Tone
Steps to analyzing tone
First, you must identify the subject. What is the author talking about?
What is tone?
Tone is the attitude the speaker has to the
Elements of Tone
Diction
Imagery
Details
Language
Just Remember DIDLS D
I D
Diction
Diction is word choice
Pay attention to connotative as well as denotative meanings of words.
Imagery
Imagery tells you a lot about tone.
What is the focus? Note the images used in
Details
Notice the details that are included, as well as the details that are excluded.
Is the focus on action/inaction? Emotion? What is omitted?
Language
Is the language formal? Informal? Mostly
technical jargon? Is it unique to a specific area or group?
Sentence Structure
This is especially important in noticing shifts in tone. Look at things like length of sentences (longer
sentences linger, shorter sentences hurry us along). What effect does punctuation have on the tone?
Tone Vocabulary
Key words to use when explaining tone:
angry, sharp, upset, hollow, joyful, allusive, sweet, bitter, dreamy, restrained, dramatic, sad, urgent, poignant, detached, confused, childish, mocking, objective, vibrant, frivolous, audacious, somber, provocative, sentimental, fanciful, complimentary, condescending, sympathetic, contemptuous,
Why look at tone?
Looking at tone should accompany a search for thematic meaning.
Tone and Irony
Use of irony shows respect for the reader – you have to rely
on reader insight for them to get it
Irony also makes a point by emphasizing a discrepancy or an
opposite; it shows two ways of seeing a situation
Irony comes from a Latin word that means “feigned ignorance”
Major kinds of irony:
Verbal Irony
Verbal irony depends on the interplay of words; one thing is meant but another is said. Eg.: “Nice shot buddy” when somebody misses a basket.
Types of verbal irony:
a. Understatement
b. Hyperbole (or overstatement)
c. Double entendre (has a double meaning)
d. Sarcasm (this is the most common type of verbal irony)
Eg. The following poem by Siegfried Sassoon provides an example of verbal
irony:
The General
Situational Irony
AKA irony of situation
This is the discrepancy of the ideal and the
actual
Eg. Coleridge’s poem “Rime of the Ancient
Mariner.” He’s in the middle of an ocean and says,
Dramatic Irony
Also a type of situational irony
This is when a character doesn’t know something but the reader/audience
does
Like in Oedipus – we know the truth but he doesn’t
It is not just used in drama – can be used in fiction and poetry
Eg. Randall Jarrall’s “Protocols” is about the Holocaust; A child killed in the
Holocaust by going to the gas chambers (disguised as showers) says,
Cosmic Irony
This is a type of situational irony AKA Irony of Fate
Emphasizes pessimistic/fatalistic side of life
It says the universe is indifferent to people; basically they will always be subject to accident, misfortune, misery
Usually a writer uses “God, destiny or fate to dash the hopes and expectations of a character or of humankind in general”
A Man Said to the Universe
A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation."
Satire
Satire is used to expose human follies and vices. It is often an insult; often uses humor and irony Eg. “Epigram, Engraved on the Collar of a Dog
which I Gave to His Royal Highness” --Pope I am his Highness’ dog at Kew;
Pray tell me sir, whose dog are you?
Line one satirizes royalty based on birth; line two
Strategies for organizing ideas
when writing about tone
When you write, you need to address how the
author establishes the mood of the story.
Look at the audience, the situation, and the
characters. How can these elements express an attitude? What attitude does the speaker
Strategies for organizing ideas
when writing about tone, cont’d
Look at descriptions and dicton. You need to
connect attitude to the language and description.
Humor. How is humor achieved and what
Strategies for organizing ideas
when writing about tone, cont’d
Ideas. What ideas are defended or attacked?
How are the author’s attitude clarified? Look
for common ground – what does the poem say that most people would agree on? Then how does the poet treat that situation?
Unique characteristics. Is there a specific
