DICTION IN RELATION
TO TONE
EXCERPT FROM
BARBARA KINGSOLVER’S “HIGH TIDE IN TUCSON”
CONSIDER:
• “Art is the antidote that can
call us back from the edge of
numbness, restoring the ability
to feel for another.” – Barbara
Kingsolver, “High Tide in Tucson”
• Define: What is the metaphor in this statement?
• Art is the antidote
Art=antidote
CONSIDER:
• “Art is the antidote that can call us back from
the edge of numbness, restoring the ability to
feel for another.”
• Discuss:
• What is Kingsolver’s purpose in this statement?
• What is her tone (her attitude toward art)?
• By using the word antidote, what does the author
imply about the ability to feel for another?
• If we changed the word antidote to gift, what
effect would it have on the meaning of the
sentence?
WRITE:
• “Art is the antidote that can call us back from
the edge of numbness, restoring the ability to
feel for another.”
• Write one well-developed paragraph
explaining how Kingsolver uses diction to
support her purpose in this statement. Be sure
to consider and explain the power of the
word antidote in your response.
•
•
•
•
Who does what and why or how?
Purpose statement
Break down the word antidote
Concluding sentence
EDIT AND REVISE:
• Make sure topic sentence answers who does what
and why/how - if it doesn’t rewrite it!
• Make sure paragraph is in present tense – if it isn’t,
rewrite it!
• Make sure you use transitional words between ideas
– if there aren’t any, insert them!
• Make sure there are no “to be” verbs in your
paragraph…if there are, replace them with ACTIVE,
DOING verbs!
• Turn in at the END OF THE PERIOD
DICTION IN RELATION
TO TONE
EXCERPT FROM
E.B. WHI TE’S “TWI NS”
CONSIDER:
• “As I watched, the sun broke
weakly through, brightened
the rich red of the fawns, and
kindled their white spots.”– E.B.
White, “Twins,” Poems and Sketches of E.B. White
• Think: What kind of flame does kindled imply?
• Would the sentence be strengthened or weakened by
changing the sun broke weakly through to the sun burst
through? Explain the effect this change would have on the
use of the verb kindled.
WRITE:
• “As I watched, the sun broke weakly through,
brightened the rich red of the fawns, and kindled their
white spots.”
• In a well-developed paragraph, explain how White
uses diction, especially the word “kindled,” to
enhance his rhetorical purpose.
• Edit yourself:
• Check topic sentence: Who does what and why/how? Is it
answered?
• Check verb tense: Have you used present tense throughout?
• Check transitions: Do you transition clearly between concepts
and sentences?
• Check “to be” verbs: Have you used ACTIVE VERBS and
avoided “is,” “are,” etc.?
• TYPE THIS UP AT HOME
DETERMINING TONE
THROUGH DICTION
W.B.YEATS’ “SAILING TO BYZANTIUM”
CONSIDER:
“An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick…”
– W.B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium”
• Discuss:
1. What type of literary technique is included here?
2. What is the comparison?
3. What picture is created by the use of the word
tattered?
4. By understanding the connotations of the word
tattered, what do we understand about the
persona’s attitude toward an aged man?
DISCUSS:
“An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick…”
– W.B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium”
• What does it mean to be a thing?
DISCUSS:
“An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick…”
– W.B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium”
• Write your own purpose statement, then
compare with your group and choose the
best one
• Starter: In Yeats’ excerpt from “Sailing to Byzantium,”
he uses ___________ diction to convey the
_____________.
DISCUSS:
“An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick…”
– W.B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium”
• Write a paragraph in which you explain
how Yeats uses diction and/or imagery
to convey his view of an “aged man.”
DETERMINING TONE
THROUGH DICTION
DEE BROWNS’
BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE
CONSIDER:
“Meanwhile, the United States Army,
thirsting for revenge, was prowling the
country north and west of the Black Hills,
killing Indians wherever they could be
found.”– Dee Brown, Bury My Heart at
Wounded Knee
• Discuss:
1. What are the connotations of thirsting? What feelings
are evoked by this diction?
2. What are the connotations of prowling? What kinds of
animals prowl?
3. What attitude toward the U.S. army does this diction
convey?
DISCUSS:
“Meanwhile, the United States Army, thirsting for
revenge, was prowling the country north and
west of the Black Hills, killing Indians wherever
they could be found.”– Dee Brown, Bury My
Heart at Wounded Knee
• Write a well-developed thesis and body
paragraph explaining how Dee Brown
uses diction and tone in order to convey
his purpose.