Higher Close Reading Tone

Tone Tone is important in your appreciation of the passages you are given to read. There is nothing worse than taking everything seriously only to discover later it was all tongue-in-cheek. It is important to take an overview before you become involved in the individual questions.

What gets marks? Because tone is so subjective, there are often a number of acceptable answers, but identification of tone is usually only worth something if you justify your choice of that tone by referring to the passage. Don’t put down a list and hope that one of them is right – you won’t get any marks! Identify and justify!!!

Recap Tone reveals the feelings and attitudes of the writer It is how the voice/ how the writing might be said if it were read aloud You will be asked to identify it, justify it and/or explain its impact Having a tone vocabulary helps.

A Tone Vocabulary humorous tongue-in-cheek ironic emotional -name the emotion eg angry, depressed, elated, moody, indignant, Conversational Sarcastic (only if there is something quite nasty to it) business-like curious chatty/friendly mocking disapproving critical contemptuous menacing dismissive approving

More tones Despairing Superior Admiring Uplifting Hectoring Doubtful Self-deprecating So . . . Identify the tone Provide the evidence- usually a quote Comment on how the tone creates the effect or impact as required by the question.

How to Answer Identify the tone Explain how the tone is conveyed. You will usually need to quote for this. Often you will be commenting on word choice, sentence structure etc.

2004 Question 6. I am fed up listening to scaremongers about the E-coli virus, telling me my child should never come into contact with farm animals. I am weary of organisations that are dedicated to promulgating the idea that threats and dangers are lurking everywhere. I am sick of charities who on the one hand attack overprotective parents and at the same time say children should never be left unsupervised in public places.

6ai – Identify the tone ii- Explain how this tone is conveyed.

Identify the Tone Is the writer serious? – Yes. (a bit unhinged perhaps, but serious) Is she conveying strong emotion? Yes. What voice/ emotion would be used when reading the paragraph? Anger/ outrage The answer: anger, contempt, frustration, ... Do not accept: tired, bored, weary, …

Explain How This Tone is Conveyed Highlight particular words/ phrases in the paragraph that are particularly effective in conveying the tone. Quote them and explain how they create the tone, commenting on any relevant language features.

2004 Question 6. I am fed up listening to scaremongers about the E-coli virus, telling me my child should never come into contact with farm animals. I am weary of organisations that are dedicated to promulgating the idea that threats and dangers are lurking everywhere. I am sick of charities who on the one hand attack overprotective parents and at the same time say children should never be left unsupervised in public places.

Repetitive structure of all three sentences Repetitive structure of all three sentences. Each starts with ‘I am’ followed by an example of how outraged the writer is by the actions of the ‘paranoid’ helps to forcefully reinforce her anger, making it seem as if it is building to a furious climax.

2008 The only solution—and I am just waiting for the politicians to recommend it explicitly—is for none of us to go anywhere. Stay at home and save the planet. But that would be a craven retreat from all the social, professional and cultural interactions that unrestricted mobility makes possible—and which, since the Renaissance, have made great cities the centres of intellectual progress.

Identify the tone Explain how it is conveyed.

Identify the tone Is it serious? Extremely when putting forward the writer’s views; far less so when paraphrasing the ‘anti-flying’ lobby. Is there an emotion? Angry when considering restrictions on travel. What is the tone- dismissive, angry, scathing.

2008 The only solution—and I am just waiting for the politicians to recommend it explicitly—is for none of us to go anywhere. Stay at home and save the planet. But that would be a craven retreat from all the social, professional and cultural interactions that unrestricted mobility makes possible—and which, since the Renaissance, have made great cities the centres of intellectual progress.

Short, simple sentence ‘Stay at home and save the planet Short, simple sentence ‘Stay at home and save the planet.’ The simplistic nature of this sentence mirrors what the writer’s believes to be the misguided and overly simplistic approach of the environmental groups. By shortening it to this, she suggests it can easily be dismissed. Word choice of ‘craven retreat’ suggests that restrictions on air travel would be cowardly- something to be despised and rejected.

Mood Mood is very similar to tone. However, rather than the voice (tone) of the passage, mood deals with the emotional dimension of the text such as fear, excitement, sadness, calm, determination, reflection, elation, optimistic, concern, reassurance etc. It is detected through the language of the text and should ‘fit’ with the sense of the passage.

Answering on Mood Identify the mood Provide the evidence- usually a quote Comment on how the mood is created or creates the effect or impact as required by the question.

2007 Question 8 I have a halcyon library memory. I am sitting under a cherry tree in the tiny central courtyard of the Cambridge University Library, a book in one hand and an almond slice in the other. On the grass beside me is an incredibly pretty girl. Identify the mood of these lines/ Explain how this mood is conveyed.

Possible Answers 1 (very) happy 2 idyllic 3 carefree 4 nostalgic 5 calm, peaceful 6 any other answer which conveys a positive feeling or the importance of the memory to the writer Unfortunately, nauseating was not an option.

2007 Question 8 I have a halcyon library memory. I am sitting under a cherry tree in the tiny central courtyard of the Cambridge University Library, a book in one hand and an almond slice in the other. On the grass beside me is an incredibly pretty girl. Identify the mood of these lines/ Explain how this mood is conveyed.

Word choice of’ halcyon’ has positive connotations of something peaceful and pleasurable. This is reinforced by the references to the pretty girl and the cherry tree. It is an almost over romanticised version of the past.