Word choice and tone are key elements that reveal the speaker’s voice in a poem by conveying the speaker’s emotions, personality, and perspective.
- Word choice (diction) involves the specific words the speaker uses, which reflect their attitude, background, and emotional state. For example, in Walt Whitman’s "Song of Myself," the speaker’s repeated use of the word “myself” and phrases like “I celebrate myself, and sing myself” reveal a voice full of self-confidence and joy
. Similarly, words like “long” and “aches” in another poem can convey melancholy and longing, showing the speaker’s emotional depth
- Tone is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject, expressed through the mood created by word choice and phrasing. A celebratory tone, as in Whitman’s poem, creates a voice that is joyful and affirming, while a wistful or reflective tone can reveal a speaker who is yearning or melancholic
Together, word choice and tone shape the speaker’s voice by providing insight into their feelings and viewpoint. For instance, a calm and rational tone contrasted with dark subject matter can reveal complexity or unreliability in the speaker, as seen in Robert Browning’s “Porphyria’s Lover” where the speaker’s calm tone contrasts with his disturbing actions
. In summary, the speaker’s voice emerges through the deliberate selection of words and the tone those words create, allowing readers to understand the speaker’s unique perspective and emotional state within the poem.
