Chapter 5: Tone & Style
Instructor: Katelyn McGehee
e-mail: katelynmcgehee@gmail.com
cell phone #: 15093368690
website: westernliterature.weebly.com
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Put away all books and notes. Do not
take them out again until ALL quizzes are
finished.
NO TALKING OR CHEATING during the
quiz or you will get a 0 on your quiz.
Write your ENGLISH NAME, STUDENT
ID#, and ROW A or ROW B on your quiz.
There are 5 questions.
PENS DOWN when I say so, and pass
your quizzes to me quickly.
ROW A
ROW B
Jane
123456789
John
987654321
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“Real integrity is doing the right thing,
even if no one will ever know about it.”
- Anonymous
Please have integrity in this class!
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Minor changes in seating chart.
Visits:
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Thank you for your time! 
Sign-up sheet – groups of 4-8?
Send me a text!
Remember your ID cards!
Participation grades…
How’s the website?
(westernliterature.weebly.com)
• PowerPoint?
• New “links” section.
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Characters
• Major
• Minor
• Flat
• Round
• Stock
• Static
• Dynamic
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Characterization
Setting
Style: the way an author writes; the
characteristics of an author’s writing.
 Usually results from…
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Sentence structure (syntax).
Word choice (diction).
Choice of details.
Subject matter.
Tone.
Syntax: the grammatical arrangement of
words in a text for effect.
 Narration (narrator talking) or dialogue
(characters talking)?
 Description, thoughts, or conversation?
 Simple or complex (complicated)?
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• Simple sentences: short, not many words, simpler
vocabulary, not as many adjectives
• Complex sentences: longer, more words, more
difficult vocabulary, more adjectives/adverbs
Diction: a writer’s choice of words.
 There are many words in English—which
words does the author choose to use?
 Simple or difficult words?
 Slang, informal, dialect?
 Formal, old-fashioned, technical?
 Positive, negative, or neutral connotation?
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A word has a dictionary definition, but also
may have a “feeling” that goes with it.
 Denotation
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• The dictionary definition of a word; the objective
meaning.
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Connotation
• The emotional meaning of a word.
• The emotional “charge” that comes along with a
word that language usage has placed on it.
• Can be positive (good), negative (bad), or
neutral (not good or bad).
Examples:
 Denotation: 1.7 m and 100 kg; obese, overweight
 Negative connotation: fat, chunky
 Positive connotation: plump, nicely filled out
Denotation: 2 m, weighing 50 kg; thin
 Negative connotation: skinny, emaciated, bony
 Positive connotation: slim, slender, delicate
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Denotation: quiet
 Negative connotation: shy, bashful, unconfident
 Positive connotation: soft-spoken, gentle
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Noisy
Gentle
Crowded
Unusual
Extraordinary
Unique
Walk
Bounce
Dress
Gown
Negative
Positive
Negative
Negative
Positive
Positive
Neutral
Positive
Neutral
Positive
How would you describe the style of this passage?
The economic instability that followed World War
I led to the Great Depression of the 1930s and then to
World War II. The linkages were subtle and debated
in detail, but undeniable in basic fact. The overhang
of bad debts, shrunken trade within Europe, and
overstretched budgets of the European powers
meant that inflation, stabilization, and austerity were
the orders of the day throughout the 1920s…
Possible Answers:
Scholarly, objective, direct. (Long, complex sentences;
big words, lots of commas and technical vocabulary;
an economist’s writing.)
How would you describe the style of this passage?
It wasn’t my fault.
I called her. I apologized. I went to her house. I
groveled.
She got my call. She didn’t respond. She saw me at
her door. She didn’t open it.
I swear it wasn’t my fault.
Possible Answers:
Simple, direct, pointed, emphatic. (Short, simple
sentences; no big words or technical vocabulary.)
In groups of 2-3, compare and contrast the styles in
each of the past stories we have read. Find examples
in the text.
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Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” (pp. 38-44)
The Grimm Brothers’ “Godfather Death” (pp. 5-9)
Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain” (pp. 33-37)
Think about syntax, diction, and details. Are the
sentences long or short? Simple or complex? Are the
words simple or difficult? What kinds of connotations
do they carry? What is the subject matter?
 Tone: the
author’s or speaker’s attitude
toward the subject and/or audience.
 You can know the tone from the writer’s…
• Diction.
• Syntax.
• Style.
• Choice of details.
• Imagery.
 Should
be able to be described in 1-2 words.
• One word:
bitter, ironic, playful, amused, objective,
detached, wistful, admiring.
• Two words:
“A tone of…” bitter irony, playful amusement,
objective detachment, wistful admiration.
 See “Tone Words” list on website under “Class
Materials.”
What is the speaker’s tone in this passage?
Daniel hung his head dejectedly and slumped
down the vacant street, trying to forget Rachel’s words
that had wounded him so deeply. He wasn’t as
worthless as she made him feel, was he? He wanted to
despise her, the way she despised him… but somehow
he just couldn’t. After all, maybe she was right.
The rain was coming down heavily now and began
dribbling down Daniel’s neck. A shiver shot up his
spine. He wiped his eyes tenderly with a tissue. Was it
the raindrops or his tears that were blurring his vision?
Or perhaps it was something else.
Possible Answers:
mournful, grieved, depressed, pathetic, pitiful, dejected
Compare this passage to the previous one. Can you see a
difference in the tone?
Daniel stomped his way aggressively down the street,
stewing over Rachel’s presumptuous words. He gave a
haughty snort. Who did she think she was? She didn’t know
him, not one bit. She didn’t deserve another minute of his
time. And she wouldn’t get one, either. No siree, not from
him. Never again. She could just forget about that.
The rain began its attack without warning. Daniel
swatted at the pesky raindrops pummeling his uncovered
neck. That’s what he got for allowing himself to be exposed.
First thing tomorrow he would buy a raincoat. A thick one.
Possible Answers:
Bitter, resentful, angry, frustrated, annoyed, peeved.
What is the speaker’s tone in this passage?
The alarm clock’s ring, usually such an unwelcome
sound, this morning was like the call of a good friend.
Mary leapt out of bed and ran to the calendar on her
wall. A brilliant grin lit up her face.
It was Thursday!
Wednesdays and Fridays were like any other day.
But Thursdays were different. The bright sunshine
filling the room mirrored Mary’s mood. She jumped
into her favorite clothes and pranced out the door to
meet the day.
And a glorious day it would be.
Possible Answers:
jubilant, gleeful, blissful, happy, upbeat, whimsical.
Mood: the general atmosphere of feeling
in a literary work.
 What kind of feelings surround the work?
 Different definition from tone, but may
be described the same way.
Question to discuss:
 What is the mood of “Cat in the Rain”?
How can you tell? (Pg. 33)
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Irony is the contrast between what is expected
or what appears to be and what actually is.
 Verbal Irony
Saying one thing but meaning the opposite.
(Example: sarcasm)
 Situational Irony
Something happens that is the opposite of what is
expected.
(Example: “Story of an Hour”)
 Dramatic Irony
Audience or reader knows more than the
characters know.
(Example: “The Appointment in Samarra”)
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 Born Kate O’Flaherty in St. Louis, Missouri
 Married Oscar Chopin in 1870 and moved
to
Louisiana.
 Had seven children in next eight years.
 After husband’s death wrote stories to support
her family.
 Very independent.
 Subject matter of stories caused scandal.
 Publishers refused to print her stories.
 Noted for her feminism in her works of
literature.
 Born
in England.
 His work was not popular there, but was
popular in the U.S.
 Wrote a lot of fantasy stories.
 Moved to Hollywood in 1930s.
 Wrote movies and television shows as
well as short stories and novels.
1)
2)
3)
4)
Who are the major characters in each
story?
Briefly describe the plot of each story.
What is the setting of each story?
What is the point of view in each story?
Get into groups of 3-4. For the following questions,
use the text with page numbers to give evidence.
How does the author set the tone? (Look at the
second paragraph on pg. 118)
 What words/images convey (show) the tone?
 How is most of the story told?
 What is the author’s writing style?
 Are the sentences simple or complex?
 Why does she use the thoughts of the
characters to tell the story?
 What is the irony?
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What does the story’s title mean? What is a
“chaser”?
 Chaser – a mild drink taken after a hard shot of
liqueur (alcohol).
 In groups of 3-4, answer questions 3-5 on page
132.
 What is the author’s tone? (Look at top of pg. 130,
top of pg. 131.)
 What is the author’s writing style? How is most of
the story told?
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Style
Tone
Mood
Syntax
Diction
Connotation
• positive, negative, neutral
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Denotation
Irony
• verbal, situational, dramatic
 Review
Chapter 6, “Theme”; We will discuss
“The Use of Force” next week.
 Skim the introduction for Chapter 7,
“Symbol.”
 Next week’s quiz:
• Learn the literary terms from this week’s class.
• Learn the red vocabulary for the story.
• PowerPoint is posted on the website for Week 4.
 Read “A
Rose for Emily” (pp. 165-178) and
answer these questions:
These questions are posted under “Homework” on
the class website.
westernliterature.weebly.com
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2)
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6)
Who are the major characters?
Describe the plot (list each of the four main plot
elements).
What is the setting of the story?
How would you describe Faulkner’s style?
How would you describe the speaker’s tone?
How would you describe the story’s mood?