Compare and contrast the two poems 'Neutral Tones' by Thomas Hardy and 'Absence' by Elizabeth Jennings
             There are a few differences and several similarities between the two poems 'Neutral Tones' by Thomas Hardy and 'Absence' by Elizabeth Jennings. There are in fact more similarities than differences between the two.
             The first difference is that the use of the weather to symbolise the mood. Within 'Neutral Tones' the weather represents the way that the man is feeling, for example when Mr Hardy says 'that winter day' this shows that the man is feeling depressed and cold, the image the line gives is that everything is cold and dying. Whereas, Elizabeth Jennings mentions 'the level breeze' this suggests that the place is warm and pleasant this is incongruent to her feelings of misery.
             The second difference is the departure of the loved one. Within neutral tones it appears that the woman may still be alive however, she has left him. This can be seen when Hardy says
             'And some words played between us to and fro'
             This shows that the conversation they have has little meaning and is pointless. However, in 'Absence' there are two possible outcomes for what has happened to the love of her life. The first may be that he has left her; the second possibility is that the man has died. Either way this can be seen in the title 'Absence' this shows the removal of a loved one from her life.
             There are several similarities between the two poems, 'Absence' and 'Neutral Tones'. Both show the effect that losing a person they love gas on you.
             The first similarity is the strong Rhythm pattern. In 'Neutral Tones' the Rhythm pattern is affected by what has happened within the poem and remains rigid throughout the whole poem. The poems rhythm pattern is as follows,
             ...