Tone, mood and atmosphere

The ideas of tone and mood are closely linked to the ‘voice‘ of the poem, in that it is the speaker’s tone ? whether it be happy, melancholy, bitter, regretful, angry, meditative etc. ? that creates a sense of the mood or atmosphere a poem establishes.

The tone, mood and atmosphere of a poem are the product of many factors, such as:

• the poet’s choice of words
• the imagery used
• the rhyme and rhythm patterns established
• the sound effects created through features such as alliteration and onomatopoeia
• the context or situation the poem describes

Watch the video below to help you remember the key poetic terms and the forms and structure of poetry to help you achieve the top grades.

Now look at the following two poems. Both are concerned with the idea of death but the mood, tone and atmosphere created in each are very different. In the first poem, Thomas confronts the idea of his father’s death.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)

Here, Hardy reflects on his life and the prospect, ultimately, of his death.

Great Things

Sweet cyder is a great thing,

A great thing to me,

Spinning down to Weymouth town

By Ridgeway thirstily,

And maid and mistress summoning,

Who tend the hostelry:

O cyder is a great thing,

A great thing to me!

The dance is a great thing,

A great thing to me,

With candles lit and partners fit

For night-long revelry;

And going home when day-dawning

Peeps pale upon the lea:

O dancing is a great thing,

A great thing to me!

Love is, yea, a great thing,

A great thing to me,

When, having drawn across the lawn

In darkness silently,

A figure flits like one-a-wing

Out from the nearest tree:

O love is, yes, a great thing,

A great thing to me!

Will these be always great things,

Great things to me? …

Let it befall that One will call,

‘Soul, I have need of thee’:

What then? Joy-jaunts, impassioned flings,

Love, and its ecstasy,

Will always have been great things,

Great things to me!

Thomas Hardy

How do these poems differ in terms of the tone, mood and atmosphere created?

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night has a fierce and bitter tone, which reflects Thomas’ feelings of anger at the prospect of his father’s death.

Great Things has a joyous and celebratory feel about it as Hardy reflects on the things he has enjoyed in life.

Now think about how the poets create these particular moods in their poems.

Here are some ideas:

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

• Vocabulary – words such as ‘burn’, ‘rave’, ‘rage’, ‘fierce’ and phrases such as ‘forked no lightning’, ‘caught and sang the sun in flight’, ‘blinding sight’, ‘blaze like meteors’ are very colourful and contain violent connotations, which reflect the feelings of anger and frustration that Thomas feels about his father’s death.
• The rhythm pattern of the poem and the rhyme scheme give the poem a solemn and serious feel, which helps to create the mood of the poem.
• The repetitions create an insistent tone, which emphasises both the message of the poem and the mood and atmosphere created.

 

Great Things

• Words such as ‘revelry ’, ‘dancing’, ‘love’, ‘Joy-jaunts’ and ‘ecstasy ’ create a sense of enjoyment and happiness.
• The rhythm pattern of the poem creates a lively, upbeat tempo.
• The repetitions present a refrain, which emphasises the good things the poet has enjoyed in life, and that even death can never take away these experiences.

When writing about how poets create particular moods or atmospheres, always use specific details from the poem and analyse the effects they have on the reader.