Tone, Mood, Theme, And Motif - Springfield Public Schools

Tone, Mood,Theme, andMotif

“Boy, watch your tone whenspeaking to me” Tone: The writer’s attitude towards the subjectof the piece, the audience, and self. Alsoknown as, the way feelings are expressed.Conveyed through the use of: Diction (the words that the author uses in his/herwriting)Point of View (the author’s view and how itaffects his/her writing)Syntax (the arrangement of words to createsentences)And, the author’s level of formality (how formalor informal is the piece?)

“Don’t you use that tone ofvoice with me!” Has anyone ever said to you, "Don't usethat tone of voice with me?" Your tone canchange the meaning of what you say.Tone can turn a statement like, " You're abig help!" into a genuine compliment or acruel sarcastic remark. It depends on thecontext of the story.

Important Tone Words Accusatory: charging of wrong doingBitter: exhibiting strong animosity as a result of pain or griefCritical: finding faultEarnest: intense, a sincere state of mindIntimate: very familiarMatter-of-fact: accepting of conditions; not fanciful oremotionalOptimistic: hopeful, cheerfulReverent: treating a subject with honor and respectReflective: illustrating innermost thoughts and emotionsSarcastic: sneering, causticSincere: without deceit or pretense; genuineSolemn: deeply earnest, tending toward sad reflection

“Girl, you’re in a mood!” Mood:emotion evoked by a text. Writers use many devices to create themood in a text: Dialogue (language between thecharacters)Setting (where/when the story takes place,who the characters are, etc.)Plot (the rise and fall of action and eventsthroughout the piece)

Important Mood Words The following are examples of moods that a text cancause the reader to feel: tedDepressedScaredDisgusted

BEWARE!! Tone and mood can very easily be confused!Tone simply refers to how the author/theauthor’s characters feel towards the subject,or towards something. You will know what theauthor’s tone is implying by the words he uses.While ‘mood’, refers to the feeling of theatmosphere the author is describing. It is whatthe author makes you feel when you read hiswritings. You can read a sentence, and feelsad, happy or angry.

Examples of Tone I’d rather stay here and wait, than go intothat dark room. What is the author telling you about how thecharacter feels? I could feel a headache beginning as a OneDirection song came on the radio. I called my friend at their house, her brothersaid she’s not home, but I heard her voice inthe background.

Examples of Mood The night was dark and stormy.What feeling does that give you? Theman kicked and threw the poor catout of his house. Therewas plenty of food, and the musicwas playing. Everybody was having agood time.

What is the definition of themein literature? Themeis the main idea or messageabout mankind or life conveyed bya piece of literary work. A theme should be expressed by acomplete sentence , not one word. Not every piece of literature has atheme. A theme can be the “moral” of astory, or lesson, but it does not haveto be.

How does the reader identifythe theme ? Maybe stated clearly in the story orimplied through the story’s plot. Might be presented by the actions,thoughts and feelings of the maincharacters. Can be deep or difficult to understand. The reader may slowly come to realize thetheme of a story as she processes the textand reads the story in its entirety, all theway through to the end.

What is Motif in a piece ofliterature? Motifis a recurring object, concept, orstructure in a piece of literature. Unlike a theme, a motif can be expressedin a single word or fragment.

How does the reader identifya motif? Motifsmay be more obvious than themes,because they are repeated throughoutthe novel A symbol is often a form of motif, anobject that is repeated throughout anovel that represent more than theirobvious meaning Example: Mirrors and Trees in Speak, bothsymbolize the motif of identity

What is the definition of theme in literature? Theme is the main idea or message about mankind or life conveyed by a piece of literary work. A theme should be expressed by a complete sentence , not one word. Not every piece of literature has a theme. A theme can be the “