Neutral Tones (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Each GCSE poetry anthology contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem - printed in full - and asked to compare this printed poem to another. The exam is closed-book which means you will not have access to the second poem. This does not mean you need to remember every line from memory, but you do need to understand and remember aspects of the poem. Understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:

• The meaning of the poem
• The ideas and messages of the poet 
• How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods
• How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology

Below is a guide to Thomas Hardy’s poem 'Neutral Tones' from the 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 vital 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 Thomas 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. The tone of the poem implies feelings of bitterness and resentment and it exemplifies how loss can affect an individual. The poem delves into the speaker’s sorrow as he reminisces over the fact that a relationship from his past had come to an end long before 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
• The gloomy mood emphasises the sense of despair lost love brings individuals 

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 bored of their endless problems
• The woman's eyes seem to speak of meaningless conversations, referred to 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 ironically refers to an exchange of words to suggest that the couple are merely pretending they are still in love 

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 starkly contrasts their love before and now by juxtaposing the lover’s former warm and loving smile with the superlative "deadest"
• The line "Alive enough to have strength to die" implies the relationship is about to die
• The bitterness is the woman’s smile warns the speaker like an "ominous bird a-wing":
• An ellipsis (“...”) suggests an unclear future 

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

• As time has passed, the speaker comes to understand that love has betrayed him (it “deceives”)
• The poem ends as if the pair have been punished as they stand under a “God-curst sun” by the pond and 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 
• The phrase "shaped to me" suggests that negative incidents the speaker has had in relationships have changed them 
• The shift from a “white” sun to one that is "curst" suggests a punishment, which implies pain and suffering
• The poem ends with a melancholic and depressing sentiment, implying a bleak future

Although this section is organised into three separate sections – form, structure and language – it is important to take an integrated approach, 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 sixteen 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 their meeting and the end of their relationship. 

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s intention
Romantic love	'Neutral Tones' is structured using regular quatrains and follows the traditional structure of an elegy	Using an elegy suggests a tribute to the memory of a departed companion or loved one
	The poem is a first-person reflection of a conversation between a pair of lovers	Hardy describes an intimate moment in a romantic relationship to convey the deep emotions experienced as it ends
	Hardy pays tribute to a romantic relationship that is dying

Structure

The structure of the poem indicates that the speaker attempts to control their emotions, yet a bitter tone suggests repressed emotions.

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s intention
Memory of love	The poem consists of four regular quatrains, which are rhymed in an abba pattern: This creates a cynical tone	The disciplined structure may convey intense emotions in a muted and controlled manner:  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: Enjambment increases the pace but this is slowed with caesurae	This could be viewed as a reflection of their unsteady and tumultuous relationship
	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	Hardy returns the speaker to his melancholic state, ending the poem with the speaker standing at the same pond
	The structure of Hardy’s poem implies a breakdown in a relationship does not mean the end of painful feelings of loss

Language

The poem's defeated tone underscores the risks involved in romantic relationships. Hardy uses dark imagery to signify the death of love.

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s intention
Loss of love	Hardy has written the poem in first-person past tense	The speaker's reflections are nostalgic and the tone of the poem is one of profound regret
	Hardy employs pathetic fallacy, setting the poem on a "winter day" to create a bleak atmosphere: The earth’s weak condition is emphasised with sibilance in “starving sod”	The opening lines of the poem create an intense image of cold and desolate surroundings
	The speaker's desperation is implied through a dull and colourless environment that may signify a lack of warmth in the relationship	Thе usе of thе word "nеutral" in thе titlе suggеsts a lack of passion or intеnsity Hardy's choicе of words such as "gray", "whitе" and "ash" furthеr rеinforcеs this sеnsе of lifеlеssnеss and еmotional еmptinеss
	Hardy usеs rеfеrеncеs to dеath throughout thе poеm to еstablish a forеboding tonе	Thе smilе of his formеr lovеr is charactеrisеd as "thе dеadеst thing", which implies an end to thеir rеlationship: This metaphor symbolises a sеnsе of emotional numbnеss and disillusionmеnt that pеrmеatеs thе poеm
	Hardy's choicе to convеy complеx еmotions through undеrstatеd languagе rеflеcts thе thеmе of supprеssеd fееlings and thе inability to fully еxprеss or confront thе pain of lost lovе

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 nineteenth-century Britain. 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 of love

Pain and Loss

•  Thе nineteenth century was a timе of grеat еxploration and discovеry:
• In particular, sciеncе, mеdicinе and psychology wеrе undеrgoing rapid changе
• Thе еmеrgеncе of nеw sciеntific idеologiеs playеd a crucial rolе in challеnging еstablishеd rеligious bеliеfs
• Victorians traditionally sought solacе in thе notion that rеligion was thе only viablе еxplanation for thе natural world:
• This led to 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 outside of 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 of love

• 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, innocеncе and spirituality:
• Poems like 'Neutral Tones' explore nostalgia and a longing for thе past
• Although influеncеd by Romanticism, Hardy is oftеn rеgardеd as a rеalist writеr and “Nеutral Tonеs” еxеmplifiеs his rеalist tеndеnciеs:
• Rеalism еmеrgеd as a litеrary movеmеnt that aimеd to dеpict thе world and human еxpеriеncеs in a morе truthful and rеalist mannеr
• These oftеn challenged thе idеalisеd portrayals of еarliеr Romantic litеraturе
• 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 Realist approach

The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about love or relationships, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that 'Neutral Tones' explores the ideas of romantic love and loss, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:

• 'Neutral Tones' and 'La Belle Dame sans Merci'
• 'Neutral Tones' and 'A Complaint'
• 'Neutral Tones' and 'My Last Duchess'

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 'La Belle Dame sans Merci'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both Thomas Hardy’s poem 'Neutral Tones' and John Keats's 'La Belle Dame sans Merci' present intimate romantic relationships as painful and deceptive. Nevertheless, Hardy presents a depiction of a lover’s conversation, while Keats's classical lyrical ballad narrates a romantic tale. 

Similarities:

Topic sentence	Both speakers describe their romantic relationships as destructive
Evidence and analysis	'Neutral Tones'	'La Belle Dame sans Merci'
	Hardy’s setting is described in natural imagery connoting to death:  The speaker is “by a pond that winter day,/And the sun was white” There are “a few leaves lay on the starving sod”	Keats, too, describes a pastoral setting that is cold and dead: The “sedge has withered from the lake” They are on a “cold hill side”
	The first-person speaker expresses despair: They refer to a “grin of bitterness” and the “God curst sun”	Keats uses imagery alluding to illness and anxiety:  Keats's sick knight is pale and fevered with “anguish moist” when he sees the lady
	The poets both present love as a powerful and dangerous force

Topic sentence	Both poets convey love as deceptive and connected to pain and loss
Evidence and analysis	'Neutral Tones'	'La Belle Dame sans Merci'
	Hardy’s speaker feels betrayed by romance:  The speaker has learned “keen lessons that love deceives” The speaker implies a warning with a simile and ellipsis: “Like an ominous bird a-wing….”	Keats describes the knight’s realisation that his meeting with the lady signals death: “Pale” men with “starved lips” cry out a warning: “‘La Belle Dame sans Merci/Thee hath in thrall!’”
	Hardy relates the loss of love with metaphorical language:  The speaker says “The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing” The speaker hints their relationship is almost over: “Alive enough to have strength to die”	At the moment of the knight’s death he is alone and the lady, his love, vanishes: A cyclical structure alludes to his death: he is “Alone and palely loitering” again on a “cold” hill It is silent at the end: “And no birds sing.”
	Both poems conjure vivid allusions to present loss within romantic relationships

Differences:

Topic sentence	While 'Neutral Tones' is a reflection on a dying relationship, 'La Belle Dame sans Merci' is a romantic tale told in a mediaeval ballad
Evidence and analysis	'Neutral Tones'	'La Belle Dame sans Merci'
	Hardy’s poem is a depiction of a conversation with a lover: They describe “Your eyes on me” and how “some words played between us to and fro”	Keats depicts a tale of romance in a lyrical ballad: The rhythm moves through the story in dialogue, using typical narrative features like “And there”
	Hardy’s poem follows a regular structure to convey the calm, albeit bitter, mood: The rhyme contributes to this as it follows a strict form of abba cddc effe ghhg	Keats uses caesura and exclamation marks to convey the characters’ emotional voices: As the knight dreams he issues an ominous exclamation: “—Ah! woe betide!—”
	While Hardy’s poem conveys a resentful and broken-down romance, Keats offers a traditional romantic story to portray love with elevated status

Neutral Tones' and 'A Complaint'

Comparison in a nutshell:

This is an effective comparative choice to explore the presentation of relationships and loss across the Relationships poems. However, while Hardy’s poem depicts the bitterness of lost love, Wordsworth’s poem is a melancholy reflection. 

Similarities:

Topic sentence	Both poems portray how the loss of love brings sadness
Evidence and analysis	'Neutral Tones'	'A Complaint'
	'Neutral Tones' focuses on emotional detachment, disillusionment and the decay of a relationship: The speaker describes their conversation by the pond in terms of loss	Wordsworth’s speaker laments the change that comes with lost love: “There is a change—and I am poor”
	The tone remains consistent throughout the poem, reflecting the speaker’s melancholy	Similarly, Wordsworth maintains a regular rhythm but uses short lines to emphasise the speaker’s sad tone
	Hardy employs visual and sensory imagery to create a desolate and bleak atmosphere: The leaves have “fallen from an ash” and are “gray”	Wordsworth uses a metaphor to describe the loss of love as bleak and lonely: “A comfortless and hidden well” where “waters sleep/In silence and obscurity”
	The poems both reflect the sense of overwhelming sadness that comes from losing a loved one

Topic sentence	Both poems offer personal perspectives on their relationships
Evidence and analysis	'Neutral Tones'	'A Complaint'
	The poem is narrated in the first person and the voice is introspective and reflective	The poem is a personal reflection that expresses the first-person speaker’s perspectives on their relationship
	The narrator presents personal observations and reflections on their past: They refer to “tedious riddles of years ago”	The speaker refers fondly to memories of their loved one: “Blest was I then”
	The poem maintains a nonchalant tone: The speaker conveys resignation with informal language: “some words played between us to and fro”	The speaker’s frustration is conveyed with rhetorical questions to suggest feelings of emptiness:  They ask “What have I?” and “What matter?”

Differences:

Topic sentence	While 'Neutral Tones' is a bitter depiction of a broken relationship, Wordsworth portrays the powerlessness of grief
Evidence and analysis	'Neutral Tones'	'A Complaint'
	The poem’s speaker is calm, although resentful: Four regular quatrains that rhyme in an abba pattern create an ironic voice	The poem’s speaker is more emotional in Wordsworth’s poem:  A rhyme scheme of ababcc conveys a desperate tone
	Hardy’s poem ends with a bitter conclusion that implies a bleak future: “and the God curst sun, and a tree,/And a pond edged with grayish leaves.”	However, Wordsworth ends with an emotional outpouring with enjambment and a rhyming couplet: ”—Such change, and at the very door/Of my fond heart, hath made me poor.”
	Oxymoron presents discontent between the pair: “The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing”	In contrast, Wordsworth uses alliteration to emphasise the love they shared: “A fountain at my fond heart's door”
	Hardy’s poem is cynical about relationships, whereas Wordsworth’s poem is a frustrated expression of loneliness

'Neutral Tones' and 'My Last Duchess'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both poems examine the complexity of love and explore loss. The poems present passionate love that ends with anger and loss. However, while Hardy’s poem depicts a shared conversation, Browning’s dramatic monologue examines jealous control. 

Similarities:

Topic sentence	Both poems present conflicts within romantic relationships
Evidence and analysis	'Neutral Tones'	'My Last Duchess'
	Hardy’s speaker describes long-standing problems between them as their lover’s eyes “rove/Over tedious riddles of years ago”	Browning presents a first-person speaker who describes his wife’s flirtatious nature: He says “her looks went everywhere”
	Hardy’s speaker implies disappointment in the speaker’s voice with a simile and ellipsis: “Like an ominous bird a-wing….”	Browning uses caesura and exclamations to show the Duke’s unstable voice: “She thanked men—good! but thanked” Enjambment and rhetorical questions shows a speaker’s rambling rant: “Who’d stoop to blame/This sort of trifling?”
	The poems both comment on the impact of miscommunications and struggles in relationships

Topic sentence	Both poems explore love that leads to loss
Evidence and analysis	'Neutral Tones'	'My Last Duchess'
	The speaker describes their love as almost dead: it is “Alive enough to have strength to die”: The tone is ironic and bitter	Browning’s remorseless speaker implies he has killed his wife while he shows off and boasts about a painting of her “Looking as if she were alive”
	Hardy’s poem hints at death and destruction in the last lines:  The speaker is under a “God curst sun” near “grayish leaves”	In Browning’s poem, too, the love ends in tragedy: The Duke implies he has ordered for the Duchess to be killed He adds, “There she stands/As if alive.”
	Both poems describe the tragic ending of a romantic relationship

Differences:

Topic sentence	'Neutral Tones' depicts a conversation between a speaker and their lover near a pond, while 'My Last Duchess' is a dramatic monologue about jealousy and control within marriage
Evidence and analysis	'Neutral Tones'	'My Last Duchess'
	Hardy begins the poem with a first-person plural pronoun “We”: While the word "chidden" represents punishment or being chided, its phrasing could also connote to the pair as equally “children” of God It is implied they try to communicate: “And some words played between us to and fro”	In contrast, Browning’s dramatic monologue in which only the Duke’s voice is heard conveys imbalance and control: Although the Duke addresses a silent listener they (“sir”) are not given opportunity to reply This is presented through a range of rhetorical questions that are instantly answered by the Duke himself
	Hardy’s natural imagery softens the mood of the poem: He evokes a romantic, simple setting: they stood by “a pond that winter day”	Browning’s speaker, in contrast, describes paintings and statues in a bid to impress his wealth and status upon a guest
	Hardy’s poem expresses tender emotion about miscommunications in a relationship, while Browning draws attention to oppressive control