What Makes Up a Mood?

These are the basic elements that help determine the mood of a piece of writing:

• Setting: A story's setting is where and when it takes place. Setting is one of the first things to be described in a narrative, and therefore plays a major role in establishing the mood.

  • In the "dark and stormy night" example from above, the story's mood is established almost entirely by the setting (in this case, the weather and the time of day), which makes for a gloomy and potentially even frightening atmosphere. 

  • A story that takes place in a cotton candy kingdom, by contrast, is likely to have a whimsical, cheerful, or light-hearted mood.

• Imagery: Imagery is similar to setting in the sense that it helps to establish mood using descriptions of physical things in the world of the story. Not every image in a work will be indicative of the story's mood, but images that are repeated or described in detail usually do reflect the mood.

  • A poem that spends a lot of time describing babbling brooks, gentle rolling hills, and herds of sheep might have an idyllic mood.

  • A story that has a lot of roses, candlelight, and boxes of chocolates might be trying to establish a romantic mood.

• Diction: The words that a writer chooses to use (i.e., diction) play a huge part in determining the mood of a piece, in part because different words that mean the same thing can have different connotations.

  • A writer might choose to use more antiquated diction like "thou art" instead of "you are" if they want to create a whimsical mood.

  • Similarly, the difference between "a dull, uneventful night" and "a peaceful, silent night" might contribute to the difference between a text with a gloomy or melancholic mood and a calm, reflective mood.

• Genre and Plot: This one may seem obvious, but the genre and plot of a work contribute to its mood in many different ways. For instance, a murder mystery with many complicated plot developments and twists probably has a suspenseful or tense mood.

• Tone: Tone (or the attitude of piece of writing) is closely related to mood: often, the tone and mood of a piece are similar or the same.

  • It wouldn't be unusual for a poem with a somber tone to also have a somber mood—i.e., to make the reader feel somber as well. 

  • A journalist who makes a jab at a politician might be conveying how they feel about their subject (using a critical tone) while also trying to influence their readers to feel similarly—i.e., creating a mood of anger or outrage.

Tip: Don’t confuse tone with voice. [Read How Do You Find Your Writing Voice?] Voice can be explained as the author’s personality expressed in writing. Tone = Attitude. Voice = Personality. Tone (attitude) and voice (personality) create a writing style. You may not be able to alter your personality but you can adjust your attitude. This gives you ways to create writing that affects your audience’s mood.

CLICK HERE for examples of MOOD.

CLICK HERE for examples of TONE.

Analyzing Mood

Now, click the Mood & Tone Analysis form (also available on Google Classroom).  You will use the video links below to complete the analysis. 

Directions:

1. Watch the original movie trailers below and then the recut versions of each trailer.

2. Describe the mood and tone of each - three word minimum, use descriptive words (NO good, bad, scary, funny) to describe the original trailers and then the recut versions.  

3. Analyzing the evidence - In complete sentences, explain what aspects of the trailer (word choice and dialogue, music, characterization, scenes) led you to the descriptions you used for mood and tone.  

4. Synthesize - Explain your thinking in complete sentences and give specific examples from all trailers.