Tone, Mood

Tone in poetry is an important for any aspect of a poem. If the tone and mood of the poem are not in synch with one another it can create an negative look for the poem. For example, in the BBC version of Hamlet, the actors did not really corrilate to what we as a class had agreed was to be the way Hamlet was to be acted out. Because of this, the BBC version seemed awkward and did not come across smoothly.

Diction

Diction can affect a poem, or play, in various ways. In Hamlet for example, certain lines can be read, and depending on how there read, an audience can perceive it differently. Many of Hamlet's lines can be read with anger, but those same lines can be read with sarcasm, depending on who the director and actor are, and how they want to portray Hamlet's attitude at that specific time. Certain words in a sentence can be harshened or softened to reveal a characters tone and diction can ultimately alter the way a poem or play is understood.

Poetry Sounds

Sound in poetry can have major effects on how a poem is perceived. In Yeats' The Second Coming, the sound of the poem can be read almost as though it is being preached in a church by a priest or pastor and he is trying to instill fear into his congregation. It can also be read like sign of warning, like a homeless man talking to himself about what is about to be entailed in the near future for all evil doers and worshipers alike. "Traveling through the Dark" seemed to be more of a narrative type poem, explaining to the reader, a situation the poet came upon. The poem is completely free verse, and makes feels more story like, however a poem can be expressed in various ways.