Author’s Style Essay
Different authors have different styles. These styles can completely change a
piece, affecting tone, mood, pace, plot, and many other key characteristics, in the
literature. The tone of the story is conveyed to the reader realistically through the use of
colloquialism and a consistent point of view. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Odyssey
both use colloquialism effectively to deepen the tone, while The Miracle Worker and To
Kill a Mockingbird both keep a steady point of view.
A major factor that determines tone is setting. A book’s setting is its place and
time. To truly capture the setting, an author must use different aspects of the day’s life,
such as colloquialisms. Colloquialisms cause the reader to drift into the mood and place
and sink them into the mind. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the Finch children visit the
African American church. To relay the appreciative, yet uneducated tone more clearly
and give a better conception of the reality, the fellow churchgoers greet them and tell
them, “Don’t pay no ‘tention to” (159) the ruder, less welcoming people. The comment is
one of many that are inserted to show how Scout and Jem are welcomed into the
community and spread the warm, easygoing, happy-go-lucky tone of the section.
However, when Scout comments that what Jem says is “nigger-talk,” (49) the dialect puts
the ‘ridiculous’ conversation about Hot Steams into context and brings out how lowly
and scornful the tone really is. The Odyssey is also full of dialectical language. At the
beginning of the book, “with wand in hand [Hermes] paced into the air.” (1206:7) This
quotation shows how the language was phrased in those days; in a manner that would be
considered in the modern world as inverted syntax. Today we would say ‘Hermes paced
into the air with a wand in his hand,’ but the dialectical language of the day was different
then what it is now. This alternate phrasing helps the reader fit into the book’s setting
because they feel and say the language. When they begin to understand the setting, they
understand the tone because the tone of the setting is the tone of the book. Here, the
setting includes a determined Hermes, and a result, the tone of the setting and the book is
fast paced and intense. When Odysseus refers to the “young Dawn” (1223:178) and
“Cronus’ son” (1223:170), using these nicknames, he is indeed using colloquialisms.
These help to set the reader inside the setting and tone, because when they are reading,
they are using the nickname. ‘Talking’ like Odysseus helps the reader understand the
hero and think like him, and they begin to feel the difficulties. The reader doesn’t see
Zeus as another god; he is rather the son of the feared Cronus and is to be revered. The
morning is not just another morning, but the young Dawn. They soon begin to address
items as such in their head, and soon, they think alike and feel the situation alike. As a
result, they begin to feel the tone more. These two books provide evidence that
colloquialism is very important in setting the tone.
Point of view is also major in helping the tone resonate. An ever-changing point
of view leads to a less intense mood and tone. However, if the point of view stays the
same, then that character’s thoughts and emotions comprise the tone. For example, in To
Kill a Mockingbird, when Scout recollects about “the misery of the house,” (15), she
thinks seriously and peruses through all the information. It is all from her point of view,
so the tone takes that of her grave thoughts; serious and severe. What she thinks is
essentially what the book thinks. The tone changes as her ideas change, and it follows the
track of her ideas because To Kill a Mockingbird is written entirely from her perspective.
When things are “utterly dull,” (226) the tone stays calm, while when she they get “real
scary” (375), the tone becomes graver or fiercer. The Miracle Worker is written mainly
from Anne Sullivan’s point of view. “The, more, [Anne], think[s], the, more, certain,” it
is that the reader will understand the tone. (52) This causes the tone to follow whatever
Anne is feeling; for example, at the time of the above quote, the tone switches with her
thoughts to a grave, grim atmosphere. On numerous instances, Annie recalls her promise
to her brother that she would be there “forever and ever,” (22) and the tone becomes like
her thoughts- determined and fierce. Other situations in the play also react the same way.
From the above paragraph, it can be seen that point of view is very important in helping
bring out the tone.
Colloquialisms and point of view do not always act alone. In To Kill a
Mockingbird, both devices are present in great quantities. As both are agents to amplify
the tone, this novel results in having the most intense tone. Harper Lee’s style creates one
of the most interesting novels written because it keeps a consistent point of view and is
filled with colloquialisms.
Different authors use different styles and devices. However, in most novels, it can
be concluded that the use of colloquialism and a consistent point of view realistically
convey the tone to the reader.