Mood versus Tone

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 4

Mood versus Tone

By Barbara Dashorst

Mood vs Tone - Literary Devices Revision

By Barbara Dashorst

Goal for today:

1. REALLY understand the difference AND CONNECTION between Mood and Tone

2. Understand how DICTION  and THEME fits in too

3. Practice this knowledge with some examples

Tone

Mood

Diction?

Literally, the words used by the characters. The way someone 'talks'.

Example: 

You all vs Y'all

A different way to determine the MOOD:

If you were going to give the story a sound track, which melody would suit this story best?

In groups work on finding a soundtrack of 5 songs to the 5 short stories (try to find songs everyone will know...)

5 x Soundtracks: Harrison Bergeron -
Charles -
The Buggy -
That Girl -
All that glitters is not gold -

REFLECTION: Let's go deeper, still

Why did you pick those songs? Likely answer is same mood/ vibe. The feelings the music EVOKE (brings up) mirror the feelings the story evokes

So let's find words for them: (I'll write them on the board)

Now let's look at TONE:

Tone is extra message from the author. What does the writer REALLY think about the subject he is writing about?

How does this link to what you remember about THEME?

Take the example of this song:

open.spotify.com

"...Showing off your ass 'cause you're thinking it's a trend

Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again

You know I only say it 'cause I'm truly genuine

Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem

Baby girl, respect is just a minimum

Niggas fucked up and you still defending them

Now Lauryn is only human

Don't think I haven't been through the same predicament

Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, Penn.

It's silly when girls sell their souls because it's in

Look at where you be in hair weaves like Europeans

Fake nails done by Koreans

Come again, come again, come again, come again, come again

Guys you know you better watch out

Some girls, some girls are only about

That thing, that thing, that thing"...

That thing, that thing, that thing

Tone

Feminism

Portrayal of Women

Caring,

Teaching

Respect yourself

Critical

Mood

Optimistic

Positive

Happy

Hopeful

Strong Community/ Togetherness

DooWop

Mood and Tone often complement each other BUT sometimes it is the contradiction that makes us pay attention!

In this song, the tone - lovingly and respectfully critical - is quite different from the mood  - happy, positive hopeful 

Why do you think Lauren Hill chose this contradiction?

Ultimate test: Check out this short story:

“For sale, Baby shoes, Never Worn.”

 - attributed to Ernest Hemingway

"For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn"
Tone?

"For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn"
Mood?

To Sum it up:

To figure out mood: 

look at your own feelings when you read the story

To figure out tone:

Put yourself in the writer's shoes. Why did the writer bother to share this story with the world? What does the writer want the reader to consider?

It’s a story so short that it could fit into a title yet it resonates with depth and tragedy. This particular quote, supposedly originating in the 1920s, served as confirmation of Hemingway’s extraordinary talent and wit. It has also influenced numerous attempts to create a story in the six words frame, so-called flash or sudden fiction, giving only a glimpse of a story but in that glimpse delivering so much more.

The only problem is, Hemingway probably never wrote it.

Or if he did, the story wasn’t entirely his invention. Similar “ads” have been recorded as early as 1906. According to the Quote Investigator, an earlier version of this minimal sentence was “For Sale, Baby Carriage, Never Used,” published in a newspaper section called Terse Tales of the Town.

Whether this was a bad joke or someone’s sad memory, we will never know.