Tone …sometimes it is not “what” you say, but “how” you say it.

Tone is always TOWARD something… When you speak, your tone of voice suggests your attitude. ▪ one concerning the people you're addressing (your audience) ▪ one concerning the thing you're talking about (your subject) That's what the term “tone” means when it's applied to literature as well. We adopt a variety of tones in our day-to-day speech, and this determines what message we desire to convey. In the following examples, the tone of the response can be cheerful, or sarcastic, or sincere, or indifferent, or aggressive, or submissive, etc.) Father: “We are going on a vacation.” Son: “That’s great!” Father: “We can’t go on vacation this summer.” Son: “Ok. Great! That’s what I expected.” “Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?”

Tone affects the message The tone can be formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, playful, indifferent, regretful, cheerful ….or really anything that suggests an attitude. Consider the following examples of tone:  “What’s your problem, Anthony? You’re staring off into space like a moron. Pay attention!”  “Is something wrong, Anthony? You seem distracted. I need for you to pay attention, please.” The main idea of both tone examples is the same. The only way we can differentiate between them is their separate tone. What is the tone of each, and what clues you in to it?

Think of it as “tone of voice” Tone in writing is not really any different than the tone of your voice. It is the same with writing. Every adjective and adverb you use, your sentence structure, and the imagery you use will show your tone. Consider the following ways to end a letter: “I love you,” “Love ya,” “Love,” Or the way one could describe a person walking into the room: Abe swaggered into the room, a cocky smile planted firmly on his face. Abe walked in with a smile. Abe sheepishly snuck in the room, offering only a charming smile. Also, the tone can change very quickly, or may remain the same throughout the story or poem.

Sometimes you can pick up tone from clues in what a person says or writes untitled poem from the classic Chinese poet Liu Tsung-yüan: From one thousand mountains the birds' flights are gone; From ten thousand byways the human track has vanished. In a single boat, an aged man, straw cloak and hat, Fishes alone; snow falls, cold in the river. This poem conveys a tone of melancholy (sadness): The birds have abandoned the mountains, and the footprints of human beings (which are signs of human presence) have "vanished" from thousands of roads. The old fisherman you see at the end is all alone, and the word "single," used for his boat, conveys loneliness. The last image is wintry indeed, with snow falling all around him. Taken together, all these elements create an atmosphere of melancholy.

J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye (novel) The narrator Holden Caulfield’s personality is revealed through the tone he adopts throughout the novel. Let us have a look at some of his remarks: ▪ “All morons hate it when you call them a moron.” ▪ “If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she’s late? Nobody.” ▪ “Goddamn money. It always ends up making you blue as hell.” ▪ “Catholics are always trying to find out if you’re Catholic.” Holden’s tone is bitterly sarcastic as he criticizes the nature of things in his life. You could also describe it as casual, informal, or a little angry.

Donald Barthelme’s “The School” (short story) ▪ “And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know why they died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery wasn’t the best. We complained about it. So we’ve got thirty kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree to plant and we’ve got these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking at these little brown sticks, it was depressing.” The use of adjectives “dead” and “depressing” sets a gloomy tone in the passage. As trees signify life here, their unexpected “death” from an unknown cause gives the above passage an unhappy and pessimistic tone.

E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web (novel) But I feel peaceful. Your success in the ring this morning was, to a small degree, my success. Your future is assured. You will live, secure and safe, Wilbur. Nothing can harm you now. These autumn days will shorten and grow cold. The leaves will shake loose from the trees and fall. Christmas will come, and the snows of winter. You will live to enjoy the beauty of the frozen world, for you mean a great deal to Zuckerman and he will not harm you, ever. Winter will pass, the days will lengthen, the ice will melt in the pasture pond. The song sparrow will return and sing, the frogs will awake, the warm wind will blow again. All these sights and sounds and smells will be yours to enjoy, Wilbur—this lovely world, these precious days…” In Charlotte's Web, although the book is sad, the tone is one of peace and acceptance. What words or terms suggest this tone?

Edgar Allen Poe’s “ The Tell-Tale Heart ” (short story) It was A LOW, DULL, QUICK SOUND -- MUCH SUCH A SOUND AS A WATCH MAKES WHEN ENVELOPED IN COTTON. I gasped for breath, and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly, more vehemently but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why WOULD they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men, but the noise steadily increased. O God! What COULD I do? I foamed -- I raved -- I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder -- louder -- louder! In this excerpt from notice the insane, nervous, and guilty tones. What clues support these tones?

Two more tone examples from literature Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities (novel) There was a steaming mist in all the hollows, and it had roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none. A clammy and intensely cold mist, it made its slow way through the air in ripples that visibly followed and overspread one another, as the waves of an unwholesome sea might do. It was dense enough to shut out everything from the light of the coach-lamps but these its own workings, and a few yards of road; and the reek of the labouring horses steamed into it, as if they had made it all. Earnest Hemingway’s “ A Clean, Well- Lighted Place ” (short story) It was very late and everyone had left the cafe except an old man who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light. In the day time the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference. The tone could be said to be mysterious, secretive, ominous, or evil. The tone is calm and peaceful.