Moods of Poetry

Moods of Poetry Poetry is a way of expression a speaker’s feelings and emotions into a literary work. All poems have unique tones and moods which show what the speaker feels when writing the poem, and what the reader feels when reading it. For example, “The Rhodora” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Sonnet XVII: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” by William Shakespeare, and “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman, all have the similar mood of happiness and vitality. In “The Rhodora” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the speaker finds a flower that is unique in beauty compared to the rest of nature. This poem is written loosely in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of aabbcdcdeeffghgh. In line twelve the speaker states “Then beauty is its own excuse for Being;” meaning that the purpose of the flower is to show beauty, and nothing more. “The Rhodora” provides the reader with a mood that is happy and uplifting and gives the reader a more respectful view of nature. “Sonnet XVII: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” by William Shakespeare, is a sonnet which consists of 14 lines and is in one stanza. In line two the speaker writes “Thou art more lovely and more temperate”. The speaker is saying that she is more beautiful and gentle than anything he has ever seen. The speaker states that he loves her more than a summers day. The mood of this poem is uplifting and loving, making the reader