The Tell-Tale Heart
By Edgar Allen Poe
Mood and Tone
Student Learning Goals
• Understanding the mood of a story is
noticing the way I feel as I read. Am I
scared, excited, angry…..?
• Understanding tone is noticing how the
author feels about his story. I ask myself,
does the author feel positive, negative or
neutral about the subject?
Edgar Allen Poe: A Brief Background
Edgar Allen Poe had what some would call a very
dark upbringing. His alcoholic father deserted the
family and his mother died of tuberculosis when he
was two. His wife, Virginia, also died of
tuberculosis. His depression helped lead him to his
death two years later. The exact cause of Poe’s
death remains a mystery.
Mood
• The mood is the feeling you get from reading a
story. Does a story make you feel angry, sad or
frightened?
• To figure out mood, pay attention to how you
feel while reading the story.
• Mood is often conveyed by the story’s setting.
Mood…continued
• Good authors capture the mood through word
choice and techniques such as foreshadowing
(hints about what will happen later in the story).
• Often, a story’s mood will change as the plot
unfolds.
Tone
• The tone is how the author feels about the
subject, the character or the reader.
• Tone is generally positive, negative or neutral.
Tone……. continued
• Positive tone words: humorous, friendly,
respectful, admiring, sympathetic
• Negative tone words: bitter, annoyed, sarcastic,
accusing, mournful, sad
• Neutral tone words: serious, thoughtful,
questioning, matter-of-fact, unbiased
Reading Focus
• Setting
▫ The setting is where and when the story takes
place. The setting is relevant to the meaning of the
text. Analyze the purpose of the setting and it will
give you insight to the story.
Glaucoma
eye disease that
could lead to partial
or complete loss of
vision