1. Unit 3 Setting, Mood, and Imagery
English 9
L.A.W.

2. Key Terms
The setting of a story is the time and place in which the action occurs.

3. Roles of Setting

4. 1. Setting can influence characters by:
Determining the living conditions and jobs available to them.
Shaping their personalities, their dreams, and their values.

5. A poor, drought-stricken Midwestern farm town in the 1930s
Despite months of grueling work, Joe’s crops are failing again. Realizing that his life may never improve, he becomes bitter and angry.

6. 2. Setting can create conflicts by:
Exposing the characters to dangerous weather, such as a storm or a drought.
Making characters endure a difficult time period, such as the Great Depression.

7. A poor, drought-stricken Midwestern farm town in the 1930s
The drought has lasted seven years, and most of the farms are failing. People have begun to sell their most prized possessions because they need money. $ =

8. 3. Setting can serve as a symbol by:
Representing an important idea.
Representing a character’s hopes, future, or predicament.

9. A poor, drought-stricken Midwestern farm town in the 1930s
Some people have planted a small flower garden in the town square. The garden is a symbol of their hope that their community can survive.

10. Imagery and Mood

11. Key Terms
Words and phrases that recreate sensory experiences for readers are called imagery.
Words and phrases that appeal to the five senses are called sensory details.
A story’s emotional atmosphere is known as mood.

12. Sensory Details

13. Sight Sound Touch Imagery and Mood
Examples
Sensory Details
“Flashes of lightning illuminated the ink-black sky.”
“Her heart thumped wildly when she heard an ominous scratching on the door.
“Another cobweb stuck to her cold, clammy skin.”
Mood of…?
Sight
Sound
Touch

14. 4. Taste 5. Smell Imagery and Mood
Sensory Detail
Examples
4. “She could not get the metallic taste of fear out of her mouth.”
5. “The foul smell of dead mice hung in the air.”
4. Taste 5. Smell

15. “She could not get the metallic taste of fear out of her mouth.”
“Flashes of lightning illuminated the ink-black sky.”
“The foul smell of dead mice hung in the air.”
“Another cobweb stuck to her cold, clammy skin.”
“Her heart thumped wildly when she heard an ominous scratching on the door.
Mood created…?