FIND YOUR NOTES FROM YESTERDAY.
THEY SHOULD BE IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
LITERARY TONE
An attitude of a writer toward a
subject or an audience, generally
conveyed through the choice of
words or the viewpoint of a writer
on a particular subject.
SHAPIRO.2015
Craft and Structure:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in
a text, including determining technical,
connotative, and figurative meanings, and
analyze how specific word choices shape
meaning or tone.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE
ABLE TO DO TODAY!
SHAPIRO.2015
Types of Tone
The author’s attitude toward a subject.
Some examples include:
1. Cheerful
2. Depressing
3. Gloomy
4. Exciting
5. Pessimistic
SHAPIRO.2015
What is in this picture?
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DEAD TREES.
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An Excerpt from: “The School”
by Donald Barthelme
“And the trees all died. They were orange trees.
I don’t know why they died, they just died.
Something wrong with the soil possibly or
maybe the stuff we got from the nursery
wasn’t the best. We complained about it. So
we’ve got thirty kids there, each kid had his or
her own little tree to plant and we’ve got
these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking
at these little brown sticks, it was depressing.”
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“And the trees all died.”
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What is the tone of this excerpt?
Key words: gloomy, depressing, die, dead…
FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE WORDS ABOVE.
The tone of Barthelme’s excerpt from “The
School” is ________________ because he
repeats words like “_________” and
“_________,” and this has a very
_____________ feeling. His reflection of the
event is not cheerful, and he shows this
through his word choice and symbolism.
SHAPIRO.2015
What is the tone of this excerpt?
Key words: gloomy, depressing, sad, die,
dead…
The tone of Barthelme’s excerpt from “The
School” is DEPRESSING because he repeats
words like “DIE” and “DEAD,” and this has a
very SAD and GLOOMY feeling. His
reflection of the event is not cheerful, and
he shows this through his word choice,
tone, and symbolism.
SHAPIRO.2015
Symbolism and Tone
A tree symbolizes LIFE. Add 10 leaves with
words that represent things you care about in
your life.
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Symbolism and Tone
So, when trees die or are dead, this creates an
unhappy, depressing, and gloomy tone.
SHAPIRO.2015
Function of Tone
Tone decides how a reader should read
a piece of literature
and how they should feel
when reading a piece of literature.
SHAPIRO.2015
Review Quiz
1. Tone is an attitude. TRUE/FALSE
1. A tone can be positive or negative. T/F
1. A tone can evolve in a story or text. T/F
1. Symbolism can enhance or amplify the tone
of a text. T/F
SHAPIRO.2015
Review Quiz: Answers
1. Tone is an attitude. TRUE
1. A tone can be positive or negative. T/F
1. A tone can evolve in a story or text. T/F
1. Symbolism can enhance or amplify the tone
of a text. T/F
SHAPIRO.2015
Review Quiz: Answers
1. Tone is an attitude. TRUE
1. A tone can be positive or negative. TRUE
1. A tone can evolve in a story or text. T/F
1. Symbolism can enhance or amplify the tone
of a text. T/F
SHAPIRO.2015
Review Quiz: Answers
1. Tone is an attitude. TRUE
1. A tone can be positive or negative. TRUE
1. A tone can evolve in a story or text. TRUE
1. Symbolism can enhance or amplify the tone
of a text. T/F
SHAPIRO.2015
Review Quiz: Answers
1. Tone is an attitude. TRUE
1. A tone can be positive or negative. TRUE
1. A tone can evolve in a story or text. TRUE
1. Symbolism can enhance or amplify the tone
of a text. TRUE
SHAPIRO.2015
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
Watch this mini-lesson about TONE.
VIDEO LESSON (7 minutes 16 seconds)
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