Paper 1

I. Introduction
A It is often said that when it comes to true love, a bit of a person remains with their partner even if they go astray. This saying is tested in the poem "The Voice" by Thomas Hardy, an example of pondering over the ghostlike-presence of a past lover.
B. Thesis: Hardy uses fading diction and a sing-song rhyme scheme to highlight the uncertainty of the speaker as to the true presence of 'woman,' an integral part of the theme of lost love never truly disappearing.


II. Body Paragraph One
A. The waning diction chosen by Hardy provides strong inference as to the true uncertainty of the speaker within the poem.
1. 'Listlessness', 'dissolved', 'faltering'
2. This could be used to say the longer the amount of time since the speaker lost his/her lover, the more faint the sensation of the woman's presence.

III. Body Paragraph Two
A. The diction also contributes to the styling of the poem, starting with the emphasis of a melancholy to jubilant fluctuation of tone.
1. First Stanza- Questioning
2. Second stanza- Hopeful, jubilant
3. Third stanza- Pessimistic and disintegrating
4. Fourth stanza- Questioning, underlying hopelessness

IV. Body Paragraph Three
A. Change in the personification of various things within the poem and verb tense highlight a conflict of reasoning of the speaker.


V. Conclusion