The Voice of Language: Text Analysis You learned to analyze voice when you were very young. The tone...

The Voice of The Voice of Language: Text Language: Text

AnalysisAnalysis

The Voice of The Voice of Language: Text Language: Text

AnalysisAnalysisYou learned to analyze voice You learned to analyze voice when you were very young. when you were very young.

The tone parents speak to The tone parents speak to their children clearly their children clearly communicates their intent. communicates their intent.

Learning to Analyze Voice

•At about the third time your parents told you to “pick up your room” you knew they really meant it this time by the tone and attitude of the spoken words.

Tools of Voice Analysis for the Written Word

• Written language is similar but it requires practice in the use of analyzing…

• diction• detail • imagery • syntax • tone

Diction…Detail…Imagery…

Syntax…Tone

•These are the literary tools used to reach a decision about voice, its impact on the reader, and the author’s purpose.

Diction•Word choice is the foundation of voice.

Diction continued…

•Diction refers to the author’s choice of words.

•Words are the writer’s basic tools: they create the color and texture of the written word.

Diction continued…

•The author’s words both reflect and determine the level of formality; they shape the reader’s perceptions.

Diction continued…

• Do not skip words you do not “know” while reading.

• A dictionary needs to be your reading companion.

Diction continued…

•Without a knowledge of words (both written and verbal) you will not expand your vocabulary and thus will limit your ability to interpret complex texts.

Diction continued…

• Diction reflects the writer’s vision and steers the reader’s thoughts.

• What is diction?• Remember… diction is the

author’s specific word choice!

Words: clear, concrete, and exact

• A coat isn’t torn; it is tattered.• The United States Army does not want revenge; it is thirsting for revenge.

• A door does not shut; it thuds.

Words create the artistic vision

•Specific diction brings the reader into the scene, enabling full participation in the writer’s world.

Diction: topic, purpose, and occasion

• The topic often determines the specificity and sophistication of diction. For example, articles on computers are filled with specialized language: e-mail, e-shopping, web, interface, etc. Many topics generate special vocabularies as a nexus to meaning.

Diction: purpose• The writer's purpose – whether

to convince, entertain, amuse, inform, or persuade – partly determines diction.

• For example, if an author’s purpose is to inform, the reader should expect straightforward diction.

Diction: purpose continued

•If the author’s purpose is to entertain, the reader will likely encounter words used in ironic, playful, or unexpected ways.

OccasionFormal Diction

•As with clothes, level of formality influences appropriate choice. Formal diction is largely reserved for scholarly writing and serious propose or poetry.

Diction: OccasionInformal

• Informal diction is the norm in expository essays, newspaper editorials, and works of fiction. Colloquial diction and slang borrow from informal speech and are typically used to create a mood or capture a particular historic or regional dialect.

Denotation and Connotation

•Denotation = the dictionary meaning of the word…hence “D” in denotation connects to “D” in dictionary. That makes it easy to remember.

• D=D

Connotation• Connotation = the meaning

suggested by a word and its associated feelings and ideas that are conveyed to the reader

• Example: slender evokes a different interpretation than gaunt

Connotation: continued

•A word’s power to produce a strong reaction in the reader lies mainly in its connotative meaning.

Diction: summary

•Diction can impart freshness and originality to writing. Words used in surprising or unusual ways make us think and feel with emotional connections.

Diction: concluding comments

•Good writers opt for …•complexity rather than simplicity

•multiple meanings rather than simple communication

Voice: It’s All In The Details

• Details includes…• Facts• Observations• Incidents• Description• Sensory imagery

Details continued…

•Details develop, extend, enhance, and reveal a subject to the reader. Details combine with diction to reveal the voice of the author.

Details continued…

•Specific details refer to fewer things rather than general descriptions, thereby creating a precise and concrete mental picture.

Detail continued…•Detail brings life and color to description, focusing the reader’s attention and brings the reader into the scene.

The Great Gatsby• “We went upstairs, through bedrooms

swathed in rose and lavender silk and vivid with new flowers, through dressing-rooms and poolrooms, and bathrooms, with sunken baths – intruding into one chamber where a disheveled man in pajamas was doing liver exercises on the floor.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby• through dressing-rooms and poolrooms,

and bathrooms, with sunken baths – • How do the details enhance the

reader’s experience? • What image is the author creating for

the reader? • What associations do they create in the

reader if we consider their connotative meanings?

The Great Gatsby• intruding into one chamber where a

disheveled man in pajamas was doing liver exercises on the floor.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

• Why is the man “disheveled”?• Why is he in “pajamas”?• Why would he need to exercise his

“liver”?• How do the details of the man connect

to the details of the room?

Detail continued…•Detail encourages readers to

participate in the text.•The use of detail influences

the readers’ views of the topic, the setting, the narrator, and the author.

Detail continued…• Detail can also state by

understatement, by a lack of detail! How could the lack of detail enhance a particular passage?

• What would be the effect on the reader?

Diction continued…

•Good writers choose detail with care, selecting those details which add meaning and avoiding those that trivialize or detract.

Detail comparison•“The door to the cold, empty, blue, lonely room opens.”

•This is probably too much detail!

Detail comparison•“The door to the room opens.”

•“This is too little detail!

Detail comparison…

•“The door to the blue, lonely room opens.”

•This is probably just the right amount of detail to entice the reader into the scene.

Detail and author’s choice

• Adding detail enhances the image and layers the meaning of the subject.

• Deleting detail takes the emphasis off of the subject for specific effect.

• The author (that’s you!) decides.

Detail: final words• Add precise detail (not “fluff”

adjectives). This tends to trivialize the subject and leaves the reader uninvolved.

• Choose careful detail to add meaning and allow the reader to participate in your vision.

Here’s to Detail !!! •Adding detail brings your

subject into close view like a magnifying glass.

•Lack of detail leaves your subject far away and vague.

Voice and Imagery• Imagery = the verbal representation

of sensory experience.• Sight (visual imagery)• Sound (auditory imagery)• Touch (tactile imagery)• Taste (gustatory imagery) and…• Smell (olfactory imagery)

Experiment with Imagery

• Good writers use a variety of images and purposefully intermingle the senses.

• Try this…• Describe a smell using a color• Describe a sound using smell• Describe a touch using a visual word• Describe a taste using a smell

Imagery experiment

•Describe a smell using color.

•“The bright yellow aroma of summer lemonade.”

Imagery experiment

•Describe a sound using smell.

•“The sharp woody odor of the beating drum.”

Imagery experiment

•Describe a touch using a visual word

•“Her caress was like morning sun on sleepy eyelids.”

Imagery experiment

•Describe a taste using a smell

•“He greedily drank in the sweet aroma of the freshly baked cookies.”

Sensorial Vocabulary

• The key to precise and original imagery is to access a wide vocabulary related to the senses.

• Add these examples (and many more you will discover on your own) to your writing.

Visual Images = Sight Words

• Visual images using sight words are perhaps the simplest to integrate into your writing.

• Keys to success are writing as if you are looking at the photograph of the image you are describing. Keep writing until you believe your reader could draw an accurate duplicate picture by using the diction you have supplied.

Auditory Images = Sound Words

• banging, barking, belching, blaring, buzzing, chiming, clanging, clicking, fizzing, gagging, gasping, growling, hissing, moaning, murmuring, plopping, quacking, rattling, ringing, rumbling, scratching, slamming, snapping, tapping, thumping, wheezing, whispering, etc.

Tactile Images: Touch Words

• abrasive, bumpy, bushy, crisp, damp, dry, dusty, foamy, gluey, gritty, hairy, hot, humid, icy, lacy, lukewarm, mushy, oily, prickly, pulpy, rubbery, scratchy, sharp, slimy, soapy, soupy, sticky, stubby, tepid, tickling, velvety, waxy, wooly, etc.

Gustatory Images = Taste Words

Olfactory Images = Smell Words• acidic, acrid, biting, bland, buttery,

crisp, doughy, fruity, garlicky, lemony, medicinal, minty, musky, perfumed, pickled, piney, pungent, putrid, rancid, rank, raw, rotten, salty, sharp, sour, spicy, stagnant, sugary, sweet, tangy, vile, vinegary, etc.

Imagery = diction and detail

• An image’s success in producing a sensory experience results from the specificity of the author’s diction and choice of detail. Imagery contributes to voice by evoking vivid experience, conveying specific emotion, and suggesting a particular idea.

Imagery and the reader•Imagery contributes to

voice by evoking vivid experience, conveying specific emotion, and suggesting a particular idea.

Imagery = figurative language

• Imagery is used to impart figurative or symbolic meaning. For example:

• The “parched” earth can be a metaphor for a character’s despair, or…

• a bird’s “flight” a metaphor for hope

Images: Ending Remarks

• Images: pictures or feelings that connect to the five senses. Writers use diction and detail to convey an image. Images invite the reader to respond to the text. Symbolic images are archetypes and form motifs that build to the theme and meaning of the work.

Figurative Language

– Figurative Language is the analysis term used to categorize language used by an author that is NOT literal. Therefore, figurative language includes non-literal diction, similes, metaphors, all uses of imagery (5 senses), hyperboles, etc.

– Any device the author uses to convey meaning in a NON-LITERAL way is figurative language.

Voice: and syntax

• Syntax = refers to the way words are arranged within sentences.

• Basic structure = subject and verb; in other words while the order of words in a sentence CANNOT be random, there is great latitude in its execution.

Syntax introduction

• How writers control and manipulate the sentence is a strong determiner of voice and imparts personality to the writing. Syntax encompasses word order, sentence length, sentence focus, and punctuation.

Syntax encompasses…

•word order•sentence length•sentence focus•and punctuation

Why is sentence variety important to a good

writer?• Deviating from the expected word

order can serve to startle the reader and draw attention to the sentence. This in turn, emphasizes the unusual sentence’s message. It also adds rhythm and cadence to your language which provides flow, a sure sign of a sophisticated writer.

The 35 Patterns• You have been given 36 sentence

variation patterns that you are asked practice using your SAT words and then, with practice, integrate these patterns into your own writing. Doing so will greatly enhance the ideas you are trying to communicate with a voice all your own.

Syntax and personal voice

• Good writers shift between conformity and nonconformity, preventing reader complacency without using unusual sentence structure to the point of distraction.

Syntax: Sentence Length

• Writers vary sentence length to forestall boredom and control emphasis. A short sentence following a much longer sentence shifts the reader’s attention, which emphasizes the meaning and importance of the short sentence. Many modern writers put key ideas in short powerful sentences.

Sentence Functions

1. declarative: makes a statement “You ate lunch.”2. interrogative: asks a question “Did you eat lunch?”3. imperative: gives a command “Eat your lunch now.” 4. exclamatory: expresses strong feeling “Please eat your lunch!”

Grammatical Classifications for Sentences: Simple

Sentencesimple sentence: one independent

clause and no dependent clausesRemember: impendent clauses stand by

themselves while dependent clauses need to be tied to the sentence

“John and Mary waved at Sue.” “I came to class today prepared to work.”

Compound sentence

compound sentence: contains two or more independent clauses and no dependent clauses; independent clauses may be joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, for, nor, so yet)“John and Mary waved, but they did not speak.”

Complex sentenceContains an independent clause and

one or more dependent clauses“Although John and Mary waved at

Sue, they did not speak, and they did not stop.”

Compound-Complex sentence

Contains two independent clauses and at least one dependent clauses

“Although John and Mary waved at Sue, they did not speak, and they did not stop.”

Kinds of Sentences:

Periodic Sentences• Syntactic tension is the withholding of

closure until the end of the sentence. Sentences that so delay closure are called periodic sentences. Periodic sentences carry high tension and interest: the reader must wait until the end of the sentence to understand the meaning.

Periodic Sentence: Example

• “As long as we ignore our children and refuse to dedicate the necessary time and money to their care, we will fail to solve the problem of school violence.”

• Note: the main idea is not completed until the very end of the sentence. The emphasis the author intended is on the problem and not the solution. Whatever is last carries the most power!

Loose Sentences/Cumulativ

e• In contrast to periodic sentences that

do not allow the reader to reach closure until the very end of the sentence, loose sentences reach syntactical closure early.

• Result or effect: tension is relieved and the reader is allowed to explore the rest of the sentence without urgency.

Loose vs. Periodic

• Note the difference in tension when we change the previous sentence to a loose sentence…

• “We will fail to solve the problem of school violence as long as we ignore our children and refuse to dedicate the necessary time and money to their care.”

• The emphasis here is on the cause of failure and not the problem. This is the author’s intent!

Rhetorical Question

• A question which does not require an answer because the answer is obvious or will be answered in the essay. Please avoid the overuse of rhetorical questions. Remember…essays are meant to answer questions, not raise them!

Syntax: Repetition• Repetition is another way writers

achieve sentence focus. Purposeful repetition of a word, phrase, or clause emphasizes the repeated structure and focuses the reader's attention on its meaning. “The long road, the winding road, the tiring road seemed endless.”

Syntax: Parallel Structure • Repetition of the same grammatical

structure in phrases and clauses; match a noun with a noun, a verb with a verb., etc.

• “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”

• Dickens A Tale of Two Cities

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief,

it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter

of despair…” Dickens A Tale of Two Cities

• What is the effect of this parallel structure that is repeated over and over?

• Notice the rhythm• Each repetition reinforces a contrast or

intended conflict. Does this tie into a theme or meaning of the entire work?

• Does each repetition build from precise to thematic or from specific to more general opening the work to expanded imagery and thematic interpretation?

Another type of Parallelism =AntithesisAntithesis is used to show contrast.

It is a repetition but is used to juxtapose images or ideas that “fight” with each other. What is the effect?

“Be not the first by whom the new are tried,/Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.”

An Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope

Balanced Sentences

• The phrases or clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness of structure.

• The monster lurked within the stony citadel; the monster screeched behind the castle walls.

• What is the effect?

Inverted Sentences• Inverted order has the predicate of

the sentence come before the subject

• “In the early winter comes the snow.”

• What is the effect? Is it similar to a periodic sentence?

Anaphora• The repetition of the same word or group of

words at the beginning of successive clauses• “We will pursue him into the mountains; we

will pursue him into the desert; we will pursue him down valleys and into canyons; we will pursue him to the ends of the earth.”

• What is the effect? • Does the tension build? • Does the impact build? • Is the mood intensified? • Does it build a rhythm?

AsyndetonThe deliberate omission of conjunctions in a

series of related clauses“I saw the mountain; I climbed the

mountain; I conquered the mountain.”What is the effect? What happens to the rhythm? What is the author emphasizing and

deemphasizing?What meaning does it create?

PolysyndetonThe deliberate use of many conjunctions “The meal was amazing – my mother had cooked

turkey and dressing and green peas and fruit salad and mashed potatoes smothered with gravy and toasty white rolls with honey and pumpkin pie and hot pecan pie swirled with whipped cream, and no matter how much we ate, the table seemed just as loaded as when we began eating.”

What is the effect? EMPHASIS!to highlight quantity or mass of detail, or to create a

flowing, continuous sentence pattern and rhythm.

Syntax SummaryAuthor’s purpose is important in the

analysis of all stylistic devices (detail, diction, figurative language, etc.), but it is especially important in syntax. Your job is to determine WHY the author used a particular sentence structure to deliver his/her message? What is the effect of that structure on the reader? How does the syntax create meaning!

Syntax: Punctuation

• Punctuation is used to reinforce meaning, construct effect, and express the writer’s voice. Of particular interest in shaping voice are the…

• Semicolon, colon, and dash!

Punctuation: semicolon

• The semicolon gives equal weight to two or more independent clauses in a sentence. The resulting syntactical balance reinforces parallel ideas and imparts equal importance to both (or all) of the clauses.

Semicolon: Example

• “He came in from the cold; he wiped his boots clean.”

• The author intends the reader to notice that the action of coming in IS equal to the act of the wiping of the boots. “He came in from the cold and wiped his boots” would indicate that the coming in is NOT as important as the final wiping of the boots.

Punctuation: Colon

• The colon directs reader attention to the words that follow. It sets the expectation that important, closely related information or a listing will follow, and words after the colon are what the author intends to emphasize.

Colon: 1st example

• “The recipe for brownies called for: eggs, flour, milk, sugar, oil, and chocolate.”

• This listing places emphasis on the ingredients needed and not the final product.

Colon: 2nd example

• “My mom came in and turned off the light: now I can’t see to do my homework.”

• This example alerts the read that relevant information that needs to be noticed will follow. Again, as with the listing example the words following the colon are the ones the author intends to emphasize.

Punctuation: Dash

•The dash is the informal form of a parentheses.

•It can also mark a sudden change in thought or tone .

Dash: Examples• “I went to the store to buy ice cream

- my brother really likes Fudge Brownie Chocolate - and came home to put it in the freezer.”

• This example illustrates an informal parenthetical (parenthesis).

Dash: 2nd example

• “I went to the store to buy ice cream - Brownie Fudge Chocolate is my favorite.”

• The dash signals a quick change in thought or the direction of thought.

Voice and Syntax: ending comments

• Syntax is the way the author constructs sentences for a particular effect.

• Sentence variation is essential to flow and keeping the interest of the reader.

• Repetitive sentence structure is the sign of an immature writer. Sentence variation is the sign of a mature writer who engages the reader through a shift from conformity and nonconformity with aplomb.

Voice and Syntax: final comments

• Variation in word arrangement• Variation in sentence length• Repetition of key element and• Punctuation• These are all ways to vary

syntactical structure and influence the meaning of the work.

Voice and Tone

• Tone is the expression of attitude.

• It is the writer’s implied attitude toward his/her subject and audience.

• The writer creates tone by selection (diction) and arrangement (syntax) of words, and by purposeful use of details and images.

Tone•Tone = diction + detail + imagery + syntax

Tone• Diction = specific word choice and their

connotative or associative meaning• Detail = concrete information that

enhances meaning • Imagery = use of the five senses to

create a visual image or emotional response in the reader

• Syntax = the way the sentence is structured

Tone• The reader perceives tone by

examining these four elements. • Tone sets the relationship between

reader and writer. • As the emotion growing out of the

material and connecting the material to the reader, tone is the hallmark of the writer’s personality or voice/style.

Tone continued…

–Tone is requisite to understanding meaning and author’s purpose.

– It is also the key to perceiving the author’s mood and making the connection between the author’s thought and its written expression.

Tone: ending comments

•Identifying and analyzing tone requires careful reading, sensitivity to diction and syntax, and understanding of detail and images

Tones: Complementary or Contrasting?

Always identify TWO tones! They may be complementary (close to meaning the same), or contrasting, indicating a tonal shift (a change in attitude)

Two Complementary Tones

Image your mother calls you for the fourth time to take out the garbage.

What TWO tone words might describe her verbal attitude?

Exasperated? Frustrated? Agitated? Disgusted? Irritated? Outraged? Testy? Urgent? Vexed? Wrathful?

Complementary Tones

• When writing to assert a thesis regarding tone – choose TWO tone words that you can use as synonyms (if the tone is complementary or parallel in the text) in your response. It allows the writer flexibility and adds depth and sophistication to the analysis

Contrasting Tones• Author’s may intentionally indicate a shift

in tone to more fully develop character, introduce irony, develop theme, etc.

• Example: Your mother has asked you for the fourth time to take out the garbage. You respond…

• “Don’t you ever think I am busy when you want me to do something right now? But, I guess you are as tired as I am and taking out the garbage is not asking too much after such a great spaghetti dinner. I’m sorry I didn't do it quicker for you.”

Contrasting Tones• There is a definite shift in tone

between the first and second sentence.

• What TWO tone words would you use to describe that dialogue?

• Insolent and compassionate?Belligerent and soothing?

• Grouchy and tender?

Writing Utilizing Two Contrasting Tones

• When writing to assert a thesis regarding contrasting or conflicting tone – choose TWO tone words that indicate an understanding of the shift which will add depth and sophistication to your analysis. Rarely does an AP text rest on a single tone. Look for the shifts. They are almost always there!

Voice = Author’s Style

•Communicate with style, personality, flair, and confidence, to create your own voice!

•As a writer you are the communicator.

Here’s to a Voice and Style all your own!