In his work entitled Thomas Hardy Autobiography in Verse, the famous poet Thomas Hardy asserted: "What is essential in poetry is that it should be charged with emotion, and secondly that the moods of this emotion have aesthetic or ethical value ... " Indeed, Hardy proves this assertion true in his 1866 poem "The Ruined Maid" where he adeptly establishes a conversation between two feminine speakers in which there is an exchange of contrasting emotions. The primary speaker encounters "'Melia," a young woman and perhaps a friend, whom she has not seen in some time. The topic of discussion is clearly about 'Melia's "new way of life" and how it has changed her. Although her new way of life appears ambiguous, a careful examination of their diction reveals that 'Melia's new way of life is that of a prostitute. By examining the diction of the two speakers -- their word choices, vowel sounds of certain words, and word etymologies -- the reader not only perceives the contrast of emotions, but also 'Melia's change from rusticity to refinement and how she places some ethical value upon her new way of life.

Hardy's primary speaker is a young woman whose dialogue occurs in the first three lines of each quatrain of all six stanzas, except for the last. Her diction, as well as 'Melia's diction, reveals that she is of a lower status. This speaker's discourse displays emotions of surprise, disgust, recollection, admiration, and envy. However, his second speaker is the young woman whose response occurs in the last line of each quatrain and the last two lines of the final quatrain. Her succinct discourse displays an attitude of arrogance and elevation.

The primary speaker's word choice about 'Melia's change is unique. The very first sentence "'O 'Melia, my dear, this does everything crown!'" not only establishes her surprise in seeing her friend but the final word of that line, "crown," qualifies her friend's appearance as a majestic sight. Then, expanding upon 'Melia's new way of life, the primary speaker notices her friend's extremely tidy appearance and uses successive words that depict images of a refined lady. For instance, "fair garments"and "prosperity" (3), "gay bracelets" and "bright feathers" (7), a "delicate cheek" (14), some "little gloves" (15), a "fine sweeping gown" (21), and, a "delicate face" (22). However, the primary speaker also uses words that suggest the state of 'Melia's former rustic environment. For example, "tatters" and "without shoes or socks" (5), "digging potatoes" and "spudding up docks" (6), "barton," "thee" and "thou" (9), "paws" and "blue and bleak" (13), "hag-ridden dream" (17), and "megrims of melancho-ly" (19). Thus, her choice of words shows her emotions swaying from extreme surprise and admiration to a deep recollection about a harsh and repulsive life, one of which she still endures.

Secondly, an examination of the sounds that these two categories of words make, refined and rustic, also shows a division of the emotions. The reader may or may not realize it, but the vowel sounds made by certain words may subconsciously spark his or her emotions. Certain vowel sounds may cause us to feel "high" one moment and other vowel sounds may cause us to feel "low" the next. High-frequency vowel sounds are found in words that make the sounds i (guy), a (say), ee (see) and are associated with an increase in energy. Therefore, the primary speaker's words that reflect her expression of surprise and admiration as well as the descriptions of 'Melia's elevated status are among the words with high-frequency vowel sounds. For instance, the i sound in "high compa-ny" (11) and "fine sweeping gown" (21) depict imagery of elevation. Then, the i sound in "lively" when 'Melia says of her own estate that "One's pretty lively when ruined" (20). The a sound can be found in "gay bracelets" (7) and "delicate face" (22). Then, the ee sound in "prosperity”"(3), "feathers three" (7), "compa-ny" (11), and "delicate cheek" (14) affirm this imagery of 'Melia's elevated status.

Additionally, "la-dy" combines both the a sound and the ee sound.

On the other hand, low-frequency vowel sounds are found in words that make the sounds oo (coo), o (cone), oo (cook), aw (caught), oi (coy), ow (cow), and ah (car). The low-frequency vowel words that make these low sounds are related to largeness and reveal a sense of omniscience, power, gloom, and weariness. Thus, the primary speaker's words that reflect either a sense of largeness or her recollection of 'Melia's past life are among the words with low-frequency vowel sounds. Again, "crown" in the very first sentence, "O 'Melia, my dear, this does everything crown!" not only makes the ow sound but depicts a sense of majestic power. The ow sound in "Town" (2) and "fine sweeping gown”"(21) depicts a sense of largeness. The aw sound in "without . . . socks" (5) and "spudding up docks" (6), which are broad-leafed weeds, reveals senses of gloom and weariness, while "paws" (13) and "raw country girl" (23) portrays animal-like and undeveloped images. The ah sound in "barton," which is an archaic word for "farmyard," also reveals a sense of gloom and disadvantage. The o sound in "digging potatoes" (6) also provides a sense of weariness. Then, the oo sound in "work" (16), stated by 'Melia herself, reflects a sense of drudgery. Finally, the oo sound in "your face blue" (13) reveals 'Melia's former sense of gloom.

Another interesting factor are the etymologies of these two divisions of words. Most of the words that reflect 'Melia's former life of rusticity -- words that connote a sense of omniscience, power, gloom, and weariness and are categorized as low-frequency vowel words -- are words with language origins of Old English. For example, "shoes" (5) comes from an Old English word scoh; "socks" (5) comes from an Old English word socc and earlier from prehistoric German from Latin; "docks" (6), comes from Old English docce and earlier from a prehistoric German word; "barton" (9), a farmyard, comes from Old English beretun meaning "threshing floor," from bere meaning barley plus tun meaning "place, farm, or town"; "work" (16) comes from the Old English weorc and earlier from an Indo-European word that is also the ancestor of English "energy," "organ," and "orgy"; "hag" (17) comes from the prehistoric German word hexe (witch); and, "raw" comes from Old English hreaw.

However, most of the words that reflect 'Melia's refinement -- words that not only connote a sense of improvement, beauty, leisure, and wealth, but also are categorized as high-frequency vowel words -- are words with language origins of either Old French or French. For example, "fair" (3) comes from 13th Century Old French and feire from Late Latin; "garments" (3) comes from 14th Century French garnement, literally meaning "equipment"; "prosperi-ty" (3) comes from the 14th Century and directly or via Old French from Latin prosperare, from prosperus meaning "doing well"; "gay" (7) comes from 13th Century Old French gai meaning "happy"; "bracelets" (7) comes 15th Century French from Latin bracchiale meaning "armlet"; "polish" (12) comes from the 13th Century Old French stem poliss- from Latin polire; "delicate" (14) comes from the 14th Century and directly or via French délicat from Latin delicates; "fine" (21) is from 13th Century French; and, "gown" (21) is from 14th Century Old French.

Another interesting sound feature is that of the words in the title: "The Ruined Maid." "Ruin," as a noun, possesses the oo sound, a low-frequency vowel sound. Even the word "ruin" connotes imagery of gloom and destruction. Unlike some of the low-frequency vowel words previously mentioned, "ruin," which possesses the meaning "to seduce then abandon a woman," comes from 14th Century French ruine and Latin ruena. On the other hand, the word "maid" possesses the a sound, a high-frequency vowel sound. This word seems to connote an image of a young and lively woman. But, "maid," which initially means a "woman servant," also means "a virgin or a woman who has never had sexual intercourse," comes from Old English mægden from a prehistoric Germanic ancestor meaning "young woman." Both of these words contrast against the previously mentioned patterns that certain vowel words form in Hardy's poem.

Throughout the poem, 'Melia's response to the primary speaker's different emotions regarding her new status is one of arrogance and elevation. Her speech, which occurs in the last line of each stanza, seems to be one of a mediocre tone as she uses but a few words that depict images of her past or present life. However, at the end of the poem, 'Melia's fine example of a refined woman who has access to leisure and material wealth causes the primary speaker to want to change her life. 'Melia addresses her envy by saying: "'My dear -- a raw country girl, such as you be, / Cannot quite expect that. You ain't ruined,' said she" (23-24). 'Melia values her way life, but realizes that she not only has sacrificed her virginity to gain worldly pleasures and status, but also is engaging in a disreputable occupation.

Hardy's poem "The Ruined Maid" possesses an enlightening discourse that reveals so much about its two feminine speakers. Yet, a careful examination of the classification of words to the sounds made by those words to the word etymologies reveals so much more about the two speakers. Hardy not only carefully selects words to emphasize the contrasting emotions between the two speakers, but the whole idea of 'Melia's status change from rusticity to refinement. Such attention to detail distinguishes Hardy not only as a credible poet, but also as a master of the English language.