Diction, Tone, Mood in “On the Rainy River”

AGENDA ACT Bell Ringer Review Diction, Tone, Mood Vocabulary Class Practice analyzing Diction, Tone, and Mood Group Assignment – analyzing diction, tone, and mood in On the Rainy River

Strategic Language Use (You have a handout over this from last semester) Diction: Definition: The strategic choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing. PURPOSE: The author chooses specific words in order to create a certain effect for the reader (usually to create TONE/MOOD Authors often choose words based on their Connotation. When identifying diction, you should explain the TYPE of words the author has chosen that helps establish the tone or mood. For Example: The author uses academic diction to create scholarly tone.

Tone/Attitude Tone/Attitude: The author’s (or speaker’s) perceptions and presentation of the material and the audience. The stance or relationship the speaker has with his or her subject. In the past, you’ve learned this is the attitude a speaker takes towards a subject or character, To analyze tone/attitude, you will need to do a close reading of the diction and syntax of the text.

How does TONE lead to MOOD? After determining the attitude of the author or speaker, you should then consider how the tone makes you feel. This is called the mood.

Mood Mood: the atmosphere created by the author to produce the desired emotions in the audience. Think of it as how the AUDIENCE feels. To analyze mood, identify the tone and consider the author’s intent.

Tone and Mood Words Look at the tone/mood list I gave you last semester. Define 5 words that you do not know the definition of or would not be able to explain to me. Students should have a copy of this from last semester.

Identify: Diction Tone Mood Two or three more times Paul worked him close to shore, only to have him swirl and return to the deep, but even at that distance my father and I could feel the ebbing of the underwater power. The rod went high in the air, and the man moved backwards swiftly but evenly, motions which when translated into events meant the fish had tried to rest for a moment on top of the water and the man had quickly raised the rod high and skidded him to shore before the fish thought of getting under water again. He skidded him across the rocks clear back to a sandbar before the shocked fish gasped and discovered he could not live in oxygen. In belated despair, he rose in the sand and consumed the rest of momentary life in the Dance of Death on his tail. The man put the wand down, got on his hands and knees in the sand, and, like an animal, circled another animal and waited. Then the shoulder shot straight out, and my brother stood up, faced us, and, with uplifted arm proclaimed himself the victor. Something giant dangled from his fist. Had Romans been watching they would have thought what was dangling had a helmet on it. Identify: Diction Tone Mood

Re-read the first paragraph of “On the Rainy River.” Complete Diction/Tone/Mood analysis as a class Class Analysis: As a class, we will work through how to rhetorically analyze the text for diction, tone, and mood.

Group Work Look back over your assigned section. Complete the assignment, answering each question in complete sentences. If time, present to the class. Group Work

HOMEWORK Read: “Enemies” “Friends” “How to Tell a True War Story” Write 3 Socratic Questions: F – Fact I – Inference G – Global HOMEWORK