1. Theme, Tone, and Language
English B1B
Theme, Tone, and Language

2. Theme and Tone
Tone, a term borrowed from music, refers to the qualities of the language a speaker uses and the speaker’s intended effect.
It is closely related to style and diction (word choice).
A theme is not simply a work’s subject or topic, but a statement about that topic.
Not only may a theme be expressed in several different ways, but a single poem may also have more than one theme.

3. Practice
In small groups, answer questions 1-9 (p ) about the poems “Woodchucks” and “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”. Record your group’s responses on a single sheet of paper with each group member’s name listed at the top. Be prepared to share your answers with the class and to turn in your group’s paper for participation credit.

4. Language and Word Choice
Because poems are often so brief, they rely on precise word choice and ambiguity or word play.
See the example on p. 566 (“The golf links lie so near the mill”)
Poets are aware of both denotation and connotation to evoke meaning.
Denotation is the dictionary definition of a word.
Connotation is the suggestion of emotional coloration that implies our attitude and invites a similar one from our hearers.

5. Practice
The following sentences contain a word in italics that is fairly neutral. For each sentence, choose two replacement words for the italicized word: one with a positive connotation and one with a negative connotation.
I recognized the familiar smell of my roommate's cooking.
Scrapple is an inexpensive meal.
Kevin's interest in model cars has turned into a hobby.
Uncle Henry lives in a hut deep in the woods.
Phileas Fogg was an adventurous traveler.

6. Figures of Speech
Poets use visual imagery and sensory details to evoke images in readers’ minds to re-create for us something they have already seen.
Practice
Think of a tree; picture it in your mind. What kind of tree is it? Is it tall or small? Leafy or bare? Take a moment to jot down, using visual imagery, your tree so that we can picture it in our minds. Be prepared to share your “tree” with the rest of the class.

7. Figurative Language
Metaphors are implicit comparisons, describing things as if they were something else.
See example on pg
Personification is the treatment of an abstraction (such as death or time) as if it were a person for a particular implication or effect.
Similes are similar to metaphors but contain the words “like” or “as.”
Generally they are used more passingly, to make a quick comparison without elaboration.
Analogies are more elaborate comparisons that can govern entire poems .