1. Diction in relation to Tone
Excerpt from
Barbara Kingsolver’s “High Tide in Tucson”

2. Consider:
“Art is the antidote that can call us back from the edge of numbness, restoring the ability to feel for another.” – Barbara Kingsolver, “High Tide in Tucson”
Define: What is the metaphor in this statement?
Art is the antidote Art=antidote

3. Consider:
“Art is the antidote that can call us back from the edge of numbness, restoring the ability to feel for another.”
Discuss:
What is Kingsolver’s purpose in this statement?
What is her tone (her attitude toward art)?
By using the word antidote, what does the author imply about the ability to feel for another?
If we changed the word antidote to gift, what effect would it have on the meaning of the sentence?

4. WRITE:
“Art is the antidote that can call us back from the edge of numbness, restoring the ability to feel for another.”
Write one well-developed paragraph explaining how Kingsolver uses diction to support her purpose in this statement. Be sure to consider and explain the power of the word antidote in your response.
Who does what and why or how?
Purpose statement
Break down the word antidote
Concluding sentence

5. EDIT and REVISE:
Make sure topic sentence answers who does what and why/how - if it doesn’t rewrite it!
Make sure paragraph is in present tense – if it isn’t, rewrite it!
Make sure you use transitional words between ideas – if there aren’t any, insert them!
Make sure there are no “to be” verbs in your paragraph…if there are, replace them with ACTIVE, DOING verbs!
Turn in at the END OF THE PERIOD

6. Diction in relation to Tone
Excerpt from
E.B. White’s “Twins”

7. Consider:
“As I watched, the sun broke weakly through, brightened the rich red of the fawns, and kindled their white spots.”– E.B. White, “Twins,” Poems and Sketches of E.B. White
Think: What kind of flame does kindled imply?
Would the sentence be strengthened or weakened by changing the sun broke weakly through to the sun burst through? Explain the effect this change would have on the use of the verb kindled.

8. WRITE: TYPE THIS UP AT HOME
“As I watched, the sun broke weakly through, brightened the rich red of the fawns, and kindled their white spots.”
In a well-developed paragraph, explain how White uses diction, especially the word “kindled,” to enhance his rhetorical purpose.
Edit yourself:
Check topic sentence: Who does what and why/how? Is it answered?
Check verb tense: Have you used present tense throughout?
Check transitions: Do you transition clearly between concepts and sentences?
Check “to be” verbs: Have you used ACTIVE VERBS and avoided “is,” “are,” etc.?
TYPE THIS UP AT HOME

9. Determining Tone through Diction
W.B.Yeats’ “sailing to Byzantium”

10. “An aged man is but a paltry thing
Consider:
“An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick…” – W.B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium”
Discuss:
What type of literary technique is included here?
What is the comparison?
What picture is created by the use of the word tattered?
By understanding the connotations of the word tattered, what do we understand about the persona’s attitude toward an aged man?

11. “An aged man is but a paltry thing
Discuss:
“An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick…” – W.B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium”
What does it mean to be a thing?

12. “An aged man is but a paltry thing
Discuss:
“An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick…” – W.B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium”
Write your own purpose statement, then compare with your group and choose the best one
Starter: In Yeats’ excerpt from “Sailing to Byzantium,” he uses ___________ diction to convey the _____________.

13. “An aged man is but a paltry thing
Discuss:
“An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick…” – W.B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium”
Write a paragraph in which you explain how Yeats uses diction and/or imagery to convey his view of an “aged man.”

14. Determining Tone through Diction
Dee Browns’
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

15. Consider:
“Meanwhile, the United States Army, thirsting for revenge, was prowling the country north and west of the Black Hills, killing Indians wherever they could be found.”– Dee Brown, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Discuss:
What are the connotations of thirsting? What feelings are evoked by this diction?
What are the connotations of prowling? What kinds of animals prowl?
What attitude toward the U.S. army does this diction convey?

16. Discuss:
“Meanwhile, the United States Army, thirsting for revenge, was prowling the country north and west of the Black Hills, killing Indians wherever they could be found.”– Dee Brown, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Write a well-developed thesis and body paragraph explaining how Dee Brown uses diction and tone in order to convey his purpose.