THE VOICE
THE VOICE
Themes- Explore how Hardy powerfully express loss of love in The Voice.
The voice is a poem written by Thomas Hardy to remember his departed wife Emma, he is moarning her death in this poem. The voice portrays the theme of Nostalgia as Hardy is trying to cope with Emma’s loss. Hardy portrays feelings of misery and powerfully expresses loss of love in this poem through the use of literary devices and imagery.
The poem consists of four stanzas which are constructed around an ABAB rhyme scheme. Hardy uses powerful imagery to help convey misery and loss of love, from Stanza one to Stanza four hardy speaks in images conveying moments of his happy times with Emma and moments of grief. Thomas Hardy starts by saying “Woman much missed” which is alliteration used to emphasize how much he misses her and how she is distant from him, this shows nostalgia. Hardy uses a triple rhyme “call to me call to me/ all to me” to show his grief and express the loss of love. The repetition of “call to me” suggests that it is haunting him and now he is becoming obsessive about her Stanza two begins with a hopeful but queer question” can it be you that I hear”. This suggests that Hardy is trying to communicate with her and he does this to cope with her loss as he is confused and wants to see her. He remembers when they used to meet in town when he says “Let me view you then” This feeling of regret and confusion is conveyed through a carefully constructed poem of regular rhyme, mournful sounds and imagery. “Even to the original air-blue gown!” this brings back happy memories which further help convey his feelings of grief and loss of love. The change in the stanza indicates the way that the poet is coping without his wife;
The poem then flows into Stanza three which is the shortest stanza though one long question. Hardy uses imagery in the final stanza to show his attempt to move on from the passing of his wife and show that he is “faltering forward”.
Themes- Explore how Hardy powerfully express loss of love in The Voice.
The voice is a poem written by Thomas Hardy to remember his departed wife Emma, he is moarning her death in this poem. The voice portrays the theme of Nostalgia as Hardy is trying to cope with Emma’s loss. Hardy portrays feelings of misery and powerfully expresses loss of love in this poem through the use of literary devices and imagery.
The poem consists of four stanzas which are constructed around an ABAB rhyme scheme. Hardy uses powerful imagery to help convey misery and loss of love, from Stanza one to Stanza four hardy speaks in images conveying moments of his happy times with Emma and moments of grief. Thomas Hardy starts by saying “Woman much missed” which is alliteration used to emphasize how much he misses her and how she is distant from him, this shows nostalgia. Hardy uses a triple rhyme “call to me call to me/ all to me” to show his grief and express the loss of love. The repetition of “call to me” suggests that it is haunting him and now he is becoming obsessive about her Stanza two begins with a hopeful but queer question” can it be you that I hear”. This suggests that Hardy is trying to communicate with her and he does this to cope with her loss as he is confused and wants to see her. He remembers when they used to meet in town when he says “Let me view you then” This feeling of regret and confusion is conveyed through a carefully constructed poem of regular rhyme, mournful sounds and imagery. “Even to the original air-blue gown!” this brings back happy memories which further help convey his feelings of grief and loss of love. The change in the stanza indicates the way that the poet is coping without his wife;
The poem then flows into Stanza three which is the shortest stanza though one long question. Hardy uses imagery in the final stanza to show his attempt to move on from the passing of his wife and show that he is “faltering forward”.