Tone in Literature

In your group, discuss the importance of your title to the book as a whole.

Brainstorm and Discuss: How do the film trailers create a tone or attitude toward the subject matter? What are some different ways authors create tone, in general? What are the techniques we can identify as related to tone? What is the difference between tone and mood?

Some ways include: Setting Characters’ inner thoughts Characters’ actions Imagery Details Word Choice/Diction/Loaded Language Sentence Length

Example Tone Analysis I am nothing but a corpse now, a body at the bottom of a well. Though I drew my last breath long ago and my heart has stopped beating, no one, apart from that vile murderer, knows what’s happened to me. As for that wretch, he felt for my pulse and listened for my breath to be sure I was dead, then kicked me in the midriff, carried me to the edge of the well, raised me up and dropped me below. As I fell, my head, which he’d smashed with a stone, broke apart; my face, my forehead and cheeks, were crushed; my bones shattered, and my mouth filled with blood.

Exemplar: Diction & Imagery I am nothing but a corpse now, a body at the bottom of a well. Though I drew my last breath long ago and my heart has stopped beating, no one, apart from that vile murderer, knows what’s happened to me. As for that wretch, he felt for my pulse and listened for my breath to be sure I was dead, then kicked me in the midriff, carried me to the edge of the well, raised me up and dropped me below. As I fell, my head, which he’d smashed with a stone, broke apart; my face, my forehead and cheeks, were crushed; my bones shattered, and my mouth filled with blood.

Tone vs. Mood The two concepts share a vocabulary The two can be mutually exclusive, BUT: Tone = Writer’s attitude toward a subject Mood = Reader’s feeling about the climate / atmosphere

Tone vs. Mood Tone He approached the task with sheer determination. He had studied his plans carefully, spent hours preparing and was sure of his approach. The hours he spent practicing were grueling and exhausting but he was ready. This was the year he would win the pie eating contest at school. Attitude = determined, focused Mood He approached the task with sheer determination. He had studied his plans carefully, spent hours preparing and was sure of his approach. The hours he spent practicing were grueling and exhausting but he was ready. This was the year he would win the pie eating contest at school. Mood= playful, exciting, humorous

THEME What it is: An observation or statement a work (implicitly) gives about life or the human condition What it is not: Motif/topic (Love, War, Friendship) A summary

How to infer a theme Identify a thematic IDEA Stuck? What topics are central to the text? Still stuck?--look towards symbolism in the text to identify key topics / motifs Create an action (regarding human nature, motivation, or the human condition) Qualify the statement to reflect a truth in your work

Example: To Kill a Mockingbird IDEA ACTION/OBSERVATION Discrimination hardens people’s hearts against their fellow man even when they know the truth QUALIFIER

-Work on Artifact #4 on Canvas- Romeo & Juliet: Create a thematic statement about the work with your tables. We’ll share shortly. -Work on Artifact #4 on Canvas-