Final Answer:
1. The poem is about the speaker’s deep appreciation and emotional connection to a small park they pass through daily, carrying its beauty and peace with them into their busy city life.
2. The speaker’s tone is grateful, loving, and reverent.
3. The poem is about the speaker’s desire to escape from emotional pain and shame by disappearing completely, even imagining death as freedom.
4. The speaker’s tone is desperate, weary, and darkly hopeful.
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Explanation:
Let’s go step by step for each poem.
Poem 1: “Ellis Park” by Helen Hoyt
Question 1: What is this poem about?
→ The speaker talks about walking through a little park every day on their way to work. They say they “carry off a piece of you” — meaning they take bits of the park’s beauty (trees, breeze, greenness, calm) with them into the noisy, stressful city. It’s like the park gives them comfort and peace they can hold onto during the day.
Question 2: What is the speaker’s tone?
→ Tone means how the speaker feels or sounds. Words like “sweet bird calls,” “grace,” “riches,” and “praise” show the speaker loves the park. They call it “treasure” and say it makes the city “more fair.” That’s not just happy — it’s grateful and respectful, almost like talking to a friend or something sacred.
Evidence: “I carry off with me... So much treasure you have left.” and “Do you hear this praise of you...?” — these lines show deep love and thankfulness.
Poem 2: “In Trouble and Shame” by D.H. Lawrence
Question 3: What is this poem about?
→ The speaker feels heavy with shame and pain. They wish they could walk through “red doors” (maybe symbolizing death or escape) and leave behind all their suffering — like throwing away old shoes or clothes. They even imagine their body lying “like lumber” and laughing with joy at being free.
Question 4: What is the speaker’s tone?
→ The tone is sad and tired, but also has a strange kind of hope. They’re not just crying — they’re imagining an end to their pain. Words like “shame,” “pain,” “discarded,” and “luggage of some departed traveller” show they feel broken. But “I would laugh with joy” shows they see freedom in letting go — even if it’s scary.
Evidence: “My shame like shoes in the porch / My pain like garments” — this shows how heavy their feelings are. And “I would laugh with joy” — that’s the twist: they want to be free so badly, they’d be happy to disappear.
Both poems are about inner feelings — one full of love for nature, the other full of pain and longing for release.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of tone practice worksheet.
