The tone of Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem "Luke Havergal" is solemn, gloomy, dark, and haunting. Throughout the poem, there are various words that demonstrate this. For example, one line reads: "And all the bells in Christendom shall ring/A warning to our souls at night." This means that the mood of the poem is serious and sorrowful.
Another way to describe the tone of the poem is dramatic. The scene between Havergal and his friend John Bunyan is told in a dramatic fashion, so the reader can imagine what happened between them by using their actions and some well-written phrases. For example, one phrase that shows how dramatic the poem is is "with streaming eyes and hair." This means that Havergal was crying when he spoke with his friend and they were both upset during this conversation.
At the end of the poem, there is a reference to Havergal being buried on the island where he died. This shows that the poet believed him to be dead. Also, there is no mention of anyone hearing from him again, which indicates that he was probably buried alive.
In conclusion, the tone of Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem "Luke Havergal" is solemn, gloomy, dark, and haunting.
The identity of the speaker (the one who narrates the poem, if you will) is never decisively disclosed or established in Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem "Luke Havergal." However, three candidates present themselves as possible identities for the narrator.
The first candidate is Luke Havergal himself, based on a supposed confession contained within the poem. The second candidate is Arthur Hugh Clough, based on evidence found within the poem and outside it as well. The third candidate is the narrator's brother, who dies before him. This third candidate appears to have been accepted by many scholars until 1969, when Eric Black reportedly discovered evidence suggesting that the brother was still alive at the time the poem was written.
If the speaker is not necessarily the person speaking the words of the poem, then perhaps it is someone else who is doing so. One possibility might be that the speaker is referring to himself in the third person, but this conjecture has yet to be convincingly demonstrated to be the case with certainty. Another possibility is that there is no single speaker for the poem, but rather multiple speakers who interact with each other throughout the work.
It is also worth mentioning that while most readers assume that the speaker of the poem is male, this assumption is not necessary for the work to function as a narrative poem.
The speaker reveals in the second set of four lines that Luke Havergal has one means to go to "where she is" in the hereafter. Taking one's own life is "bitter," but it must be done if he wishes to see her. The voice tells him once more that she has come to inform him that this is the only way he can be happy. Then, without further ado, it dispenses with him.
Thus does the speaker convey to us that suicide is a terrible thing to do, but it may be the only way to reunite with someone you love.
Suicide is a controversial topic throughout history and today. Although it is legal in many countries including India, most people believe that it is wrong for a person to take their own life. Those who consider suicide to be an acceptable option often do so because they are unable to cope with their situation. Their pain is too great and they feel that death would be a better alternative than living with it.
People have used various methods over time to commit suicide. Some choose to kill themselves with drugs or weapons, while others drown, shoot themselves, or hang themselves. In some cases, suicide victims have been found with notes explaining why they were doing it. But sometimes there is no reason and they just seem to have made a spontaneous decision to end their own lives.
The manner in which people choose to commit suicide varies depending on how much pain they are able to endure.
Please consult the text. The tone of the speaker is clinical, serious, and solemn. The speaker approaches the poem's dreadful subject matter with objectivity and clinical callousness.
Tone is communicated via every part of a poem, including imagery, meaning, and rhythm. Take a look at these two poems on death. The words used in a poem on poverty color the meaning and indicate the poet's attitude toward the impoverished. The rhythm of a poem can also influence its tone. For example, a funeral march has a slow, stately rhythm that is appropriate for a poem about honor and dignity.
As you read poems, pay attention to how the word choice and style of a poem affect its tone. Do certain images or metaphors give away the poet's attitude?
The poem's emotional tone is one of optimism and expectation. The poet has a deep conviction in the west wind's tremendous god-like might, which may act as both a destroyer and a preserver at the same time. However, he also recognizes that this power can be used for good or evil purposes, and thus creates a sense of foreboding about what the wind will do with its freedom.
The poem begins with hope and enthusiasm, but then transitions into fear and anxiety as it goes on. At first, the wind seems like a force for good, but later we learn that it can be used for malevolent purposes too. This makes us wonder about how we should feel about nature in general. Although it is powerful, we need to be careful not to let our fears get the better of us.
Also, there is a sense of nostalgia in the poem, which is evident from many of Shakespeare's contemporaries poems such as "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell and "O Western Wind" by John Keats. These men lived in an age when the English countryside was being heavily industrialized, so they are longing for a time when life was simpler and more peaceful.