Tone

English Two and Honors English Two: Study Guide on Determining Tone in Literature

Overview

This study guide is based on a mini-lesson focused on identifying the tone of a literary passage. Understanding tone enhances your ability to analyze literature and improves your grades, particularly for evaluations in English Two and Honors English Two. The guide covers tone, its relation to other literary elements, and practical steps for identifying it, with examples from Of Mice and Men.

Key Concepts

Tone vs. Mood

  • Tone: The speaker’s attitude toward the subject of the text.

    • Speaker: Not always the author. In fiction, it’s often the narrator; in poetry, it may be a distinct persona.

    • Focus: Identify the speaker and their attitude toward the subject (e.g., a character, event, or theme).

    • Keywords: Attitude, speaker.

  • Mood: The feeling or emotion evoked in the reader by the scene.

    • Focus: The emotional atmosphere of the text, not necessarily tied to the speaker’s attitude.

    • Keywords: Feeling, emotion, reader.

Common Mistake: Students often confuse tone (speaker’s attitude) with mood (reader’s emotional response). Keep these distinct to answer exam questions accurately.

Author’s Purpose

  • Authors write with a purpose, which may include:

    • Entertain

    • Inform

    • Describe

    • Instruct

  • Purposes often overlap in a single text.

  • Tip: The speaker’s perspective may differ from the author’s. For example, an unreliable narrator may express views contrary to the author’s values.

  • Strategy: Read the “Build Background” section in your textbook (usually the page before a story or poem) to understand the context and purpose. This is critical for stories like “Two Friends,” where naturalism influences tone.

Related Literary Elements

Tone connects to other elements, including:

  • Point of View: The perspective (e.g., omniscient third-person narrator) shapes the tone.

  • Characterization: Descriptions of characters reveal the speaker’s attitude.

  • Irony: A discrepancy between the speaker’s tone and the author’s intent (e.g., unreliable narrator).

  • Theme: The tone may reflect or contrast with the story’s central message.

Life Skills

  • Identifying tone in literature translates to real-world skills, such as:

    • Reading people’s attitudes in conversations.

    • Interpreting the tone of scenes in movies or other art forms.

Practice: Analyzing Tone in Of Mice and Men

Passage Context

  • From Of Mice and Men, Chapter 2, describing Slim, a jerkline skinner (in charge of horses) on a ranch.

  • Speaker: Omniscient third-person narrator, who can access characters’ thoughts.

  • Task: Identify the narrator’s attitude toward Slim by noting words with emotional or attitudinal connotations.

Passage Excerpt

A tall man stood in the doorway. He held a crushed Stetson hat under his arm while he combed his long, black, damp hair straight back. Like the others, he wore blue jeans and a short denim jacket. When he finished combing his hair, he moved into the room, and he moved with the majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen. He was a jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch, capable of driving ten, sixteen, even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders. He was capable of killing a fly on the wheeler’s butt with a bull whip without touching the mule. There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love. This was Slim, the jerkline skinner. His hatchet face was ageless. He might have been thirty-five or fifty. His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought. His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer.

Analysis Steps

  1. Identify Emotionally Charged Words:

    • Examples: majesty, royalty, master craftsmen, prince, gravity, profound, authority, hatchet face, ageless, understanding beyond thought, delicate, temple dancer.

    • These words suggest the narrator’s attitude toward Slim.

  2. Determine the Tone:

    • The narrator admires Slim, viewing him as majestic, authoritative, and almost otherworldly.

    • Possible tone words: admiring, reverent, awed, respectful.

    • The tone also conveys a sense of being impressed yet slightly intimidated by Slim’s commanding presence (gravity, profound quiet).

  3. Use a Thesaurus:

    • Avoid simplistic tone words like “good” or “positive.”

    • Use a thesaurus or language model to find precise, complex words (e.g., venerable, formidable).

  4. Consider Context:

    • The omniscient narrator’s detailed, vivid description emphasizes Slim’s exceptional qualities, reinforcing the admiring tone.

Additional Practice

  • Text: “Two Friends” (available in your textbook).

  • Task: Compare the tone in the fishing scene with the story’s ending.

    • Note the shift in tone at the end, where emotional words disappear.

    • Analyze the speaker’s attitude toward the officers and the scene.

    • Key Question: How does the speaker feel about the officers? What does the absence of emotional words suggest?

  • Strategy: Read the “Build Background” section to understand naturalism, which influences the tone in “Two Friends.”

Study Tips

  • Take Notes: When reading or listening to a passage, list words with emotional or attitudinal connotations.

  • Read Background Material: Always review the “Build Background” page in your textbook for context.

  • Practice with Passages: Use Of Mice and Men and “Two Friends” to practice identifying tone.

  • Use Resources: Consult a thesaurus or language model for precise tone words.

  • Review Related Elements: Understand how tone connects to point of view, characterization, and theme for a deeper analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • Tone is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject, distinct from mood (reader’s emotional response).

  • Identify the speaker and their attitude using emotionally charged words.

  • Read background material to understand the author’s purpose and context.

  • Practice with specific passages and use a thesaurus for complex tone words.

This guide should help you excel in identifying tone on assessments and deepen your literary analysis skills.