Chapter 7: Tone, Point of View, and allusions

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Chapter 7 Tone, Point of View, and allusions
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Chapter 7 Tone, Point of View, and allusions

• In Chapter 7 several elements you have studied
  thus far come together. In this second chapter
  dealing with the importance of language, you will
  enhance and deepen your understanding of what you
  read by studying some rather sophisticated
  elements.

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Chapter 7 Tone, Point of View, and allusions

• Objectives

• Points of view

• Tone

• Allusions

• Special effects

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Point of view

• The writers attitude toward or position on a
  subjecthis or her stance.

Topic
Point of view
purpose
Tone
Mode of discourse
Diction (word choice)
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Go to practice ex. 1 on p. 240

• Read this paragraph by Harvard biologist Edwin O.
  Wilson, in which he discusses the Incas
  contributions to the worlds food supply. (Wilson
  is the author
• of The Power of Story, which was a practice
  exercise in Chapter 6.) As you read it, circle
  the connotative words. Now fill in the missing
  elements inthe circle.

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Go to practice ex. 1 on p. 240

• From the mostly unwritten archives of native
  peoples has come a wealth of information about
  wild and semicultivated crops. It is a remarkable
  fact that with a single exception, the macadamia
  nut of Australia, every one of the fruits and
  nuts used in western countries was grown first by
  indigenous peoples. The Incas were arguably the
  all-time champions in creating a reservoir of
  diverse crops. Without the benefit of wheels,
  money, iron, or written script, these Andean
  people evolved a sophisticated agriculture based
  on almost as many plant species as used by all
  the farmers of Europe and Asia combined. Their
  abounding crops, tilled on the cool upland slopes
  and plateaus, proved especially suited for
  temperate climates. From the Incas have come lima
  beans, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes. But many
  other species and strains, including a hundred
  varieties of potatoes, are still confined to the
  Andes. The Spanish conquerors learned to use a
  few of the potatoes, but they missed many other
  representatives of a vast array of cultivated
  tuberous vegetables, including some that are more
  productive and savory than the favored crops. The
  names are likely to

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Go to practice ex. 1 on p. 240

• be unfamiliar achira, ahipa, arracacha, maca,
  mashua, mauka, oca, ulloco, and yacon. One, maca,
  is on the verge of extinction, limited to 10
  hectares in the highest plateau region of Peru
  and Bolivia. Its swollen roots, resembling brown
  radishes and rich in sugar and starch, have a
  sweet, tangy flavor and are considered a delicacy
  by the handful of people still privileged to
  consume them.
• Edwin O. Wilson, The Diversity of Life

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Go to practice ex. 1 on p. 240

• From the mostly unwritten archives of native
  peoples has come a wealth of information about
  wild and semicultivated crops. It is a remarkable
  fact that with a single exception, the macadamia
  nut of Australia, every one of the fruits and
  nuts used in western countries was grown first by
  indigenous peoples. The Incas were arguably the
  all-time champions in creating a reservoir of
  diverse crops. Without the benefit of wheels,
  money, iron, or written script, these Andean
  people evolved a sophisticated agriculture based
  on almost as many plant species as used by all
  the farmers of Europe and Asia combined. Their
  abounding crops, tilled on the cool upland slopes
  and plateaus, proved especially suited for
  temperate climates. From the Incas have come lima
  beans, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes. But many
  other species and strains, including a hundred
  varieties of potatoes, are still confined to the
  Andes. The Spanish conquerors learned to use a
  few of the potatoes, but they missed many other
  representatives of a vast array of cultivated
  tuberous vegetables, including some that are more
  productive and savory than the favored crops. The
  names are likely to

9
Go to practice ex. 1 on p. 240

• be unfamiliar achira, ahipa, arracacha, maca,
  mashua, mauka, oca, ulloco, and yacon. One, maca,
  is on the verge of extinction, limited to 10
  hectares in the highest plateau region of Peru
  and Bolivia. Its swollen roots, resembling brown
  radishes and rich in sugar and starch, have a
  sweet, tangy flavor and are considered a delicacy
  by the handful of people still privileged to
  consume them.
• Edwin O. Wilson, The Diversity of Life

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(No Transcript)
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An overview of tone

• the feeling, mood, or emotional quality of a
  piece of writinghard to detect on paper or
  easily understood if not clearly seen.

the reader must infer the tone from the writers
words and their connotative values, from the
details included, from the rhythms and cadences
of the sentence structure, and from the writers
attitude toward the subject.
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An overview of tone

• Common varieties of tone

informative, impartial, instructive
provocative
approving, admiring, laudatory
sincere, honest, candid
critical
serious, somber, grave
philosophical, reflective, pensive
complaining
eager, fervent, passionate, zealous
questioning, skeptical, cynical
amusing, funny, humorous
harsh
sorrowful, mournful, lamenting
nostalgic, wistful, melancholy
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An overview of tone

• Tone in textbooks

written in objective and impartial tone
to convey factual information
Tone in Fiction
dependent on the characters and their relation
to the environment they live in and to the other
characters
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An overview of tone

• Go to p. 243
• Read the following questions.
• Then, read the passage.

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An overview of tone

• Now answer these questions
• 1. What is the connotation of the word scalping
  and what is its
• origin?

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An overview of tone

• Now answer these questions
• 1. The word is negative it probably stems from a
  barbaric
• form of torture.

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An overview of tone

• Now answer these questions
• 2. What is McConnell and Brues point of view
  toward scalping?

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An overview of tone

• Now answer these questions
• 2. They have no objections to the practice.

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An overview of tone

• Now answer these questions
• 3. In the second paragraph, why do the authors
  put quotation marks around ripping off and
  exorbitant?

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An overview of tone

• Now answer these questions
• 3. These words describe scalping in a negative
  way, but the quotation marks tell us that the
  writers dont share this opinion.

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An overview of tone

• Now answer these questions
• 4. Locate and identify the two primary reasons
  that the writers think that scalping has been
  given a bum rap.

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An overview of tone

• Now answer these questions
• 4. The transaction is voluntary both parties
  benefit.

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An overview of tone

• Now answer these questions
• 5. How would you describe the tone of the
  passage?

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An overview of tone

• Now answer these questions
• 5. informative, but also positive and favorable
  economically, the system makes sense.

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Tone in nonfiction prose

• In the next few pages, 244-248, you will read
  nonfiction passages, moving from straightforward
  prose to more complex examples.
• Create the graphic organizer for each passage.

1
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Tone in nonfiction prose

• In the next few pages, 244-248, you will read
  nonfiction passages, moving from straightforward
  prose to more complex examples.
• Create the graphic organizer for each passage.

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A Romantic Entanglement
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Tone in nonfiction prose

• In the next few pages, 244-248, you will read
  nonfiction passages, moving from straightforward
  prose to more complex examples.
• Create the graphic organizer for each passage.

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Skateboarders
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Tone in nonfiction prose

• In the next few pages, 244-248, you will read
  nonfiction passages, moving from straightforward
  prose to more complex examples.
• Create the graphic organizer for each passage.

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Lincoln
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Tone in nonfiction prose

• In the next few pages, 244-248, you will read
  nonfiction passages, moving from straightforward
  prose to more complex examples.
• Create the graphic organizer for each passage.

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Addis Ababa
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An overview of tone

• Sentimentality

an umbrella word describing a tone that appeals
to ones tender emotions
genuine or fake depending on the writers motive
and care in writing effective and/or affective
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An overview of tone

• Sentimentality

It can appeal to our tender and compassionate
instincts and win us over. Whats wrong with
sentimentality? A sentimental feeling may become
counterfeit and full of clichés which then
becomes offensive or ludicrous. Writing about
daily life can be very difficult. Read the
passage found on p. 249.
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An overview of tone

• Sentimentality

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Practice Exercise 2, pp. 249-253
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Practice Exercise 2, pp. 249-253
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Practice Exercise 2, pp. 249-253
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Practice Exercise 2, pp. 249-253
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Practice Exercise 2, pp. 249-253
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Practice Exercise 2, pp. 249-253
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Practice Exercise 2, pp. 249-253
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Practice Exercise 2, pp. 249-253
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Tone and mood in fiction

• In literature, tone is conveyed not only by the
  writers manner of expression but also by the
  thoughts and actions of the characters, by their
  relation to the other characters and to their
  environment, by figurative language, and by
  descriptions of the world the characters inhabit,
  whether natural or artificial.

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Tone and mood in fiction

• Unlike nonfiction, literature conveys moodthe
  atmosphere or emotional state that all these
  things evoke.
• Read the paragraph at the bottom of p. 253-254.
  Then, the explanation on p. 254.
• Probably all of us can identify with Callies
  feelings about the Charm Bracelets. All high
  schools have such groups, the rulers of the
  school. How would you characterize Callies tone
  in this passage? She is clearly scornful and
  resentful of their social standing, their
  shallowness, their arrogance, their refusal to
  study, the fact that they know that they dont
  need to study. Even at a young age, she is aware
  of her own role in lifeher need to write, to
  accomplish something. So we might say that her
  tone toward the end of the passage is one of
  resignation to her fate. The tone is complicated
  and not easily reduced to a single feeling.

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Go to practice exercise 3

• Answer the questions of each passage.
• A. How would you describe the mood of this
  excerpt? What is the minister feeling?

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Go to practice exercise 3

• Answer the questions of each passage.
• How would you describe the mood of this excerpt?
  What is the minister feeling?
• The mood is serene and cheerful. The scene elates
  him the simple pleasure of watching his family
  delights him.

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Go to practice exercise 3

• Answer the questions of each passage.
• Explain what Amir is feeling as he surveys the
  landscape of his native Afghanistan and ponders
  his family.

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Go to practice exercise 3

• Answer the questions of each passage.
• Explain what Amir is feeling as he surveys the
  landscape of his native Afghanistan and ponders
  his family.
• Amirs thoughts suggest a welter of
  emotionspride, a sense of family history and his
  place in it, a sense of reverence for his native
  land.

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Go to practice exercise 3

• Answer the questions of each passage.
• Describe the prevailing mood the narrators
  thoughts evoke.

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Go to practice exercise 3

• Answer the questions of each passage.
• Describe the prevailing mood the narrators
  thoughts evoke.
• The lure of freedom, represented by the endless
  horizon of the lovely plains, is matched by a
  feeling of restless optimism. Everything is
  possible in the West.

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Tone continued more difficult varieties

• Tones that are cultural, social, and political
  create increased cynicism, uncertainty, and
  skepticism about the American dream and about the
  countrys role in the world political arena..

Witty, playful, droll
Ironic, tongue-in-cheek
Sarcastic, scornful, sardonic
Pessimistic, cynical
Mocking, satirical
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Tone continued more difficult varieties
See p. 257-258

• Witty

Writers mental keenness and sense of playfulness
and an ability to recognize the comic elements of
a situation or condition.
It is not sarcasm which has a mean streak.
It is humorous, brief, clever in its use of
words, and pointedly perceptive in describing
human frailty and folly.
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Tone continued more difficult varieties
The heart of many jokes!

• Irony

Used when the writer actually means the opposite
of what he/she actually means.
It is an unexpected contrast which results in a
heightening of intensity about the real subject.
It can be used to poke fun at human weaknesses
and inconsistencies, or more seriously, to
criticize, to encourage reform, or to cast doubt
on someones motives.
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Irony

• Irony often is present in cartoons. What is the
  irony underlying the situation?

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Irony

• The Grim Reaper, the traditional personification
  of death, has a complicated set of locks in his
  presumably urban apartment. We wouldnt expect
  the Grim Reaper to be afraid of crime.

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Irony
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Irony
Go to p. 259
Read the passage on p. 260.
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Irony
Go to p. 259
Read the passage on p. 260.
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Tone continued more difficult varieties
Latin flesh-cutting

• Sarcasm

A form of wit intended to taunt, wound, or
subject another to ridicule or contempt.
irony Sarcasm
Writer deliberately says the opposite of what is intented. May involve irony Sneering at Mocking the target
Consider the writers intent.
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Tone continued more difficult varieties
Modern attitude
Cynicism
Watergate
Vietnam
Distrusting or disparaging the motives or
sincerity of others
Sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or
pessimistic A cynic detects falseness in others
and recognizes impure motives. It may or may not
involve irony.
politicians
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Tone continued more difficult varieties
Irony Sarcasm cynicism
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Tone continued more difficult varieties
Typically relies on exaggeration

• Satire

A type of writing that seeks to expose folly or
wickedness, to hold human behavior up to
ridicule, and to show the reader that certain
actions or behavior would be more desirable.
Distrusting or disparaging the motives or
sincerity of others
Sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or
pessimistic
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Tone continued more difficult varieties
Typically relies on exaggeration

• Satire

Read pp. 262-263
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Practice Exercise 4

• Read the following passages. Then, keeping in
  mind the writers purpose and intent, decide
  which of the following tones is most accurately
  reflected in each excerpt witty, ironic,
  sarcastic, cynical, satirical.

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Practice Exercise 4

• Read the following passages. Then, keeping in
  mind the writers purpose and intent, decide
  which of the following tones is most accurately
  reflected in each excerpt witty, ironic,
  sarcastic, cynical, satirical.
• A. From Oscar Wilde, Irish playwright Bigamy is
  having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.
  The tone of this definition is

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Practice Exercise 4

• Read the following passages. Then, keeping in
  mind the writers purpose and intent, decide
  which of the following tones is most accurately
  reflected in each excerpt witty, ironic,
  sarcastic, cynical, satirical.
• A. From Oscar Wilde, Irish playwright Bigamy is
  having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.
  The tone of this definition is witty.

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Practice Exercise 4

• B. Ilka Chase was a famous actress in the movies
  and on stage in the1930s and 1940s. When she
  published her 1942 autobiography, Past Imperfect
  , she encountered an actor at a party. (Legend
  has it that the actor was Humphrey Bogart.) When
  the actor congratulated Chase, he said, I
  thought your book was wonderful. I cant tell you
  how much I enjoyed it. By the way, who wrote it
  for you? Chase responded, Im so glad you like
  it. By the way, who read it to you? The tone of
  this selection is

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Practice Exercise 4

• B. Ilka Chase was a famous actress in the movies
  and on stage in the1930s and 1940s. When she
  published her 1942 autobiography, Past Imperfect
  , she encountered an actor at a party. (Legend
  has it that the actor was Humphrey Bogart.) When
  the actor congratulated Chase, he said, I
  thought your book was wonderful. I cant tell you
  how much I enjoyed it. By the way, who wrote it
  for you? Chase responded, Im so glad you like
  it. By the way, who read it to you? The tone of
  this selection is sarcastic.

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Practice Exercise 4

• C. From a review of Bolt of Fate by Tom Tucker, a
  biography of Benjamin Franklin . . . a new book
  argues that the legend on which Franklins
  reputation rests is dubious. There was no kite,
  no key, no bolt, no knuckle, no charge. He let
  people believe he had been places he never went,
  done things he never did, and seen things that
  never happened. No wonder hes been called the
  father of American journalism. (Adam Gopnik,
  American Electric Did Franklin Fly the Kite?
  The New Yorker ) The tone of this excerpt is

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Practice Exercise 4

• C. From a review of Bolt of Fate by Tom Tucker, a
  biography of Benjamin Franklin . . . a new book
  argues that the legend on which Franklins
  reputation rests is dubious. There was no kite,
  no key, no bolt, no knuckle, no charge. He let
  people believe he had been places he never went,
  done things he never did, and seen things that
  never happened. No wonder hes been called the
  father of American journalism. (Adam Gopnik,
  American Electric Did Franklin Fly the Kite?
  The New Yorker ) The tone of this excerpt is
  cynical.

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Practice Exercise 4

• D. This letter to the editor is in response to a
  proposal that creationism be taught in the public
  schools alongside evolution, which creationists
  contend is only a theory.
• EditorAs a public school teacher, I heartily
  support the teaching of creationism over
  evolution. Creationism is easy to teach and can
  help with classroom discipline. (Behave or
  youll turn into a pillar of salt.)
• The savings in textbooks would be tremendous. At
  an average cost of more than 80 a piece, school
  textbooks are prohibitively expensive. Bibles are
  not only much cheaper but are usually given

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Practice Exercise 4

• D. continued
• away by evangelical groups.
• The greatest advantage would be that textbooks
  would be available in every hotel room in
  America. Incidentally, I teach math (pass the
  cubits, please) . . .
• Jim Thurber
• Mountain View, California
• San Francisco Chronicle , December 1, 2004
• The tone of this letter is

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Practice Exercise 4

• D. continued
• away by evangelical groups.
• The greatest advantage would be that textbooks
  would be available in every hotel room in
  America. Incidentally, I teach math (pass the
  cubits, please) . . .
• Jim Thurber
• Mountain View, California
• San Francisco Chronicle , December 1, 2004
• The tone of this letter is satirical.

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Practice Exercise 4

• E. The Kim Basinger movie I Dreamed of Africa
  bombed at the box office last weekend. It wasnt
  supposed to be that way. It was originally
  expected to bomb way back in September. (Tom
  King, Waiting for Their Closeups, The Wall
  Street Journal , May 12, 2000)
• The tone of this selection is

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Practice Exercise 4

• E. The Kim Basinger movie I Dreamed of Africa
  bombed at the box office last weekend. It wasnt
  supposed to be that way. It was originally
  expected to bomb way back in September. (Tom
  King, Waiting for Their Closeups, The Wall
  Street Journal , May 12, 2000)
• The tone of this selection is ironic (movie
  makers dont expect their movies to bomb)

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Practice Exercise 4

• F. If Superman were real, heres how the Iraq
  war could have been avoided At the request of
  the U.N., the Man of Steel rockets to Iraq, scans
  for weapons of mass destruction with his X-ray
  vision and, upon finding some, flings them into
  the sun. Instant disarmament. (Jeff Jensen,
  Cape Cowed, Entertainment Weekly )
• The tone of this passage is

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Practice Exercise 4

• F. If Superman were real, heres how the Iraq
  war could have been avoided At the request of
  the U.N., the Man of Steel rockets to Iraq, scans
  for weapons of mass destruction with his X-ray
  vision and, upon finding some, flings them into
  the sun. Instant disarmament. (Jeff Jensen,
  Cape Cowed, Entertainment Weekly )
• The tone of this passage is cynical.

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Practice Exercise 4

• G. This excerpt is a made-up excerpt from a
  letter sent to a potential credit card customer
• Dear Occupant
• Youve been pre-approved! What does that mean?
  Let us tell you. Just the other day, we were
  sitting around asking ourselves, Where are we
  going to find exactly the kind of person we
  need? This was a hard question, because our
  standards and specifications are stringent. We
  spent weeks asking
• ourselves this question. We got sick of looking
  at one another because we were meeting so often
  with the same people and asking the same question
  over

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Practice Exercise 4

• G. continued
• and over. One of us started to ridicule another
  one of us for his slight Midwestern twang.
  Another one of us broke down sobbing. It was a
  trying period. There didnt make it.
• But, finally, after countless cups of coffee and
  cigarettes and frantic phone calls and
  consultations and trips to the bathroom and
  looking things up in the dictionary and the
  thesaurus and just throwing our hands up in
  despair, we came up with somebody. And that
  somebody just happened to be someone you
  knowyou!
• Frank Gannon, Pre-Approved for Platinum, The
  New Yorker

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Practice Exercise 4

• G. Is this passage an example of wit, irony,
  sarcasm, cynicism, or satire?

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Practice Exercise 4

• G. Is this passage an example of wit, irony,
  sarcasm, cynicism, or satire? satire

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Allusion

• A pointed and meaningful reference to something
  outside the text, which helps illuminate the
  subject.
• The Bible or other religious texts
• History
• Literature
• Greek, Roman, or other mythology
• Popular culture, including movies, songs, works
  of art, fashion, the media, etc.

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Allusion

• A master reader may read allusion. The common
  reader will have difficulty.
• If you cant grasp the connection between the
  allusion and the subject, it is impossible to
  understand the allusion.
• Go to pp. 266-267.

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Special Stylistic Effects
Special Effects

• Understatement

• Hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration)

• Alliteration

• Repetition for effect

• Unusual sentence structure

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Special Effects

• Understatement

• Hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration)

• Alliteration

• Repetition for effect

• Unusual sentence structure

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Special effects

• Repetition for effect
• Attention getter

suspense

• Unusual sentence structure
• Attention getter by having incomplete sentences
  (fragments) and repetition

• Alliteration
• Repetition of initial consonant sounds in
  wordsmore often associated with poetry