1. For your Poetry Journal… (write underneath the last entry)
4/13/10
Review: What are a poet’s goals? What are a poet’s techniques?
Rewrite these sentences to be positive:
You’re fired!
That dress makes you look fat.
She dumped her boyfriend.
Rewrite these sentences to be negative:
I get sad when it rains.
She wears only vintage clothes.

2. DENOTATION: dictionary definition of a word
CONNOTATION: the unspoken emotional connections that go along with a word

3. economical
thrifty
stingy
cheap
frugal

4. In your group:
Rank each set of words from most positive to most negative
1=most positive
Highest # = most negative

5. edge out
beat
swamp
overrun
defeat

6. vain
conceited
self-confident
cocky
arrogant

7. TONE The attitude of the speaker towards the subject
If you misinterpret the tone, then you will misinterpret the meaning

8. change in tone = change in meaning
A: You’re late!
B: I know, I couldn’t help it.
A: I understand.
B: I knew you would.

9. Tone Formula:
IMAGERY
+ DICTION
+ SYNTAX
= TONE

10. IMAGERY
(relating to the 5 senses: sight, taste, touch, sound, hearing)
What are the central (most important images?)
What smaller images does the writer use?
Any Patterns? Contrasts? Positives/Negatives?

11. DICTION
(word choice – easy to remember if you remember the word dictionary)
Where are there words with positive or negative connotations?
What are the key words in the passage?
Repeated words? Unexpected words? Inappropriate words?
What emotions are attached to the words?

12. SYNTAX (grammar and sentence structure) Punctuation marks
Length of sentences
Important conjunctions
Types of sentences (question, command)
Order of sentences

13. Shifts in Tone
A good writer rarely uses only one tone. Often, a change in tone is a key to the meaning of the poem.
Look for breaks between stanzas, punctuation
Diction or imagery changes
Sharp contrasts