The Joy of Cooking

The tone of this poem helps to characterize the figurative language. Harsh language is used such as "scrubbed," "skinned," "carved," "firm and dry," and "sour". This bitter tones describes the speaker's true feelings of her brother and sister. The tongue of the sister represents how she constantly talks or tells secrets. The heart of the brother represents his cold, sour, and bitter heart. The speaker uses this tone throughout the poem to show her hostility towards her brother and sister. She wishes to get rid of her sister's tongue and her brother's heart, metaphorically. The figurative language is brought about due to the bitter tone.