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Poem tone

Just as a movie can have a certain tone, so too can a poem. The tone of a poem affects how the reader interprets and experiences the poem. Obviously, the poet does not want a reader to be laughing throughout a serious poem about a lost love, so the poet will set the tone to be serious. Sometimes there are more complex attempts at tone - a poem, for instance, where a character’s serious but bumbling attempts at love are so pathetic that they leave the reader in stitches. Poems can be strongly satirical - here is great example of a satirical poem by a poet name Walter of Chatillon written in the 11th Century:

Do you wish to become a deacon, priest, or patriarch? May you have much gold or many silver marks, since each man's faith is measured by how many coins each keeps in his coffers.