Tone and Mood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDUhDV-72S0

TONE TONE is simply the author’s attitude toward the subject. A work of writing can have more than one tone. Tone must be inferred through the use of descriptive words.

Tone Example   The girls were playing in the pond, splashing each other and trying to catch fish with their hands. They were having fun, but kept looking over their shoulders at the looming forest. The long grass of the field kept moving and they sort of felt like they were being watched… About a half hour passed and still the girls kept checking the field for movements. It seemed like a pair of dark eyes was on them. They even considered going back inside, but that would mean homework time. So they continued splashing, but with caution now. Their eyes hardly left the field. The tone of this passage is ominous, suggesting a little bit of fear or foreboding. Words like "caution, dark, and looming“ lead readers to the tone.

TONE EXAMPLE Finally, one of the girls pointed to the grass and giggled. "Meow!" A cat sat on the edge of the field and licked its paw. They did indeed have company. The girls ran over to the cat and pet his belly. They laughed and the cat sauntered back to the field. The tone of this passage is happy/contentment as there was a successful, happy resolution to the problem.

Words that Describe Tone Amused Humorous Pessimistic Angry Informal Playful Cheerful Ironic Pompous Horror Light Sarcastic Sad Compassionate Worried Clear Matter-of-Fact Serious Formal Resigned Suspicious Gloomy Optimistic Witty

MOOD MOOD is the overall feelings or emotions that are created IN THE READER. It may change from situation to situation Authors “move” their readers’ moods through their choice of words and level of detail.

MOOD EXAMPLE  During the holidays, my mother's house glittered with decorations and hummed with preparations. We ate cookies and drank cider while we helped her wrap bright packages and trim the tree. We felt warm and excited, listening to Christmas carols and even singing along sometimes. We would tease each other about our terrible voices and then sing even louder. Mood: Content, happy. How do we know? Words like "warm, excited, glittered” are used by the author.

MOOD EXAMPLE After New Year's, the time came to put all the decorations away and settle in for the long, cold winter. The house seemed to sigh as we boxed up its finery. The tree was dry and brittle, and now waited forlornly by the side of the road to be picked up. Mood: Dreary, depressed. How do we know? "cold, sigh, brittle, forlornly"

Words That Describe Mood Bleak Content Fanciful Frightening Frustrating Furious Gloomy Happy Hopeful Idyllic Inspired Joyful Melancholy Mysterious Relaxed Romantic Satisfied Sentimental Sorrowful Eerie

Mood: foreboding, fearful

Mood: exhilarated, playful

Mood: frustrated, stressed

Author’s Tone Leads to Story’s Atmosphere And Mood

Example An author writes a horror story using a serious and sinister tone. That tone helps create a scary atmosphere and a nervous, frightened mood for readers.

Example: Hostile/Angry “Dana grinned vindictively. His teeth were nubby and yellow, like an old barn dog’s. Kneeling on Roy’s chest, he hauled back to hit him.” Hoot The author’s angry tone inspires a violent atmosphere. The author may be hoping to inspire a tense or uneasy mood in the reader.

Example: Sorrow It sounds cliched But at times like this, I miss my dad. I mean, I don’t remember him- He died of cancer when I was 3 Pictures are all that’s left… The author’s grieving tone creates an atmosphere of longing and inspires sympathy and caring in the reader.

Tone and Mood Can Change A work of writing can have more than one tone Sometimes mood changes because the plot changes or because of changes in characters

Clip # 1 Jaws Watch the movie trailer. Take notes on elements you notice throughout the trailer that establish tone and mood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1fu_sA7XhE

We walked steadily, in a rhythm that we could keep up for hours if we needed to. The air was clean and spicy, and we strode along, arms swinging, breathing deeply, not talking very much, just enjoying the sense of space and incredible, unaccustomed freedom. The Game (Chapter 4) What’s the tone? What’s the Mood? Light, Carefree Idyllic, Happy

The night was very long… Each time I woke I expected to find myself back at Barton Oaks, warm and dry, the comfortable reclining chair at my back. I willed it to happen. I tried holding my breath. I pinched myself awake. Nothing worked. There was no possible doubt. We were stuck in this suddenly disagreeable episode of the game. The Game (Chapter 7) Uneasy, gloomy Tone: Desperate Mood:

Activity Your group will be given a card with a tone word written on it. As a group, create a descriptive paragraph that effectively establishes the tone given. The topic of your paragraph is: A dog walking in the park.

Example Tone: Happiness The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I am free to roam this park without a leash! To feel the green grass beneath my paws, the soft breeze rustling through my fur- life cannot get any better than this. Not to mention, I have the best master on the planet who NEVER forgets to bring the Frisbee and always has milk bones on hand for when a hound gets hungry. The only thing better than this is hanging my head out the car window and letting my lips flap in the breeze…

Creating Mood Choose a picture from the ones provided. Study the picture. Think about the mood and emotions you feel when looking at the picture. What do you think the story behind this picture might be? Jot down some notes about the picture. Create a poem about the picture. You must create a mood in your poem through your tone and description. Your poem must be at least 12 lines long.