Tone and Mood

Tone: what the author thinks about the subject Mood: how the reader feels in response to the reading

TONE in Literature TONE is the attitude a writer takes toward his or her subject or audience (or both) Tone refers to the writer’s feelings, and those feelings are expressed through the text. You can identify the tone by the language/word choices (diction) the author uses. His/her language will reveal his/her opinion (that is, whether it is positive/negative/neutral) about the subject. Once you know that, you can DESCRIBE the tone of a text using an ADJECTIVE or two (bitter, sarcastic, humorous). You must move beyond the happy/sad, good/bad adjectives you are so used to.

Are these words positive, negative, or neutral? Bitter Serious Resentful Content Kind Objective Haunting Mysterious Impartial What other adjectives can you think of that might be used to DESCRIBE tone????? Angry Sarcastic Compassionate Humorous Scary/Uneasy Disappointed Proud Hopeful direct

What is the TONE? When you are asked to make a decision about the tone of a text, consider the following questions: What is the text’s subject and who is the audience? What are the most important words in a passage? What feelings do the images presented create? Are there any hints that the speaker/narrator may not mean everything he/she says? If the narrator or speaker were speaking aloud, what tone would he/she use?

“Shaken To Their Foundation” What type of words do you think are going to appear in the article? Change the title to reflect a positive tone. “Shaken To Their Foundation”

Based on the title, what words do you think are going to appear in the article? Change the title so that it reflects a negative tone. “Lightly Frosted”

Positive, Negative, Neutral? On the sheet you have been provided with 3 short passages, complete the following: Identify first whether the overall tone is positive, negative, or neutral. Underline or circle the words in the passage that lead you to that conclusion. Go one step further and write ONE adjective you could use to describe the tone. Example: If you say it’s positive, you might elaborate by saying the author has an “excited” tone. You wouldn’t say “disappointed” as that would be negative.

Positive, Negative or Neutral? The night I spent at the bed and breakfast was nothing less than splendid. I slept like a baby, and in the morning when I entered the sunny dining room for breakfast, I was delighted to find a warm bowl of oatmeal topped with cinnamon and brown sugar. Every comforting spoonful reminded me of the cozy security of my mother’s kitchen.

Positive, Negative or Neutral? The night I spent at the bed and breakfast was reasonably comfortable. In the morning, oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar was served for breakfast. The staff was accommodating enough, and the modest dining area was clean and served my purposes. I left shortly after breakfast.

Positive, Negative or Neutral? The night I spent at the bed and breakfast was splendid. Well, the “bed” part was splendid anyway. I slept like a baby, but then when it came time for breakfast, I was treated like one, too! A tepid bowl of lumpy oatmeal was plunked down in front of me. What person over the age of two eats this stuff? The only redeeming quality of this deplorable meal was the cinnamon and sugar that bravely struggled to conceal the gooey, gray gruel beneath it.