In “Dirge Without Music” by Edna St. Millay the topic of the death of a loved one is discussed in a mournful but hopeful tone. Although the speaker's reaction is expressed as a feeling of disgust, she still conveys a feeling of never giving up. The speaker does this by using strong diction, an interesting rhyme scheme, and repetition.
The speaker begins with the phrase “I am not resigned” which shows that this poem wouldn't be a mournful poem but a mixture of a hopeful and glum toned poem. The phrase above is seen three more times in the fourth stanza. The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the tone of the speaker of never ceasing to the fact of a death. Another phrase that is repeated various times in the poem is “I know” which serves as a constant reminder that the speaker
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In the first stanza she uses words such as “shutting”, “hard”, and “darkness” when talking about death and since these words are negatively connotated it shows the speaker’s repudiation. Then in the second stanza, she uses “dull” and “lost” to perceive the idea of losing our light and making this world more like an old worn out piece of brass. Finally, in the last two stanzas the words “gone” and “down” are there to show that the speaker indeed knows that her loved one is gone. Indifferent to these negatively connotated words the speaker also uses positive words when describing the dead. For example, she uses the words like “wise”, “lovely”, and “thinkers” which shows that death takes the most valuable people of the earth. Then in the last stanza, she uses asyndeton to describe everybody who has died. Of course, all these words she uses are positively connotated words. The list of words also shows that no matter who the person is they will go “down into the darkness”. The speaker's choice of words helps define the tones that are in the