1. Synthesis of Literary Elements
TONE

2. Tone is . . .
The writer/speaker’s attitude toward the subject and the audience
Quite often described by a single adjective
Ex: playful, serious, formal, sarcastic, proud, didactic, vibrant

3. How do we analyze tone? Diction Imagery Details Language
Well, by examining DIDLS, of course.
Diction
Imagery
Details
Language
Sentence structure

4. Diction The connotation of word choice Ex: fat vs. roly-poly vs. obese
The old man was fat  (blunt)
The old man was roly-poly (jolly)
The old man was obese (critical or clinical)

5. Imagery Vivid appeals to understanding through the senses
olfactory (smell)
tactile (touch)
visual (sight)
auditory (hearing)
gustatory (taste)

6. Imagery (cont.) Ex: “He clasps the crag with crooked hands.”
Tactile, visual imagery dramatic tone
What images does the author use? What does he/she focus on in a sensory way (sight, touch, taste, smell, etc.)? Are they vibrant? Prominent? Plain?
NOTE: Images differ from detail in the degree to which they appeal to the senses.

7. Details The facts that are included or those omitted
PLEASE NOTE: Details are facts or fact-lets. They differ from images in that they don't have a strong sensory appeal.

8. Details (cont.)
Ex:
What changes in detail might a one make in reporting a minor car accident to her parents, a policeman, or her friends at school?

9. Language
The overall use of language (i.e. clinical, formal, jargon, etc.)
What is the overall impression of the language the author uses? Does it reflect education? A particular profession? Intelligence? Is it plain? Ornate? Simple? Clear? Figurative? Poetic?

10. Language (cont.)
Ex:
An invitation to a graduation might use formal language, whereas a biology text would use scientific and clinical language.

11. Sentence Structure How structure affects the reader’s attitude
Interrogative sentence creates tension between reader & speaker
Short sentences– often emphatic
Long sentences– often distancing, reflective

12. Sentence Structure (cont.)
Ex: “Dozy. That’s what his teacher had called him. Dozy. He’d always been like that. Dreaming in class. Off in a world of his own. Unreliable. Vague. He was sick of all the labels they attached to him – they had really absolutely no idea what was going on in his head.”
Question: How does the sentence structure here help distinguish the teacher’s opinion from the narrator’s?