Tone and Mood

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

Vocabulary◦ Connotation refers to an implied meaning separate

from the thing it describes explicitly. Ex. Wall Street (literally a street, connotatively refers

to wealth. Dove (literally a bird, connotatively refers to peace.

ELAGSE8RL4

Tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject, the characters or the readers, which is revealed through the author’s words and details. Use context clues to help determine tone.

What is Tone?

Tone WordsAngry Sad SentimentalSharp Cold FancifulUpset Urgent ComplimentarySilly Joking CondescendingBoring Poignant SympatheticAfraid Detached ContemptuousHappy Confused ApologeticHollow Childish HumourousJoyful Peaceful HorrificAllusive Mocking SarcasticSweet Objective NostalgicVexed Vibrant ZealousTired Frivolous IrreverentBitter Audacious BenevolentDreamy Shocking SeductiveRestrained Somber CandidProud Giddy PitifulDramatic Provocative Didactic

“This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams 

I have eatenthe plumsthat were inthe icebox and which 5you were probablysavingfor breakfast Forgive methey were delicious 10so sweetand so cold

Activity 2

 Tone word: Insincere Explain: While Williams attempts to say he is sorry, “Forgive me” (ln. 9), the insincerity of his apology is evident as he waits to ask for forgiveness until the last stanza of the poem. Additionally, he goes on to explain how good the plums were that she was saving for breakfast “they were delicious/so sweet/and so cold” (ln. 10-12). That he rubs in how good the plums were shows he wasn’t sincere in his “apology.”

What is the author’s tone towards the subject of forgiveness?

YOU TRY:

Pick a tone word and explain. Remember, you must always back up your explanation with evidence from the text.

What is the author’s tone towards the person to whom he is speaking?

In the short story, “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry, two men attempt to kidnap a wealthy man’s son for a ransom. However, the boy is a troublemaker, and they can’t wait to get rid of him. The boy’s father sends this note to the men in response to their ransom demand:

Gentlemen: I received your letter today by post in regard to the ransom you ask for the return of my son. I think you are a little high in your demands, and I hereby make you a counter offer, which I am inclined to believe you will accept. You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, I agree to take him off your hands. You had better come at night, for the neighbors believe he is lost, and I couldn’t be responsible for what they would do to anyone they saw bringing him back.

Very Respectfully,Ebenezer Dorset

What is the author’s tone in this note? Back your answer with evidence from the text.

Mood is the emotions that you (the reader) feel while you are reading. It is the atmosphere created by the author. Some literature makes us feel happy, sad, angry, etc.

Mood is often created by images, dialogue, setting, and plot.

What is Mood?

Suspenseful Joyful Depressing Excited Anxious Angry Sad Tense Lonely Suspicious Frightened Disgusted

Examples of Mood

“The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe

During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing along, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher…I reined my horse to the precipitous brink of a black and lurid tarn that lay in unruffled luster by the dwelling…[with] vacant and eye-like windows.

Activity 1

Mood word: Depressing

Explanation: The setting of this short story is at a house that is described as melancholy. Additionally, the day is “dull, dark, and soundless”. The depressing diction here creates a feeling of sadness. Additionally, the story is set in autumn, a time of year when the leaves are “dying” and the summer is “dying”.

Activity 1 Cont.

“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck

The deep green pool of the Salinas River was still in the late afternoon. Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun. But by the pool among the mottled sycamores, a pleasant shade had fallen.

You Try

You Try

“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck

A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side; and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically.