Thomas Hardy Essay

How does Thomas Hardy use emotive and descipptive language to
create atmosphere and feeling.

In the poem Afterwards written by Thomas Hardy alot of imagery comes across in the language he has used to describe the poem. Throughout the poem Hardy uses words like 'dusk' & 'blackness' to describe the world after he had died and his poetry is no onger being read or appreciated. This language does however give of the feeling that Hardy is being quite 'big-headed' about his poetry. Another aspect of this poem is the way he has used imagery in his words to show the desperation of this poem. After reading the poem Hardy's message is clear. He is telling the reader that he doesn't want to be forgotten, he always wants to be remembered. He shows this where he talks about a 'Postern'. A postern being a secret back door, shows that he doesn't want to leave un-noticed by the world it also seems as if he is telling the audience that when he dies nobody will noticed the beautiful things of the world that he did and therefore he wants people to remember him for this rather then anything else if they were to remember him.
'He was a man who use to notice such things'
Hardy has been quite clever in writing this poem because he turned his fear into a poem inn which he would no longer have to worry about. He is worried that he is going to be forgotten and he wants people to remember him for the things thhat he himself wants to be remembered for. Where he has put these things he wants to be remembered for into a poem describing his fears he no longer has to worry because people will read this poem and remember him for these things. Clever.

Another poem with alot of imagery is the poem 'The Voice' also written by Hardy. This poem is describing the process that Hardy is going through to coome to terms with the death of his wife. The poem gives off a depressing and sad atmosphere because of the way in which Hardy has wirtten and also the language that hardy has used.
'Woman much missed' shows how much Hardy misses his wife.
It also seems that the title of the poem 'The voice' has meaning behind it as throughout the poem Hardy tells us of his mind playing tricks on him making him think he can hear her voice or see her figure.
'Or is it only the breeze' This shows the saddness that Hardy feels because he tries to tell himself that it isnt her voice he hears it is simply the breeze in the air playing tricks on him.
'Heard no more again far or near' these quotations just generally give off a sad feeling because the poem shows hardy desperatly trying to come to terms with his love loss but he finds oit difficult with his mind playing tricks on him.
The last stanza of this poem shows how alone Hardy feels without his wife because he describes quite a lonesome scene with he himself standing with leaves falling around him with the wind and the last ine is simply.
'And the woman calling' Showing that he simply cannot come to terms with his wife now gone.

Both poems use alot of descriptive language to create imagery to give the right feeling and atmosphere towards the poems. Hardy in these poems has used emotive and descriptive language to acchieve different things although it works equally in both cases sucessfully. 'Afterwards' shows Hardy's fear of being forgotten which is shown in the way he talks about it and describes his fears whereas the poem 'The Voice' talks about his loss and how hard he is taking it also describing the process he is going through.