TONE AND MOOD

Common Mood/Tone Words

• There is a nice list of positive, negative, and neutral tone

and mood words available at:

• http://s.spachman.tripod.com/SummerWork/tone_mood.d

oc

http://s.spachman.tripod.com/SummerWork/tone_mood.doc

What feeling does the above photo give you? Be

specific as to why it gives you that feeling. Explain

in three to five sentences.

Possible Answer

The picture gave me a forlorn feeling. The

fact that the space is pretty much empty

besides a couple of trees makes it feel

lonely. The black and white color of the

photo adds to this making it appear lifeless.

The trees are bare and have no color and

the shadows of trees darken the space

adding to its overall darkness, both literally

and figuratively.

Mood

• Defined, mood is the

feeling the reader or

viewer gets while reading

or watching.

• Remember the "m" for

"my feelings"

• What is the girl's mood?

How would you describe the mood of each

person?

Ways to establish mood

• The setting

• Word choices(Choosing words that have particular connotations)

• Sentence structure

• Figurative language

• Point of view

• Author 's tone

The author would describe this setting in

writing or use this setting in a film if he or she

wanted to create what mood?

Mood through Setting

Describe this setting to create a mood.

Mood through Setting

Possible Answer

Out the mountain side, clouds hung in the sky

like wisps of cotton candy. Standing by a

couple of bare trees staring up at the clouds,

Jared couldn’t help but think of the carnivals

he used to enjoy as a kid. He remembered

spinning around and around on the Scrambler,

head thrown back in laughter. Jared had a

sudden impulse to start spinning right there

under the cloud-just for a moment he wished

he could go back.

Describe this setting as if it is the opening of your next

novel. You get to choose what mood you want it to set!

Be sure to stick to the picture though.

Possible Answer

Sitting high up in the tree, her home of three years,

Chloe stared down at the foliage and creek below.

Nestled deep in the forest, no wind shook the trees

and the mirror-like creek sat still as if was taking a

nap gearing up for a monstrosity of a storm. Chloe

looked past the creek to see tree after tree glittered

with beautiful green foliage and patches of shrubbery

that look like they were pulled right out of a fairy tale

book.

But why was Chloe longing to leave all this?

Watch your mood ring change!

• There may be, and usually is, more than one mood

that is elicited from a piece of literature.

• Just think of the last movie you watched...

• For example, the movie Avatar has romance,

suspense, humor….

Setting isn 't everything! A empty, barren landscape or a cemetery can be

cheery just as a wedding can be horrifying. It all depends on the details the

writer chooses to include. Just like you did with the last picture

The old house above could be describe in many different ways: spooky,

mysterious, peaceful, tranquil, nostalgic....etcetera.

Mood and Connotation

• Most words have a dictionary definition (denotation) and a connotation.

• Connotation goes hand in hand with mood.

• The words that are used help to set the mood

• Grey

• A mixture of black and white (denotation)

• Depressing, sad, and gloomy (connotation)

Mood and Connotation

• Since everyone reacts emotionally to certain words,

writers often deliberately select words that they think

will influence your reactions and appeal to your

emotions.

• All words have either a positive, negative or neutral

connotation.

Skin & Bones vs. Slim vs. Skinny

• What is the difference?

• Nothing really as far denotation goes

• Skinny sounds more judgmental and less flattering

than slim.

• Skin & Bones sounds unappealing and unhealthy; it

usually conjures up images of sickly looking people.

Mood and Connotation

Discuss the different moods and

connotations of words within the

groups

• Creepy, weird, unusual

• Empty, unoccupied, deserted

• Horrified, scared, sickened

• Happy, ecstatic, elated, content

• Strut, walk, skip, waltz, march

Mood and Connotation

Read the following sentences and choose the word that best fits

the mood intended. How would the mood change if the other

choices were used?

• "You look lovely in that blue dress; it shows off

your __________ figure.”

A.Skinny B. slender C. thin

Mood and Connotation

• Everyone in the office respects Lori because of

her kind but __________ attitude.

A. bossy B. assertive C.domineering

Mood and Connotation

• "Here's a scholarship that you might qualify for,"

said Huck’s advisor. "It's for people who are __________ .”

A. poverty-stricken B. underprivileged C. poor

Mood and Connotation

What is the mood of the following statement? Which words connotatively

help establish that mood?

The mysterious man stumbled down the cold, dark alley, pulling his coat tightly around him in the midnight air.

More practice with mood and

connotation

• List 5 words or phrases that a writer would use to

create a "mysterious" or " spooky" mood. Picture

yourself in a “spooky” place than describe what you

see.

• List 5 words that a writer would use to create a

peaceful mood.

Mood and Sentence Structures

• Sometimes mood is affected by sentence structure.

• You could use a long compound sentence to

create a calm or peaceful mood.

• A series of short sentences for suspense.

• Maybe fragments to create confusion.

Mood and figurative language

• The author’s use of figurative language, such as simile, metaphor, hyperbole, alliteration, and

personification and sensory details can affect

the overall mood.

• Read the excerpt from “The Raven” and discuss how figurative language helps set the

mood

What mood does the alliteration

help to set?

• Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven thou," I said, "art sure no craven,Ghastly, grim, and ancient raven, wandering from the nightly shore.Tell me what the lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore.”

Practice with mood

• Refer to your notes throughout the practice exercises.

Mood can be set in numerous ways as we have

established in our notes.

Literature Examples: Describe the mood of the

following passage. 1) Choose a mood word 2) Give

two reasons

• ... And so the days passed. David lost count of them, for it was dark all the time and there was nothing to distinguish day from night. Once he woke he picked up the strange bottle by mistake for his own, and after that he took a drink from it every time staying awake any longer grew too much for him, for he discovered that drinking from it soon made him feel sleepy. It tasted good, too - a little strong perhaps but not unpleasant and then he could sleep a while longer.

• I Am David by Anne Holm

Describe the mood of the following

passages.

• “My room belongs to an alien. It is a postcard of

who I was in the fifth

grade. It is a demented

phase when I thought

that roses should cover

everything and pink was

a great color. “

• Speak by Laurie Halse

Anderson

Describe the mood of the following

passages.

• “Do this!” I command myself. Clenching my jaw, I dig my hands under Glimmer’s body, get a hold on what must be her rib cage, and force her onto her stomach. I can’t help it, I’m hyperventilating now, the whole thing is so nightmarish and I’m losing my grip on what’s real. “

• The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins

Mood and Tone

• Tone is the author’s attitude or feelings toward his or her subject.

• The author’s tone often affects the reader’s emotions.

• For example, the teacher is yelling at the student. Her tone is what? What is the student’s mood? What would yours be? The teacher's tone affects the student’s mood

Tone and Mood may be the same…

Sometimes the tone and mood are the same.

For example, the adopt-a-child (or pet) commercials use a sympathetic tone which evokes sympathy from viewer.

Tone and Mood are often different

• For example, news articles usually have an objective tone.

• However, suppose you read an article about a new mall going up. What would your mood be?

• What if it was a news article about a cold blooded murder? What would your mood be?

Examples: Mood vs. Tone

• The adorable children flitted through the park, making

patterns in the grass as they went. (mood: playful,

tone: peaceful, positive)

• The wild children stamped though the park, flatting

grass as they went. (mood: rowdy tone: negative,

disapproval)

Practice

You walk into a restaurant wearing a cut off tee and gym shorts. Everyone else is dressed in suits.

The tone of the restaurant is __________

You mood or feelings are likely to be________

Practice

• If a writer wants to make you feel scared (mood) what tone would he or she use?

• If a writer uses a sarcastic tone you are likely to feel what mood?

• If a writer wants to make you feel tense or on edge? Sympathetic?

Practice

• Read the following

passages and answer the

follow up questions.

• I whirled round, and there, on one of those dry gravel beds, was the biggest snake I had ever seen. He was sunning himself, after the cold night, and he must have been asleep when Antonia screamed. When I turned, he was lying in long loose waves, like a letter “W.” He twitched and began to coil slowly. He was not merely a big snake, I thought – he was a circus monstrosity. His abominable muscularity, his loathsome, fluid motion, somehow made me sick. He was as thick as my leg and looked as if millstones couldn’t crush the disgusting vitality out of him. He lifted his hideous little head, and rattled. I didn’t run because I didn’t think of it – if my back had been against a stone wall I couldn’t have felt more cornered. I saw his coils tighten – now he would spring, spring his length, I remembered. I ran up and drove at his head with my spade, struck him fairly across the neck, and in a minute he was all about my feet in way loops.

• from My Antonia,Willa Cather

Questions

• 1. What feeling does the author want to get in this

passage (mood): a pleasant or unpleasant one?

• Find three words or phrases whose connotation

contribute to this feeling.

• Find two examples of figurative language that

contributes to this.

• 2. How would you describe the narrator’s attitude or feelings toward the snake?

• The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o'clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 2th. but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.

• From The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

1. What is the mood of the passage? Tell two ways

this mood was conveyed.

2. The tone of the passage is objective. Explain

why.

• Iguacu Falls, which sit on the border between Argentina and Brazil, are said to make Niagara look like a leaky faucet. The great cataracts stretch for two and a half miles across lushly foliaged rocky out croppings before plunging a staggering two hundred and thirty feet into the river below. The falls region is densely forested, and is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including a number of endangered ones. It is a paradise where parrots dive and swoop through the spray, butterflies cavort among the tropical plants and coatis, and giant otters and anteaters amble through the trees. The foliage itself varies between tropical and deciduous with orchids blushing in the shade of pines and ferns nodding gracefully in the shadow of fruit trees

Question

• The author’s attitude toward Iguacu Falls can best be described as which of the following?

• A. Positive appreciation.

• B. Mild acceptance.

• C. Apathetic objectivity.

• D. Cautious optimism.

Practice

1. Find three words or phrases that help to convey

this tone.

2. Find three sensory details that help to convey this

tone.

Assignment

• In pairs or group, choose a tone word.

• You are to write a letter to a pseudo fellow employee conveying that tone. You may not use your tone word in the letter.

• The other groups will listen to your letter to guess the tone and explain how it was conveyed (student will read it in a monotone voice).

• They will tell the mood or the way they would feel if they were the receiver of this letter.