Quick questions on Voice, tone and mood in poetry explained: O-Level Literature in English

The voice is whoever seems to be speaking the poem. It might be close to the poet, but it might be an invented character, an old man, a child, even an object. Treating the speaker as a constructed voice, rather than assuming it is the poet's own diary, lets you analyse the choices behind it. A useful habit is to write "the speaker" rather than "the poet feels", unless you have reason to think they are the same.

Tone is how the speaker feels about the subject, conveyed through word choice, imagery and rhythm. Is the speaker proud, sad, angry, gentle, sarcastic? You name tone with precise adjectives, and you prove it from the words. Avoid vague labels like "negative"; reach for exact ones like "resentful", "tender" or "mocking".

Mood, sometimes called atmosphere, is the emotional effect the poem has on you as you read. A poem can build a peaceful mood through soft sounds and calm images, or a tense mood through dark imagery and a jerky rhythm. Mood and tone are related: a fearful tone tends to create an uneasy mood, but they are not identical, so name both.

Tone and mood are not "felt vaguely"; they are built word by word. The technical term is diction, the poet's choice of words. A speaker who calls the sea "cruel" and "hungry" has a fearful, hostile tone; one who calls it "gentle" and "rocking" has a calm one. To prove a tone or mood, quote the loaded words and unfold their connotations.

Labelling a tone "negative" or "emotional" says almost nothing. Use precise adjectives and prove them.

Why should you usually write "the speaker" rather than "the poet" when analysing a poem? [2 marks]

A speaker describes a city as "grey, grinding and grim". What tone do these words suggest, and how? [2 marks]

Why is finding a shift in tone often the most valuable thing to analyse in a poem? [3 marks]