neutral tones

• "we stood by a pond that winter day"

  • nature used as a motif
  • "winter" is example of pathetic fallacy; signifies coldness of moment as well as ending and death of relationship
  • "pond" connotes stillness; demonstrates lack of passion in relationship
  • inclusive pronoun "we" highlights speaker's inability to accept loss; he still wishes they were together
• "and the sun was white, as though chidden of god"

  • sun isn't usually "white"; hardy distorts nature - sun has been drained of passion and fire just like relationship
  • could also be personifying sun's shock as it watched demise of the couple's love
  • simile means as though the sun has been told off by god; adds to negative tone and shows how sullen the sun is feeling, sharing speaker's pain
• "and the sun was white, as though chidden of god"

  • religious imagery could be emblematic of how the speaker feels that even god disapproves of the breakup and her decision
  • alternatively, the reference to god could imply he is praying for divine intervention to bring him peace
• "and a few leaves lay on the starving sod; - they had fallen from an ash, and were gray"

  • personification of "sod" shows earth is thirsty for water, something to keep it alive
  • could be a microcosm for him; he is starving for affection from her - reinforced through colour imagery of "ash" and "gray"; implies all happiness and life sucked out of nature just like he is devoid of hope and vitality - beauty of world ruined
  • his depression reflected in surroundings and way he perceives nature; alludes to title: now views world in "neutral tones" - loss of colour as his life is no longer vibrant
• "and a few leaves lay on the starving sod; - they had fallen from an ash, and were gray"

  • alliteration of "leaves lay" creates song-like sound which contrasts with the sibilance which immediately follows: "starving sod" - reflects contrast between how he viewed world before and after breakup
  • sibilance is a soft, weak sound so it's melody-like; reflects how all melody and joy has gone from his life along with his love
• "and a few leaves lay on the starving sod; - they had fallen from an ash, and were gray"

  • continuous juxtaposition in poem: "leaves" symbolise growth but here they've fallen and are "gray" so are decaying in colour
  • this could illustrate how the couple is no longer well-suited; they're opposing to each other
  • repetition of "and" (polysyndeton); he vividly remembers every detail of that day so it clearly had a huge impact on him - he is almost reliving it
• "your eyes on me were as eyes that rove over tedious riddles of years ago; and some words played between us to and fro on which lost the more by our love"

  • directly addresses lover: "your eyes"
  • to "rove" is to move around aimlessly; he feels like her gaze is already straying away from him; connection lost
  • never find out what "words" were mentioned; he's more hurt by her expressions
  • "played" suggests the conversation was childish & he regrets it; the words resulted in further loss of love
• "your eyes on me were as eyes that rove over tedious riddles of years ago; and some words played between us to and fro on which lost the more by our love"

  • enjambment rhythmically mirrors her lack of interest like she has already moved on; could also mirror the way her eyes "rove"
• "the smile on your mouth was the deadest thing / alive enough to have strength to die / and a grin of bitterness swept thereby / like an ominous bird a-wing"

  • "smile" should indicate joy - described as "deadest" which means relationship doesn't bring her happiness anymore
  • "mouth" symbolises intimacy and communication; both have been lost
  • superlative "deadest" implies there are other signs of death in her but the worst is her insincere smile
• "the smile on your mouth was the deadest thing / alive enough to have strength to die / and a grin of bitterness swept thereby / like an ominous bird a-wing"

  • contrast between "alive" and "deadest"; as though he cannot distinguish between life and death anymore - life is futile without her
  • simile of "bird" has contrast; birds meant to be free; he knows his lover is flying away from him and she wants freedom - he views in negative ominous way
  • "ominous" implies he knows his life is going to get worse from this point in time; this moment has had a lasting impact for him
• "since then, keen lessons that love deceives, and wrings with wrong, have shaped to me your face, and the god curst sun, and a tree, and a pond edged with grayish leaves"

  • "since then" - passing of time
  • breakup made him feel very cynical about love and all other relationships; affected all relationships he has had since then
  • he feels he has been shaped by the wrong that has happened to him; the breakup made him who he is today
  • sun gone from being "chidden" by god to being "curst"; emotional state deteriorated and gotten worse
  • more leaves now than at start; his life has been destroyed
• structure:

  • cyclical structure; come back to same image of pond, god and sun
  • symbolic of how he is trapped in cycle of unhappiness
  • four regular quatrains; fixed structure symbolises stillness of moment & speaker's inability to move on from breakup that shaped his life entirely
• context:

  • thomas hardy was a victorian novelist & poet
  • much of his poetry is autobiographical
  • a lot of his poetry was focused on his first wife, emma, who he broke up with and she soon died and then he mourned her death for rest of his life
  • however, critics say that neutral tones was written about a previous relationship that didn't last
  • he was also influenced by romantic poets which is why nature features so heavily in his poem
• poet's message:

  • romantic poets were those who wrote about power of nature during time when factories were being built in britain and people weren't giving nature the respect it deserved
  • therefore nature features so heavily in this poem; could reflect how hardy feels he didn't receive the love and affection he deserved
• themes:

  • loss
  • distance
  • death
  • memory
  • nature
  • pain
• "the smile on your mouth was the deadest thing"

  • paradoxical image of smile being "deadest thing" is powerful expression of emotional emptiness and lifelessness
  • suggests complete absence of genuine feeling or connection - kind of emotional void at heart of relationship
  • juxtaposition of smile, usually sign of happiness and warmth, with concept of death creates disturbing and unsettling image
• "keen lessons that love deceives"

  • idea of love teaching "keen lessons" in deception suggests bitter, disillusioned view of relationships
  • presents love as source of joy and fulfilment but as painful teacher that imparts wisdom through betrayal and disappointment
  • "keen" suggests sharpness, a cutting quality to these lessons that leaves lasting scars on heart and mind
• "and wring with wrong, have shaped to me your face"

  • idea of beloved's face being "shaped" by "wrong" and pain suggests transformation of lover's image in speaker's mind
  • implies experience of being wronged and hurt has fundamentally altered the way the speaker perceives their partner, distorting their features into a reflection of the pain they've caused
  • "wring" suggests kind of twisting or warping, a violent reshaping of once-beloved face