The poem also includes the strong emotion of solitude in connection to this inadequacy. Thomas portrays the speaker of the poem, himself, as very much separate and isolated through his use of pronouns, such as “it seems I have no tears left” and “streamed by me”. The ‘I’ and ‘me’ in these lines are isolated, creating a feeling of solitude in the poem. Thomas emphasizes this solitude by contrasting himself, with “the twenty hounds” that he also depicts. He describes “the twenty hounds” as “all equals” and “made one” creating a sense of unity that Thomas is not part of at this point in the poem. His strong emotion of solitude is also made obvious to the reader in Thomas’ other works such as Melancholy where he writes, “I feared the solitude far more I feared all company” and in Rain “I was born into this solitude”. Throughout his poems and especially in Tears, Thomas suggests that he sees himself as alone and isolated from the world or larger community. It is therefore clear that the strong emotion of solitude and loneliness is a theme throughout Thomas’ collection and may once again be a reflection of his depression.
Tears also include strong emotions of Joy, which contrast the solitary emotions that Thomas relates with himself. “the twenty hounds” are described as having “a rage of gladness… in Blooming Meadow that Bends toward the sun” suggesting that while Thomas experiences loneliness, a strong emotion of joy exists in the poem that he is not part of. Thomas also uses the technique of enjambment to emphasize to the reader this strong emotion of joy. The descriptions of “the twenty hounds” seem to be an outpouring of emotion contrasting the hesitancy and uncertainty featured in the opening lines of the poem when Thomas’ own emotions are presented. The way in which the lines “not yet combed out But still all equals” flow creates the strong emotion of joy compared with the uncertainty and inadequacy that Thomas also presents.
But, as the poem progresses, the strong emotion of solitude that Thomas presents in relation to himself is contrasted with an emotion of joy that he becomes a part of. As he writes “I stepped out from the double shadowed Tower” the emotion of solitude is no longer present as Thomas moves out from a place of isolation- the “Tower” into the outside world – “an April morning”. Furthermore, the positive language employed at this point in the poem also creates the strong emotion of joy that Thomas now experiences. “A mightier charm than in any Tower” for example illustrates that he no longer feels the solitude presented at the start of the poem. This is also developed by the listing of positive descriptions “an April morning, stirring and sweet and warm” where the repetition of ‘and’ increases the emotion of joy. A similar technique is also employed by Thomas in The Glory - “Of sky and meadow and forest and my own heart” where the repetition of ‘and’ is also used to emphasize an emotion.
Thomas also explores the strong emotion of joy in conjunction with patriotism to suggest to the reader that the two themes are linked. This link may reflect the attitudes to war in England at the time in which Thomas is writing. Patriotism is created by the use of imagery, which depicts an archetypal England such as “Fair haired and Ruddy” and “Drums of Fifes were playing”. Thomas also creates a pace at this point, which echoes the sounds of drums through his use of punctuation, in the line “They were changing guard, soldiers in line, young English countrymen, fair haired…”, which adds to the emotion. Patroism is also clearly displayed in This is no case of petty right and wrong, as Thomas expresses his love of England as “with the best and meanest Englishmen I am one in crying, God save England”. This patriotic emotional response to war is one that was common in England during World War One; the notion of uniting to support the country is an emotion that would have been held by many people in England and may therefore have influenced Thomas writing and the emotions presented in Tears.
The closing lines of Tears relate the strong emotion of solitude expressed at the start of the poem to those of patriotism presented towards the end. Thomas suggests that these former emotions have been overcome by those of patriotism and joy by writing “The men, the music pierced that solitude and silence”. Here, “The men, the music” represent the emotion of patriotism surrounding war, which ‘pierce’ and replace the emotion of “solitude” presented earlier. The clarity in these final lines shown by Thomas’ conclusive tone “told me truths I had not dream” contrasts the uncertainty and hesitancy also depicted earlier in the poem.
In Tears Thomas therefore presents a shift from a strong emotion of solitude to one of joy and patriotism. The presentation of strong emotions may be conveying a message of hope that relates to the war. The emotion of joy and unity that Thomas presents in conjunction with patriotism seems to replace his earlier negative emotions of inadequacy and solitude. Tears presents the reader with a complex variety of emotions which are strongly expressed but it seems that the closing emphasis on the emotion of patriotism encourages the reader to be left with a message that this emotion overcomes the strong emotion of solitude also explored throughout the poem, as Thomas concludes “The men, the music piercing that solitude”.
by
sarahd95 (student)
