Speaker and Tone. The speaker is the character who speaks in, or narrates, a poem—the voice assumed by the writer. Tone is the emotional attitude toward the reader or toward the subject implied by a literary work. As you read, notice where the tone of the poem shifts and determine the attitude toward the subject that the speaker reveals in these places.
Image and Objective Correlative. An image is language that creates a concrete representation of an object or an experience. An objective correlative is a group of images that together create a particular emotion in the reader. This term was coined by T. S. Eliot.
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“Preludes” (1915) is one of Eliot’s early poems. Its drab and seedy images of city life are typical of the view of modern life he expressed in his work. Eliot once explained, “My urban imagery was that of St. Louis, upon which that of Paris and London had been superimposed.” The poem is remarkable for finding hope amid the futility and dreariness of modern life.
As you read, make a sensory details chart that lists the images in the poem. One example has been done for you.
What happens in your town or city at 6:00 in the evening?
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