TONE, STYLE, AND MOOD

TONE Tone refers to the writer’s attitude toward characters, setting, and events. The writer’s tone might be cheerful or depressing, optimistic or pessimistic, sympathetic, sarcastic, or impersonal.

How do you think the writer wants you to feel about the character and the setting of his novel? It was a quiet morning, the town covered over with darkness and at ease in bed. Summer gathered in the weather, the wind had the proper touch, the breathing of the world was long and warm and slow. You had only to rise, lean from your window, and know that this indeed was the first real time of freedom and living, this was the first morning of summer. Douglas Spaulding, twelve, freshly wakened, let summer idle him on its early-morning stream. Lying in this third-story cupola bedroom, he felt the tall power it gave him, riding high in the June wind, the grandest tower in town. At night, when the trees washed together, he flashed his gaze like a beacon from this lighthouse in all directions over swarming seas of elm and oak and maple. Now. . .

But now– a familiar task awaited him. “Boy,” whispered Douglas. A whole summer ahead to cross off the calendar, day by day. Like the goddess Siva in the travel books, he saw his hands jump everywhere, pluck sour apples, peaches, and midnight plums. He would be clothed in trees and bushes and rivers. He would freeze, gladly, in the hoarfrosted ice-house door. He would back, happily, with ten thousand chickens, in Grandma’s kitchen. But now– a familiar task awaited him. One night each week he was allowed to leave his father, his mother, and his younger brother Tom asleep in their small house next door and run here, up the dark spiral stairs to his grandparents’ cupola, and in this sorcerer’s tower sleep with thunders and visions, to wake before the crystal jingle of milk bottles and perform his ritual magic.

He stood at the open window in the dark, took a deep breath and exhaled. The street lights, like candles on a black cake, went out. He exhaled again and again and the stars began to vanish. Douglas smiled. He pointed a finger. There, and there. Now over here, and here . . . Yellow squares were cut in the dim morning earth house lights winked slowly on. A sprinkle of windows came suddenly alight miles off in dawn country. “Everyone yawn. Everyone up.” The great house stirred below. --from Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury

MOOD Mood, or atmosphere, is the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage. Writer use many different devices: -images -dialogue or words -setting -plot Often, a writer creates a mood at the beginning of a work and then sustains this mood throughout. Sometimes, however, the mood of the work changes dramatically. Different moods a work may contain: horror, mystery, reflective, comic, patriotism, lighthearted, frightening

Heart! We will forget him! by Emily Dickinson Heart! We will forget him! You and I -- tonight! You may forget the warmth he gave -- I will forget the light! When you have done, pray tell me That I may straight begin! Haste! lest while you're lagging I remember him!

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein Whosever room this is should be ashamed! His underwear is hanging on the lamp. His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair, And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp. His workbook is wedged in the window, His sweater's been thrown on the floor. His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV, And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door. His books are all jammed in the closet, His vest has been left in the hall. A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed, And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall. Whosever room this is should be ashamed! Donald or Robert or Willie or-- Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear, I knew it looked familiar!

STYLE Style is the author’s unique way of expressing his/her ideas. This is often done through: -word choice (some make up funny words) -voice -structure -sentence -adding a lot of technical descriptions -use rhyme to create humor -the use of conventions (an established technique, practice, or device) Two authors’ styles can be as different as their speaking voices or signatures.

Roald Dahl: (Uses funny names and makes up words Roald Dahl: (Uses funny names and makes up words. Creates silly situations for characters.) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory “When I went out there, I found the little Oompa-Loompas living in tree-houses. They had to live in tree-houses to escape from the whangdoodles and the hornswogglers and the snozzwangers.” Doctor Seuss (Uses rhyme. Makes up words and creates silly situations to add humor to stories.) Yertle the Turtle “And Yertle the Turtle, the king of the trees, The king of the air and the birds and the bees, The king of a house and a cow and a mule… Well, that was the end of the Turtle King’s rule! For Yertle, the king of all Sala-ma-Sond, Fell off his high throne and fell plunk in the pond.” http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/cyberenglish/author5.htm