Tone

Definition Tone is the writer’s attitude towards his/her subject. Tone is produced through a combination of techniques—e.g., imagery, diction, irony, setting, etc. –. Tone varies based on the author's view as well as the time period in which the author is writing.

Purpose The writer creates a specific tone to produce a reaction in the reader that shapes the work’s ultimate meaning.

Key Questions SUBJECT: What is the subject of the piece? What is the historical context to consider?

ATTITUDE: What is the writer’s attitude toward his subject? How does the writer feel about the subject? What does the writer think about his subject?

TECHNIQUE: (DIDS) How has the writer shaped the tone you’ve identified? What techniques has the writer used in order to produce this tone?

EFFECT: What effect does this tone have on you, the reader? How do you react to this tone? What is the author’s attitude toward his or her audience?

Effects V : Verisimilitude U: Urgency U: Universality E: Emphasis E: Empathy

PURPOSE: Given the time period, why would the writer want you to react this way? How does tone contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole?

Key Techniques for Analysis Tone The methods by which the author conveys to his reader his attitude toward his subject and, occasionally, his intent toward his audience Tone will vary based on time period, the literary movement, and the historical context

Techniques 1. Diction: Word choice and connotations of those words Denotation – the dictionary definition of a word Connotation – the meaning behind the word. It is the deeper “coloring” of a word that enhances the reader’s understanding of the author’s message and purpose.

Connotation How words affect tone…

Denotation The dictionary definition of a word The most specific or direct meaning of a word Los Angeles is a city in California.

Connotation An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing Hollywood holds connotations of romance and glittering success.

Consider Connotation… How does connotation impact the feeling of a words? Why is that important?

Malevolent vs. Wicked Denotation Both mean the same thing Having or exhibiting ill will

Malevolent vs. Wicked

Ill Will Evil you can see. Someone who is out right trying to defeat you or hurt you Nice to your face, mean to your back. Doesn’t appear mean even though the intentions are bad

Attainment vs. Fulfillment An act of achieving

Attainment vs. Fulfillment

Converge vs. Unite To move toward one point Approach nearer together

Converge vs. Unite

So, what does this all mean?

Words! Words! Words!  Words mean more than the dictionary definition.  Authors choose specific words for specific purposes.  Words help set the tone of a story or poem.

Consider: “Art is the antidote that can call us back from the edge of numbness, restoring the ability to feel for another.” Barbara Kingsolver, High Tide in Tucson Analysis: By using the word antidote, what does the author imply about the inability to feel for another? Explain: If we changed the word antidote to gift, what effect would it have on the meaning of the sentence?

2. Imagery: Vivid appeals to understanding through the senses; use of figurative language Metaphor - direct comparison between two seemingly unrelated subjectscomparison Simile -- the comparison of two unlike things using like or as Personification - giving human qualities to animals or objects. Onomatopoeia- word that imitates the sound it represents Hyperbole – exaggeration or overstatement Symbol – a object that stands not only for itself but for something beyond itself

Example Consider: It was a mine town, uranium most recently. Dust devils whirled sand off the mountains. Even after the heaviest of rains, the water seeped back into the ground, between stones, and the earth was parched again. Linda Hogan, “Making Do” Analysis: What feelings do you associate with images of dusty mountains and dry earth? There are two images associated with land in the third sentence. Identify the two images and compare and contrast the feelings these images evoke.

Details: facts included or those omitted that enhance and give life to the story or passage

Example Consider: “Whenever he was so fortunate as to have near him a hare that had been kept too long, or a meat pie made with rancid butter, he gorged himself with such violence that his veins swelled, and the moisture broke out on his forehead.” Thomas Macaulay, “Samuel Johnson” Analysis: What effect does the detail (the spoiled hare, the rancid butter, the swollen veins, the sweaty forehead) have on the reader? How would the meaning of the sentence be changed by ending it after himself?

4. Sentence Structure Punctuation Sentence patterns (placement) Complexity/simplicity/length of sentence structure

Example Consider: The impact of poetry is so hard and direct that for the moment there is no other sensation except that of the poem itself. What profound depths we visit then-how sudden and complete is our immersion! There is nothing here to catch hold of; nothing to stay us in our flight…The poet is always our contemporary. Our being for the moment is centered and constricted, as in any violent shock of personal emotion. Virgina Woolf, “How Should One Read a Book?” Analyze: Woolf uses a variety of sentence types in this selection. Among them is the exclamatory sentence. Identify the exclamatory sentence and explain its effect. Classify each sentence as to length: short, medium, or long. How is the meaning of the passage reinforced and clarified by sentence length?