one flesh and neutral tones

intro

Despite one being written from the perspective of someone within the relationship, and the other from the perspective on one looking in on a relationship, both Neutral Tones (Thomas Hardy, 1898) and One Flesh (Elizabeth Jennings, 1966), show the nostalgia one can feel for a relationship which has lost its intimacy.

point 1

In ‘Neutral Tones’ and ‘One Flesh’ there is a sense of longing for a time that was better in a relationship.

how

In ‘Neutral Tones’ the neutral, monosyllabic lexis ‘we stood by a pond’, immediately sets up the calm yet bleak atmosphere.

analysis

It is clear this poem is not an outpouring of volatile emotions, but rather a measured and considered reflection on a relationship which has slowly dwindled, as is confirmed through the imagery of rejection: ‘And the sun was white, as though chidden of God.’ The idea of God rejecting the sun, is a powerful metaphor for the nostalgia the poet feels for a once powerful and important relationship.Likewise in One Flesh, there is a feeling of nostalgia for a time where intimacy was part of the relationship.

 

The use of the religious simile ‘they hardly ever touch, Or if they do it is like a confession’ alongside the personification ‘chastity faces them.’

comparison

Likewise in One Flesh, there is a feeling of nostalgia for a time where intimacy was part of the relationship.

 

The use of the religious simile ‘they hardly ever touch, Or if they do it is like a confession’ alongside the personification ‘chastity faces them.’

analysis

Suggests that the narrator’s parents have come to view physical intimacy as a sin, and that chastity has almost become a third party in their marriage, keeping them from enjoying the pleasures of the ‘fire from which’ their child was born. This is a sad realisation for the daughter, who tells the narrative from a third person perspective, and constructs a negative representation of marriage.

context

Given Jennings herself was a devout Roman Catholic, and the poems’ link to the biblical reference in genesis 2:24 ‘They shall become one flesh’, it is clear she is trying to show how intimacy is a natural part of a relationship and is to be embraced rather than lost as couples move to the latter part of their life. It is important not to let the ‘fire’ go out.

structure point

The sense of nostalgia for a better time is conveyed through the form and structure of each poem.

how

In ‘Neutral Tones’, tetrameter is used but inconsistently, whilst the ABBA rhyme scheme is sustained throughout.

analysis

The irregular meter echoes the growing chasm between the couple; their rhythm no longer matches, whilst the rhyming quatrains recall the form of the Petrarchan sonnet, a renowned style for declaring love, and thus an ironic choice for the melancholic Hardy, but also perhaps a subtle nod to the love that was once felt between the two.

comparison

‘One Flesh’ likewise has a regular rhyme scheme of ABABCC, to perhaps convey the comfortability of the relationship – there are no moments of surprise or passion; there is a sense of them being trapped in the marriage and simply awaiting death.

analysis

question

In both cases, the audience is left questioning whether ultimately all relationships have a timespan, and whether there is anything that can be done to reignite the passion once it dissipates.