LESSON 2

Tone and Mood in Poetry

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Identify details or lines that set the speaker’s

tone and the mood of the poem.
Analyze the connotative meaning of lines that
reveal the speaker’s attitude or tone.
Discuss how tone and mood bring out the main
idea of the poem.

BEFORE READING

A Poem by Ronald Baytan

ABOUT THE POEM

The poem speaks of one’s dilemma whether to confess to

his male friend his love for him. It is a lyric poem that
explores the interconnection between personal feelings,
societal norms, and decisions.

MAKE CONNECTIONS

Is telling someone you have feelings for them worth it,

even if they tell you that they don’t feel the same?

➢ For me telling your feelings to someone even if they don’t feel the same
way is still worth it because you become honest with yourself and to him.
Also, you have truly expressed your feelings and emotions to him even if
he doesn’t feel the same way.
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ANALYZE LITERATURE: Tone and Mood

Elements of a poem such as its setting, tone, mood and theme evoke
certain feelings and emotions in readers. These elements are created by the
writer using specific setting, structure and diction. This style contributes to the
overall impact of the poem. In poetry, concepts of tone and mood are related
notions.
Tone is the feeling displayed by the author toward the subject of the
poem. Though tone may be conveyed and expressed in a variety of ways, it is
generally either through the attitude of the narrator or writer, subject matter,
characters or events. The tone comes through from the poem’s structure and
vocabulary and helps evoke the mood or establish the atmosphere of the poem.
In other words, the poem’s tone evokes a certain mood in the reader.
Mood refers to the atmosphere that is prevalent in the poem. It is the
feeling created by the poet for the reader through the use of various elements of
a poem such as its setting, tone, voice and theme. A poem generally has one
overall mood, but the types of mood that poetry may exhibit vary greatly. Some
poems have atmospheres of peace and chaos, while others evoke feelings of
doom, fear, jealousy, love and pride.

Describing Tone and Mood

The tone of a poem may be described using a variety of words such as
serious, playful, humorous, formal, informal, angry, satirical, ironical or sad, or
any other kind of appropriate adjective. The mood of the poem may be described
as idealistic, romantic, realistic, optimistic, pessimistic, gloomy, imaginary,
mournful, etc.

The tone might be described

Example:
as optimistic. The words used
“Shall I compare you to a rainbowed shower in the stanza give clues as to
Drawing to earth the very arc of dream, how the author feels about
Or shall I say you are an orchid flower women. Words like:
That fevers men beside a jungle stream?” rainbowed shower, dream,
—Angela Manalang-Gloria, “To Lovely Woman” orchid flower, jungle stream
show that the author or poet
looks at its subject in a
positive way.

Based on the tone, the mood

could be described as
romantic. The positive
description of love and beauty
of a woman creates this
romantic atmosphere of the
poem.

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 The tone might be described as
“Don’t Mr. Jacobson, cynical. The words used in the
Don’t say you’ve found lines give clues as to how the
Paradise in my country, author feels about how
Because behind the scent of women foreigners perceived our
That put leis ’round your neck, country (which is in contrast
The stinking smell of estuaries with the social realities of the
Suffocate the people of Tondo;” common Filipino). Words like:
—Romulo P. Baquiran, Jr., Don’t, paradise, behind scent of
“My Country’s No Paradise, Mr. Jacobson” women, leis, stinking smell,
estuaries, suffocate, and Tondo
create contrasting images
The poem’s tone creates an atmosphere or which reveal the social ironies
feeling of disgust. The strong contrast of the and injustices in the
good and the bad, the exposed and the hidden Philippines. Hence, the cynical
as revealed by the words in the lines creates tone of the author.
this negative kind of mood.

USE READING SKILLS: Understand Literary Elements

Tone is the feeling displayed by the author toward the subject of the poem
while mood the atmosphere that is prevalent in the poem. The author creates the
mood in the following poem by describing details of setting (time and place),
characters, and events. Complete the chart below with details from the poem that
convey the tone and that set the mood for each of the three categories. An example
has been done for you.

Category Details Tone Mood

Setting:
chilly night sad The speaker feels
dejected as his male
friend sleeps on his
lap.
Characters:
The speaker pessimistic The speaker feels sad
because he knows
that his friend love
someone else and he
has no chance for
him.

His friend direct The friend in poem

feels like he is not
open to an idea of

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 male to male
relationship because
he already loves
someone which in a
woman.
Event
spending time with ambivalent Both the speaker
friend and the friend have
contradictory
thoughts about the
same sex
relationship. All
throughout the
poem the speaker
tends to have mixed
feelings towards his
friend.

DURING READING

A Poem by Ronald Baytan

1 My friend
2 who sleeps on my lap
3 loves someone else.
Note the Facts
2He says he is a man

5 and a man needs a woman Who is the speaker in the poem?

6 and I disagree.

7 We argue until he grows - The speaker in the poem is a

homosexual man who has an
8 tired of talking
emotional attachment with his guy
9 and sleeps on my lap friend.

10 On this chilly night.

11 And Analyze Literature
I sigh,
12 knowing he loves Tone and Mood
13 someone else What atmosphere is created by the
14 but still sleeps words disagree and argue in the first
15 gently on my lap, stanza?
16 innocent, not knowing

17 that I am here - The atmosphere created by those

18 slaughtering
words is disputation.
19 one wicked wish

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20 that when he wakes up
21 I shall be his dream.
Analyze Literature

Tone and Mood

What does the word sigh in line 11
suggest?

-The word sigh suggests a feeling of

sadness because the speaker
knows that his friend love someone
else and it is impossible for them to
be together because they are both
male.
Analyze Literature

Tone and Mood

How does the repetition of the line (he) sleeps on my lap add to the tone and mood of the poem?
In the line he who sleeps on my lap, the repetition in this line add a tone and mood in the
poem in a way that it makes the poem more expressive. The word “sleep” in the poem
implies a closed mind because when we fall asleep, we cannot entertain an idea. Meaning
his friend fall asleep in his lap to just to belabor the argument.

AFTER READING

Name: Riza Mae D. Rangas Subject: Literature of the Philippines

Yr/Cr/Sec: 1DVM-A Date: November 7, 2021

READING CHECK

Grasp the poem’s full implications and suggestions to answer the following
questions.

1. How would you characterize or describe the male friend of the speaker based
on lines 1-5?
- I can describe the male friend of the speaker as a heterosexual because he
was only attracted to opposite sex.

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2. What do the lines “We argue until he grow/ tired of talking/ and sleeps on my
lap” imply?

- These lines imply that they don’t have the same perspective that’s why
they argue. It also implies that his friend does not accept the idea of same
sex relationship that’s why he chose to sleep in the lap to end the
argument.
3. What mood or atmosphere is created by the images in lines 10-15?
- The mood or atmosphere created by the images in line 10-15 was sad
because he knows that he doesn’t have a chance because his friend loves
someone else which is a woman.
4. In the second stanza, what do the words “slaughtering”, and “wicked wish”
suggest? Explain your answer.
- The words “slaughtering” and “wicked wish” suggest about the end of the
poem that someday his friend will be open to same sex relationship.
5. For what does the line “his dream” stand? Explain your answer.
- The line “his dream” stands for the speaker's friends' views on
relationships. It was the speaker’s wish that someday his friend will
accept the idea of same sex relationship.
6. How does the speaker feel for his male friend? Provide words or lines to
support your answer.
- The speaker is in live with his male friend. And we can find it here in this
line:

2He says he is a man

5 and a man needs a woman
6 and I disagree.

And I sigh,
12 knowing he loves
13 someone else

7. Why is the speaker hesitant to tell his male friend about what he feels for
him?
- The speaker is hesitant to tell his male friend what he really feels because
he already knows that his male friend will not accept him.
8. How does the repetition of the line “sleeps gently on my lap” affect the mood
of the poem?
- In the line he who sleeps on my lap, the repetition in this line add a tone and
mood in the poem in a way that it makes the poem more expressive. The word
“sleep” in the poem implies a closed mind because when we fall asleep, we
cannot entertain an idea. Meaning his friend fall asleep in his lap to just to
belabor the argument.
9. What is the main idea that is brought out by the tone and mood of the poem?
- The main idea brought by the tone and mood is sadness/dejection for the love
that is doomed.

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10. What larger/social issue is explored in the poem?

–The social issue that is explored in the poem is the homophobia. The social order being
prejudiced against its culture and tradition, denying people the opportunity to self-
identify they must accept themselves as they are on the inside.

THINK AND REFLECT

1. When is the right time to tell someone you really like or love them? Explain
your answer.
- I think it is the right time to tell someone that you like or love them, when
you are ready to face for the result and consequences of the things that
might happen whether he/she will accept your love or not. It is important
to make your self ready so that you can handle the situation well, and if
ever that he/she will reject your love you will not end up being desperate
because you are ready and willing to accept the truth.
2. What happens if you hold in your emotions?
- For me if I will hold my emotion, I will explode inside and maybe later on
will regret because I did not tell him my true feelings. Sometimes it
always my problem when I like someone because I don’t have any
confidence to tell them what I really feel. I always let my cowardness win
because I overthink everything and there are lots of what ifs in my head.
3. How does society influence self-expression?
- Society has a huge influence in self-expression especially in expressing
our true self. We all know that we have different perspective in our life
and criticism, discrimination, and judgement are unavoidable in our
society. Sometimes people are afraid to express their true feelings or self
because they scared by the judgement of other people. That is the reason
why some people will just hide their true self from others because of
criticism, discrimination, and judgement.

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ANALYZE LITERATURE: Tone and Mood

A. Read each mood below. Decide whether the mood is positive or negative.
Write a P on the space if it is positive and an N if it is negative. Use your
dictionary or context clue skills if you come across a word you are unsure of. The
first one is done for you.

__P__1. Hopeful __P__6. Reassured __P__11. Composed

__N__2. Lonely __N__7. Heartbroken __N__12. Restless
__N__3. Embarrassed __P__8. Blissful __P__13. Glorious
__P__4. Passionate __P__9. Excited __P__14. Triumphant
__N__5. Dissatisfied _P/N_10. Oscillating __N__15. Somber

B. Read the poems and answer the questions that follow.

Ermita in the Rain

Angela Manalang-Gloria

It is not the rain that wanly

Sobs its tale across the bay,
Not the sobs of lone acacias
Trembling darkly in the gray,

Not the groans of harried breakers

Flinging tatters on the shore,
But the phantom of your voice that
Stays me dreaming at my door.

1. Which word best describes the tone of this poem?

A. Somber C. Frustrated
B. Inspired D. Bored

2. Which word best describes the mood of this poem?

A. Romantic C. Dissatisfied
B. Nostalgic D. Restless

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 Florante at Laura (an excerpt)
Francisco Baltazar
Kung ang isalubong sa iyong pagdating
Ay masayang mukha’t may pakitang giliw
Lalong pag-ingata’t kaaway na lihim
Siyang isaisip na kakabakahin.

1. Which word best describes the tone of this poem?

A. Somber C. Angry
B. Cynical D. Sad

2. Which word best describes the atmosphere of the poem?

A. Pessimistic C. Cheerful
B. Fearsome D. Confusing

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