of words, allows the reader to experience the emotion that Lee himself had felt throughout the poem and the experience itself. One example of Lees’ tone in his poetry is seen in the poem, “The Gift”, where Lee writes about an experience with his father. He writes, “And I recall his hands, / two measures of tenderness / he laid across my face, / the flames of discipline / he raised above my head.” Lees’ use of the lines, “two measures of tenderness” and “the flames of discipline,” create an interesting contrast in texture when describing his father while still keeping a mellow tone to the poem. This combination of contrast and tone is one quality of Lees’ poetry, which makes it unique.In poetry, the subject determines the style and tone because the style and tone must be appropriate for the subject. Because Lee primarily writes about his relationships, the style and tone of his poetry are somber, mellow and passionate. Lees’ use of style and tone is in compliance with the dominant traditions of poetry in our culture. Yet, Lee tends to limit the variety of style and tone in his poetry because his subject is usually limited to his relationships, and most of the time it is his relationship with his father. Lee seems to specialize in his form of relationship poetry, but is limited by his subject. If ever, Lee decides to expand his work to a broader subject, then his possibilities are limitless. ...
