In Some Poems, It's All in the Tone
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Most poems are emotional journeys that move through different moods and tones of voice, according to Dana Gioia, a prominent poet and chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Participants in the "Poetry Out Loud" National Recitation Contest learn how to create a "tone map" for every poem that helps them break apart a poem and assign to different sections a tone that fits the meaning. Following is an example of a tone map provided to students for the poem "Jenny Kissed Me," by James Henry Leigh Hunt.
SECTION---------------------------------------------------------------- TONE
Jenny kissed me when we met, ------------------------ Fond reminiscence
Jumping from the chair she sat in;--------------------Amused, affectionate
Time, you thief,-------------------------------- Still amused but growing wary
who love to get
Sweets into your list,
Put that in!----------------------------------------------------------- Disdainful
Say I'm weary,----------------------------------------------------- Shrugging
Say I'm sad,--------------------------------------------------- Candid, a little sad
Say that health and wealth have missed me,---- Lightly or playfully regretful
Say I'm growing old,-------------------------------------------- Real regret
But add,---------------------------------------------------------- Rallying, insistent
Jenny kissed me.----------------------------------------- Marveling, contented
