Question

Reread these lines from the poem:

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild-plum trees in tremulous white;

Which statement best describes the effect of figurative language on the tone of the poem?

- The imagery of the animals and trees provides a soothing tone.

-The use of descriptive language such as "tremulous white" creates an angry tone.

- The imagery of the frogs singing at night creates a fearful tone.


- The use of descriptive language such as "wild-plum trees" creates a desolate tone.

heres the full poem in case you need it.

There Will Come Soft Rains
by Sara Teasdale

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild-plum trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

Answer 1

the use of descriptive language creates a desolate tone

Answer 2

Sara Teasdale wrote this poem shortly after the Great War and this is important to understand the tone of the poem. In the first part she speaks of the beauty and rebirth of nature, how it comes to life everyday again. In the second part however she speaks about the war and the way the scars of the battle fade away with time , until all is forgotten. The first part uses figurative language to express the delightful and pleasing way nature works.

Question: Which statement best describes the effect of figurative language on the tone of the poem?

Answer: A. - The imagery of the animals and trees provides a soothing tone.