Mood & Tone
1. NOTES: What is Mood & Tone?
Mood and tone are what set the scene for the reader. You can't have one without the other; if an author has a certain tone about a subject, it is going to create a specific mood for the reader. Here are the definitions to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about.
- Tone: An attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience
Example: “All morons hate it when you call them a moron.” –Catcher in the Rye; the author’s tone is sarcastic.
- Mood: A literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions
Example: The mood in Diary of a Wimpy Kid is pretty light-hearted and comical.
When discussing mood and tone, it is also important to be aware of words like connotation and denotation.
- Connotation: a word's underlying meanings; it is all the stuff we associate with a word. So, while a rose is indeed a type of flower, we also associate roses with romantic love, beauty and even special days, like Valentine's Day or anniversaries. Connotations go beyond the literal to what we think and feel when we hear or see a word.
- Denotation: a word's literal meaning. For example, were Juliet to look up the word 'rose' in the dictionary, she would find something like, 'a bush or shrub that produces flowers, usually red, pink, white or yellow in color.'
In order to understand an author's tone, we need to be able to identify the connotations he/she is implying with his/her word choice.
2. WATCH: Mood & Tone Flocabulary
Let's take a closer look at mood and tone by using one of my favorite resources, Flocabulary! :) We will watch the video as a class, but you can refer to these lyrics of you would like to follow along or review them later.
3. ACTIVITY: Identity Mood & Tone
Complete this activity on identifying mood and tone. If you finish early, work on the extension.