. Without her use of sarcasm this poem would have been good but not great. Her sarcastic wording brought great attention to her poem, and allowed her to convey her message that love and hate are such passionate emotions that are so closely connected and can be intertwined into one another. The use of figurative language is one of the strongest assets of the poems tone. Without the passionate emotion portrayed she would have lost some of the tone and the tone is what enables the speaker to affectively get her meaning of the poem across.
“Poet Billy Collins has said of her work, “Julie Sheehan possesses a range of tones- tender, sassy, quietly observant, deeply cutting” (www.poetryfoundation.com). In an interview with Julie Sheehan, the interviewee h...
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...ng hate with love she wrote and amazing love poem that is extremely passionate and deep. This poem shows how every word in a poem is essential to how it is received by the audience.
Works Cited
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Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. "Chapter 10, Hate Poem." Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 412+. Print.
Nuzzo-Morgan, Tammy. "Interview with Julie Sheehan." Interview. Web log post. Her Campus. Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. .
Sheehan, Julie. "Julie Sheehan." : The Poetry Foundation. National Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. .
Kay Ryan, born 1945 in California, is an exceptional author who is renowned for her work (Poets.org). Her poems may seem simple to some, but they have the power to leave an everlasting mark in your mind. It is no surprise that distinguished writers and critics, such as Dana Gioia, have complimented her writings for its “sheer intelligence” and “indeed wisdom” (“Discovering Kay Ryan”).
Reading on this topic intertextually allows the concept to be explored in greater depth, reinforcing the concept to readers, whilst appealing to different audiences through the different forms of poetry. Rosemary Dobson’s poems,
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“She wanted a little room for thinking” (1) is how Dove begins her poem, and this automatically lets the reader know that the female subject of the poem has been troubled by something, or someone. This line alone portrays the gender of the poem, and it welcomes the reader into the life of this woman who desires to reflect on whatever has been troubling her. By using the pronoun “She,” as opposed to “I,” Dove looks in on the life of an unknown woman and not on the life of her own. Throughout the poem, we learn about this woman’s miniature escape away from her daughter, Liza, and all of the responsibilities that come with being a mother. The poem’s title also tells the reader that this stressed woman is in search for something not within reach. Taking a look at the role of gender, the life of Dove herself, and the knowledge shared by scholars Stein, Meitner, and Righelato, a deeper look...
Carlsen, G. Robert. Insights Themes in Literature. New York: Webster Division, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1967.
An important element that is displayed in both love and hate is motivation. An example of this is portrayed in “A Note on My Son’s Face,” as the author states, “I wanted that face to die, to be reborn in the face of a white child” (35,36). This line displays a level of prejudice towards what is hers. Derricotte battles intense feelings of wanting a white looking child amongst a world where not being grateful for what she has is seen as hatred towards her son. She looks at the face of her black child and is filled with animosity for what he looks like and what he will become. This is where the motivational factor comes into play, and where the lines of love and hate really become blurred. Does she hate her child because of how he looks? or Does she love her child because she wants him to become better than what he is destined for? She is motivated by love to want him to become better than what she believes is possible for him, yet she displays hate in the sense that she is hurting the child for what he is, and also for what he has no control over. According to Rempel this grandmother is displaying both intense feelings of love and hate. Loving what is hers, but hating what it will become. Therefore, this poem supports the theory that love and hate are
Influenced by the style of “plainspoken English” utilized by Phillip Larkin (“Deborah Garrison”), Deborah Garrison writes what she knows, with seemingly simple language, and incorporating aspects of her life into her poetry. As a working mother, the narrator of Garrison’s, “Sestina for the Working Mother” provides insight for the readers regarding inner thoughts and emotions she experiences in her everyday life. Performing the daily circus act of balancing work and motherhood, she, daydreams of how life might be and struggles with guilt, before ultimately realizing her chosen path is what it right for her and her family.
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Diction plays a critical role in the development of the tone in a story. The type of words the author uses directly leads to the tone of the entire literary work. If ...
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