Tone of "Frost at Midnight"

       The poem, “Frost at Midnight” is not very big, but it contains a lot of details that make Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s writing so great. One part of this poem that I find intriguing is Coleridge’s soothing tone throughout the entire poem. Every description of everything he talks about shows the significance of the person or thing. He does not belittle anything that he talks about which allows the reader to see meaning in the little things. The fact that Coleridge does this actually ends up giving him a lot of credibility. Readers are able to connect spiritually with the poem because they can trust that Coleridge will not discount objects that may have importance to some. He also creates a very soothing tone when he says things like, “Dear Babe, that sleepest cradled by my side, whose gentle breathings, heard in this deep calm, fill up the interspersed vacancies and momentary pauses of the thought” (Coleridge 1651). Not only does Coleridge approach this line with a sensitive voice by using the noun, babe, but the meaning of his words are also very impactful. He is saying that even between thoughts, there are always little pieces of life that have just as much meaning as one’s own thoughts. Coleridge’s poem is very conversational in style and he draws  readers in with his soothing words and sensitive intentions. 

The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt et al. Vol A. New York, NY: W.W. Norton& Company, Inc., 2006. 1609-1611. Print.