Tactical Purpose:
When an author is writing any type of literature they often have to consider the atmosphere they are trying to create. Although the atmosphere in literature isn’t the same thing as the scientific atmosphere, the purpose of it is to establish the situation and how that situation should make the reader or audience feel.
The atmosphere can be created in a multitude of ways such as imagery, setting, point of view, word choice, figurative language, and theme. When the author uses imagery to create the atmosphere he or she uses a more imaginative feel, giving the reader the ability to put themselves into the writing and get a sense of feeling what the author is trying to say. Another possibility is the author using a specific word choice, they could use a more sophisticated vocabulary which allows the reader to infer the strength and importance of the writing. The atmosphere is one of the most important aspects an author has to consider because depending on how they express the atmosphere it can change the entire purpose of their writing.
Steps for Analysis:
Read over the piece of literature one time fully without considering the analysis, this step is crucial as it will give the reader a generalized feel of the piece.
After reading the first time, consider the setting, author, word choice, dialect, and point of view.
Reread the piece for a second time after taking some time to think about some of the literary elements.
After the second read, there should be a general understanding of the literary elements and the purpose of their usage as well as how the reader feels after reading.
The combination of these two aspects are the atmosphere.
Example:
"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live.
It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.”
National Geographic Society. "Gettysburg Address." National Geographic, 15 July 2022, education.nationalgeographic.com/resouce/gettysburg-address. Accessed 6 Sept. 2022.
The Gettysburg Address is one of Abraham Lincoln's most famous speeches. When considering the atmosphere of the speech it is important to consider the author, Abraham Lincoln, and what his purpose would be for giving it. The address was given on November 19, 1863 on the site of one of the deadliest wars America had seen. To set the atmosphere Lincoln begins with expressing the background of America, the founding fathers and civil war, he then starts with on the parts of the war that should not be forgotten. The overall atmosphere has both to do with the situation which was a dedication at the Gettysburg Civil War Cemetery as well as the word choice Lincoln chose. The combination of these two aspects give the Gettysburg Address a melancholy and reflective atmosphere.