What is the tone of the poem The Patriot by Browning?

QuestionsWhat is the tone of the poem The Patriot by Browning?
Zahid Amin asked 7 years ago

Comment on the tone of Robert Browning’s poem ‘The Patriot’.

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1 Answers
Staff answered 7 years ago

The poem ‘The Patriot’ has several tones throughout. Overall the tone is sorrowful and satirical at the same time. Let me explain. 
 
Through the first three stanzas the speaker narrates his good times which is now a history. And in the next stanzas it is all about how he has been rejected by the people. So the entire poem is an expression of the speaker’s grief and regret, making the overall tone sorrowful.
 
But throughout the poem, the speaker also conveys his realization of the frailty and fickleness of human glory and fame. History has witnessed the rise and fall of many such ‘patriots’ throughout its course. This has been a grim reminder in a satirical tone that life is uncertain. 
 
Again, the speaker’s tone is optimistic towards the end that God shall repay him in heaven after his death.

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