Neutral Tones (AQA GCSE English Literature)

Each poetry anthology in the GCSE contains 15 poems, and in the poetry question in the exam you will be given one poem on the paper - printed in full - and asked to compare this given poem to one other from the anthology. You will not have access to the other poems in the exam, so you will have to know them very well from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to learn. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-mark response:

• The meaning of the poem
• The ideas and messages the poet wanted to convey
• How the poet conveys these ideas and messages through their methods
• How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas and themes of other poems in the anthology

Below is a guide to Neutral Tones by Thomas Hardy, from the Love and Relationships anthology. It includes:

• Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
• Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
• Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
• What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is essential that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• The poem in a nutshell
• A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section
• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Hardy’s intention and message

Neutral Tones in a nutshell

Neutral Tones is a poem written in 1867 by the English novelist and poet, Thomas Hardy. Neutral Tones is a sombre poem that contemplates the final moments of a romantic relationship as told from the viewpoint of the speaker. The overall tone of the poem is marked by feelings of bitterness and resentment and it exemplifies how this loss can entirely alter an individual. The poem delves deep into the speaker’s sorrow and hopelessness as he reminisces over the fact that a relationship from his past had already come to an end long before its actual separation.

Neutral Tones breakdown

Lines 1-4

“We stood by a pond that winter day,

And the sun was white, as though chidden of God,

And a few leaves lay on the starving sod;

– They had fallen from an ash, and were gray.”

Translation

• The speaker begins by the poem by describing a recollection of a winter day
• The speaker and their former lover were situated near a pond that appeared below a sun which seemed faded white, as though it had been reprimanded (“chidden”) by God
• Gray leaves, which had fallen from an ash tree, were scattered on the ground 

Hardy’s intention

• Through the use of pathetic fallacy , the bleakness of the “winter day” and the dullness of the sun, Hardy creates a dismal and depressing mood
• The white sun and falling leaves create a sense of decline: everything appears to be decaying, including the once fertile and natural elements
• The personification of the withering leaves and the “starving sod”, symbolises the couple's relationship and emphasises the sense of despair and hopelessness
• The portrayal of the whole world being “chidden” or punished by God also adds to the overall gloomy atmosphere

Lines 5-8

“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.”

Translation

• According to the speaker, the eyes of their lover/ex-lover appeared dull as they looked at each other, as if they were looking at an old riddle from long ago
• The two have a brief conversation about who has suffered more as a result of their relationship
• However, the conversation itself may have contributed to the decline in love between them

Hardy’s intention

• Hardy focuses the reader’s attention on the couple who appear to be uninterested and bored with each other
• The woman's eyes continuously wander, and they seem to engage in meaningless conversations, often referring to them as tedious or annoying riddles
• The term "tedious" conveys a sense of monotony and repetitiveness, while "riddles" represents the challenging and infuriating nature of their unresolved arguments
• Hardy uses the exchange of words to suggest that the couple are merely pretending to be in love and the ironic imagery reflects the frustrations [popover id="qq4zM8RtMK8YYlfL" label="Inherent"] in their relationship

Lines 9-12

“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…”

Translation

• During the conversation, the speaker portrays the smile of their former lover on that day as bleak and lifeless, yet with a faint spark of life that slowly diminished
• The speaker characterises the smile as bitter, drawing a comparison to a powerful bird soaring into the sky

Hardy’s intention

• Hardy uses a stark contrast by juxtaposing the lover’s former warm and loving smile with "deadest", emphasising the death of the relationship being described in this poem
• The line "Alive enough to have strength to die" contrasts life and death, highlighting the woman's desire for the relationship to end
• Additionally, the usage of "Grin of bitterness" serves as an oxymoron to emphasise her discomfort while not wanting to show it
• The phrase "Ominous bird a-wing" is used to suggest that the relationship is flying away like a bird, with "ominous" warning of something terrible to come
• Finally, the ellipsis {Error #829843: Missing popover `NdJ9COYbDvmbpON`} (“...”) suggests that time is passing by as the relationship decays

Lines 13-16

“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.”

Translation

• A significant amount of time has passed 
• The speaker has come to the understanding that love deceives
• The poem ends by the pond surrounded by grey leaves

Hardy’s intention

• The speaker admits to feeling deceived by love and the use of alliteration through the repetition of the "w" sound in "wrings with wrong" adds emphasis to this sentiment and highlights the speaker's distress
• The phrase "shaped to me" suggests that any negative incidents the speaker has had in relationships are linked to memories of standing by a lake with their former lover
• The word "curst" replaces "chidden" to describe the sun here, which is a harsher term and indicates that the speaker may be even more resentful than before about what occurred in their past relationship 
• Furthermore, the shift in describing the sun from "white" to "God curst" signifies a shift in the speaker's emotions, from a state of neutrality to one of anger and resentment
• The poem ends with a melancholic and depressing sentiment

Although this section is organised into three separate sections - form, structure and language - it is important to take an integrated approach to AO2, focusing on the main themes and ideas of the poem and then evaluating how Hardy’s choices of language, structure and form contribute to these ideas. In essence, how and why the poet has made the choices they have, in relation to their intentions and message. 

Focusing on the poet’s main ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. In the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Hardy’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:

• Form
• Structure
• Language

Form

The poem is composed of 16 lines which are written in quatrains. The first three stanzas focus on the past meeting of two lovers and the final quatrain is a reflection of it.

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s Intention
Loss	Neutral Tones is structured using quatrains and follows the traditional structure of an 'elegy'	An elegy is a lamentation poem composed in memory of a departed companion or loved one, which links to one of the themes of the poem

Structure

The structure of the poem indicates that the speaker finds solace in the controlled style, which allows him to express his passionate feelings in a much more suppressed manner.

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s Intention
Memory	The poem consists of four regular quatrains which are rhymed in an ABBA pattern	The use of ABBA rhyme scheme in the poem suggests that the speaker is comforted by the constrained structure which enables him to convey his intense emotions in a more muted and controlled manner
		It reflects the writer's deliberate and measured reflections on the memory of his former relationship
		The regular and repetitive quatrains could also indicate that the memory has been replayed many times over in his thoughts
	Hardy employs an inconsistent rhythm throughout the poem	This could be viewed as a reflection of their unsteady and tumultuous relationship
	The poem uses a circular structure	Hardy returns the speaker to his melancholic, sombre state, by ending the poem with the speaker gazing at the pond
		The circular structure mirrors the speaker’s reluctance to let go of his painful memory and could allude to the speaker’s inability to move forward
Bitterness	Hardy uses enjambment in the poem to increases its pace though he also slows it down by using caesura	While the enjambment creates some release within the tight structure of the poem, the caesurae almost leads to the creation of a suffocating and restricting tone and could signify a growing sense of anger
		This suggests the speaker is unable to completely free himself from the memory of his relationship

Language

The poem's defeated tone underscores the risk of love resulting in loss and Hardy uses bleak imagery to signify this.

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s Intention
Memory	Hardy has written the poem in first-person past tense	This means that the viewpoint is limited to the speaker's perspective and suggests that it is a recollection of a memory: the overall tone of the poem is one of profound sadness, with no hint of positivity
	Hardy uses imagery to create a bleak atmosphere	The opening lines of the poem creates an intense image of cold and desolate surroundings
	Hardy employs pathetic fallacy by describing "winter" to evoke feelings of sadness and coldness right from the beginning	Pathetic fallacy is used to depict the speaker's desperation and the first descriptions of the winter day indicate a dull and colourless environment, which signifies a lack of warmth or connection between the couple
		The phrase "starving sod" is used as a metaphor to describe the soil while personifying it as miserable, emphasised further through the use of sibilance which is used to create a sense of despair
Pain and Loss	There is an absence of colour throughout the poem	The use of the word "neutral" in the title suggests a lack of passion or intensity
		Hardy's choice of words such as "gray", "white", and "ash" further reinforces this sense of lifelessness and emotional emptiness
		The language of colour used throughout the poem reflects the faded and colourless nature of the relationship, as well as the speaker’s state of mind and conveys a sense of melancholy and resignation
		The emotion of bitterness is personified, which suggests that nature is intentionally positioned against the couple’s relationship
	Hardy uses references to death throughout the poem to establish a foreboding tone	The smile of his former lover is characterised as "the deadest thing", which indicates the torment of their former relationship
	The poem's language is characterised by a lack of emotional expression	Phrases such as "the smile on your mouth was the deadest thing" and "love deceives" encapsulate the sense of emotional numbness and disillusionment that permeates the poem
		Hardy's choice to convey complex emotions through understated language reflects the theme of suppressed feelings and the inability to fully express or confront the pain of lost love
Bitterness	The poem employs the use of juxtaposition and oxymoron	Hardy presents the relationship as a series of opposites: instead of love there is coldness; instead of intimacy there is “wandering”; instead of genuine emotion, there is a forced smile
	The poem's title suggests that it does not embody excessive emotion or intense heartache	The writer has opted for a "neutral" and unfeeling tone: “neutral” describes both the winter scene, drained of bright colour, and the relationship, drained of hope and love while “Tones” can refer to colour and to mood
		The word "grayish" is linked to the title "Neutral Tones" to suggest that the characters lack emotional interest in each other

Examiners are clear that context should not be written about separately. It is therefore important that you do not write about context separately, or include irrelevant biographical information about Thomas Hardy or the historical figures mentioned in the poem. The best way to include context is to start with the key themes and ideas in the poem, and then include an exploration of why the writer may have chosen to address these themes and ideas. This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Hardy explores:

• Pain and Loss
• Memory

Pain and Loss

•  Thе 19th-cеntury was a timе of grеat еxploration and discovеry and in particular, sciеncе, mеdicinе and psychology wеrе all undеrgoing rapid changеs and advancеs:
• Victorians traditionally sought solacе in thе notion that rеligion was thе only viablе еxplanation for thе natural world though thе еmеrgеncе of nеw sciеntific idеologiеs playеd a crucial rolе in challеnging thеsе еstablishеd rеligious bеliеfs
• Thеrе was a significant еvolution in rеligious viеwpoints which lеd to a widе array of rеligious bеliеfs amongst pеoplе:
• Duе to this divеrsity, thеrе wеrе oftеn tеnsions bеtwееn thosе who followеd rеligious doctrinеs and thosе who sought to livе frееly without strictly adhеring to rеligious convеntions
•  Whilе Hardy was raisеd in a Christian housеhold and livеd in a prеdominantly Christian sociеty, hе dеvеlopеd a critical stancе towards traditional rеligious bеliеfs and institutions
• In much of his writing, Hardy portrays a world in which traditional rеligious bеliеfs and moral codеs arе challеngеd or found wanting:
• Thе poеm convеys a sеnsе of purposеlеssnеss that could bе associatеd with this loss of faith
• God's prеsеncе in thе poеm might indicatе somе sort of univеrsal malеvolеncе and thе notion that lovе is bound to bе futilе
• Whilе Hardy rеjеctеd spеcific rеligious doctrinеs, hе maintainеd a dееp apprеciation for thе bеauty of naturе and thе transcеndеnt powеr of thе natural world
•  It was widеly rеcognisеd that Hardy's two unhappy marriagеs had an impact on his dеmеanour, rеsulting in him bеing pеrcеivеd as insеcurе and sеnsitivе:
• Thеsе еmotional strugglеs arе еffеctivеly convеyеd through thе gloomy tonе of his poеm

Memory

• In Victorian England, mеmory hеld a significant placе in thе cultural and sociеtal fabric, oftеn intеrtwinеd with thе idеals of Romanticism:
• During thе Romantic pеriod, mеmory was oftеn cеlеbratеd as a powеrful forcе that could transport individuals to a morе idеalisеd and sublimе past:
• Mеmory was oftеn idеalisеd and romanticisеd during this pеriod and it was sееn as a way to prеsеrvе and rеlivе chеrishеd momеnts
• Romantic poеts, such as William Wordsworth, еmphasisеd thе transformativе powеr of mеmory in connеcting individuals with naturе, childhood innocеncе, and spiritual transcеndеncе
• It was associatеd with nostalgia and a longing for thе past, particularly in thе facе of sociеtal and industrial changеs during thе 19th cеntury
• Rеalism latеr еmеrgеd as a litеrary movеmеnt that aimеd to dеpict thе world and human еxpеriеncеs in a morе truthful and rеalist mannеr, oftеn challеnging thе idеalisеd portrayals of еarliеr Romantic litеraturе:
• Although influеncеd by Romanticism, Hardy is oftеn rеgardеd as a rеalist writеr and Nеutral Tonеs еxеmplifiеs his rеalist tеndеnciеs
• In thе poеm, Hardy challеngеs thе notion of mеmory as somеthing positivе and instеad prеsеnts it as a sourcе of еmotional еmptinеss and disillusionmеnt
• Hardy prеsеnts a morе rеalistic and nuancеd pеrspеctivе on mеmory that aligns with his ovеrall pеssimistic and scеptical outlook on lifе and rеlationships:
• Thе poеm rеflеcts thе disappointmеnt and еmotional dеtachmеnt that wеrе common fеaturеs of thе rеalist approach

The essay you are required to write in your exam should be an integrated comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems (the one given on the exam paper and one other). It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents key ideas and themes, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that Neutral Tones explores ideas of pain, loss and memories the following comparison would be a good place to start:

• Neutral Tones and When We Two Parted

For each pair of poems, you will find:

• The comparison in a nutshell
• Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
• Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
• Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

Neutral Tones and When We Two Parted

Comparison in a nutshell:

This comparison provides the opportunity to compare the poets’ attitudes towards pain, loss and memory. 

Similarities:

Topic sentence	Both Neutral Tones and When We Two Parted explore the theme of lost love and its aftermath and describe the sorrow that it has brought upon the speaker.
Evidence and analysis	Neutral Tones	When We Two Parted
	Neutral Tones focuses on emotional detachment, disillusionment , and the decay of a relationship	When We Two Parted examines the pain, longing and bitterness associated with the end of a love affair
	The tone remains consistent throughout the poem, reflecting the speaker’s meloncholy and resignation	The poem delves into themes of betrayal, secrecy, and the lasting impact of a broken bond
	Hardy employs visual and sensory imagery to create a desolate and bleak atmosphere	Byron employs vivid and dramatic imagery to convey the intensity of the speaker’s emotions
	The imagery is often colourless and lifeless, reflecting the decay of the relationship	The poem features images of darkness, coldness, and secrecy, reinforcing the feelings of betrayal and loss

Topic sentence	Both Hardy and Byron use a bitter tone to convey their sadness and sorrow.
Evidence and analysis	Neutral Tones	When We Two Parted
	The poem is narrated in the first person and the voice is Introspective and reflective	The poem also employs a first-person perspective, but the voice is more direct and confrontational
	The narrator presents personal observations and reflections on the past	The speaker expresses a sense of hurt and addresses the absent lover directly, adding a sense of personal anguish to the poem
	The poem conveys a sombre and restrained tone and the language conveys emotional emptiness and suppressed feelings	Byron’s poem carries a more intense and passionate tone and it evokes strong emotions such as grief, anger, and resentment

Differences:

Topic sentence	Both Byron and Hardy use structure and form differently to present the breakdown of a relationship in various ways.
Evidence and analysis	Neutral Tones	When We Two Parted
	The poem consists of four regular quatrains which are rhymed in an ABBA pattern	The poem consists of four stanzas comprising eight lines each, but the rhythm used is not uniform
	The use of ABBA rhyme scheme in the poem suggests that the speaker is comforted by the constrained structure which enables him to convey his intense emotions in a more muted and controlled manner	The rhyme pattern follows an ABABCDCD scheme which, while more regular than the metre, adds a strong emphasis to the end of each line
	It creates a sense of control and order that contrasts with the emotional content of the poem	The poem does not adhere to a specific structured form like Neutral Tones and although it is similarly written in four quatrains, the rhyme scheme and metre varies which contributes to its emotional intensity and dramatic effect