is the author’s attitude
toward the subject, the characters
or the readers, which is revealed
by the author’s diction.
 Tone
Explain the difference between the following sets of
words:

Silly/Giddy-silliness implies an element of
childish behavior whereas giddiness implies
happiness. You can be giddy without being silly.

Angry/upset -

Mocking/sarcastic -
Angry
Sharp
Upset
Silly
Boring
Afraid
Happy
Hollow
Joyful
Allusive
Sweet
Vexed
Tired
Bitter
Dreamy
Restrained
Proud
Dramatic
Sad
Cold
Urgent
Joking
Poignant
Detached
Confused
Childish
Peaceful
Mocking
Objective
Vibrant
Frivolous
Audacious
Shocking
Somber
Giddy
Provocative
Sentimental
Fanciful
Complimentary
Condescending
Sympathetic
Contemptuous
Apologetic
Humorous
Horrific
Sarcastic
Nostalgic
Zealous
Irreverent
Benevolent
Seductive
Candid
Pitiful
Didactic
“This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
5
10
Tone word: Insincere
Explain: While Williams attempts to say he is sorry,
“Forgive me” (ln. 9), the insincerity of his apology is
evident as he waits to ask for forgiveness until the
last stanza of the poem. Additionally, he goes on
to explain how good the plums were that she was
saving for breakfast “they were delicious/so
sweet/and so cold” (ln. 10-12). The fact that he
rubs in how good the plums were shows he wasn’t
sincere in his “apology.”
YOU TRY:
Pick a tone word and explain. Remember, you
must always back up your explanation with
evidence from the text.
 Mood
is the feeling a piece of
literature arouses in the reader. It
is the atmosphere created by the
author. Some literature makes us
feel joyful, solemn, angry, etc.
 Mood is often created by setting.
“The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe
During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day
in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung
oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing
along, on horseback, through a singularly dreary
tract of country, and at length found myself, as the
shades of the evening drew on, within view of the
melancholy House of Usher…I reined my horse to
the precipitous brink of a black and lurid tarn that
lay in unruffled luster by the dwelling…[with] vacant
and eye-like windows.
Mood word: Depressing
Explanation: The setting of this short story is at
a house that is described as melancholy.
Additionally, the day is “dull, dark, and
soundless.” The depressing diction here creates
a feeling of sadness. Additionally, the story is
set in autumn, a time of year when the leaves
are “dying” and the summer is “dying.”
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The deep green pool of the Salinas
River was still in the late afternoon.
Already the sun had left the valley to
go climbing up the slopes of the
Gabilan mountains, and the hilltops
were rosy in the sun. But by the pool
among the mottled sycamores, a
pleasant shade had fallen.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
A water snake glided smoothly up the pool,
twisting its periscope head from side to
side; and it swam the length of the pool and
came to the legs of a motionless heron that
stood in the shallows. A silent head and
beak lanced down and plucked it out by the
head, and the beak swallowed the little
snake while its tail waved frantically.
•
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•
•
Find a passage from Of Mice and Men that
communicates a specific tone and mood.
Write the section on notebook paper and
indicate the page where it was found.
Use a tone word to describe the tone of the
passage and provide context clues in your
explanation.
Do the same with a mood word.