Lonely Hearts

In my opinion, the tone in "Lonely Hearts" is satirical. When I read the poem, I found that the speaker was making fun of those who send their expectations for a partner into a newspaper to be published for the entire town. The speaker addressed the expectations as though they were desperate, and too picky for a match to actually exist. Also, most of the people that were described in the poem would be labeled as the "outcasts" of society, further satirizing those who set the expectations. Throughout the poem, the speaker uses repetition and rhyme to show desperation, too.

This poem is different than any other poem that I have ever read. Although satire is often found in poems, I have never seen a poet use a newspaper ad as the format for their work. I really enjoyed the change for once; every poem we have studied is beginning to run together in my mind.