2.  Everything leads to tone & theme –  What is the author’s attitude toward the subject? (tone)  What message or point is the author trying to make about the subject? (theme)

3.  Is the theme readily apparent? Why did the poet make it easy or difficult to discern?  Are the theme and tone complementary?

4.  Look at the words and images on a literal level, and then think about them abstractly  Look critically at the poem to decide what the poet is trying to say.  Focus on these areas

5. Who is the speaker? Who is the speaker addressing? Why? How does the speaker serve the tone and theme?

6. Is the poem’s diction (word choice) sophisticated or simple? Why? Note any words with especially strong connotation, especially modifiers. Adjectives & adverbs “color” the meaning of another word or word group, so poets chose modifiers carefully.

7. After visiting my gray father In the bald glare of Intensive Care, I reluctantly watched the leafless ash trees Tremble and creakily bend their limbs to earth.

8. How does the figurative language deepen readers’ understanding of tone and theme? Imagery & figurative language can add a deeper layer of meaning to a poem, making it more vivid & providing the reader with mental images and sensations. The writer’s choice of figurative language and images also can reveal his or her attitude toward the subject.

9. How does the figurative language deepen readers’ understanding of tone and theme? Know these terms: Imagery Simile Metaphor Hyperbole Personification

10. How do sound devices support theme & tone? Alliteration Onomatopoeia Repetition/refrain Meter

11.  What type of poem is this?  How is that tied to the theme?