Tone What is it? The attitude a writer takes toward the reader, a subject, or a character. Tone = Attitude Examples of words that describe “tone”… angry, frustrated, admiring, cynical, satirical, loving, silly, sympathetic, serious, playful, condescending, intimate, ironic, cheerful, friendly
How do you find tone? l Word choice: cracking, creaking, maiming, murdering l Sounds: plop, buzz l Alliteration/Consonance: flitter/flutter l Syntax: long or short sentences l Main themes: positive or negative? l Imagery: fluffy clouds? raging lightning? l Symbols: good vs. evil (“Beowulf”), light vs. dark, weak vs. strong, electricity = power (Frankenstein)
Questions to ask when looking for tone… What is the author’s/speaker’s attitude? l How does he or she feel about something? l What is their overall opinion about the subject of a piece or the audience (reader)? l What is the author’s personality? l
Can the tone change? anger to sympathy, or vice versa; cynical to admiration Watch for shifts such as key words (“however”, “yet”) Stanza/paragraph divisions, contrast in diction, changes in punctuation (dashes, semicolons, exclamation, etc. )
Let’s practice… “What are you doing? ” concerned sarcastic curious accusing
Now for the written word… “Get out of my house, right this second. ” “How stupid do you have to be not to understand that? ” “The poor innocent girl passed away last night. ”