1. Voice in Literature The Style, Manner, and Mode of Expression

2. The 4 Dimensions of Voice Demographics Audience LocationSituation Characteristics of Voice

3. Demographics These characteristics typically do not change or change very slowly. Demographics affect voice before any expression occurs.

4. Characteristics of Demographics Gender Age Race Heritage Socioeconomic Status

5. Based on your assumption about their demographics, how would the voices of the people in the two pictures below differ? How would their voices be similar?

6. Characteristics of Audience As a critical reader, the more you know about a writer’s intended audience the easier it will be for you to make meaning of the text. A speaker talks differently depending on who he/she is addressing.

7. What is a ‘Speaker’? A speaker is the character in a text who directly addresses the reader. –In prose, the speaker is often referred to as the narrator. –In poetry, the speaker is the voice which communicates the poem. Warning: Do not confuse the speaker with the author! An author can have completely different demographics from the speaker.

8. Who is the Speaker Speaking To? A critical reader always asks: “Am I the intended audience?”

9. How would a story differ if it was written in 2007, 1907, or 1492? How would a story differ if it was written in Iran versus Jamaica?

10. Imagine how an inter-faith love story might differ depending on the setting of the story?

11. Situation What is the context? What is the purpose for speaking? What are the wants and needs of the speaker?

12. Voice of Situation Situation impacts the what and how an author uses the characteristics of voice.