Tone: Using and Critiquing It

Introduction to Tone

Tone is a literary device that conveys the author’s attitude or feelings toward a subject or audience. It can be expressed through the choice of words, the sentence structure, and the overall mood of a piece of writing. For example, a writer might use a somber tone to evoke feelings of sadness and reflection in a poem about loss, while a humorous tone could be employed in a satirical essay to poke fun at a societal issue.

How to Create Tone in Writing

Creating a tone in a fictional work can be done in various ways. Here are some techniques that can help to create tone:

1. Choose your words carefully: The selection of precise words and vocabulary sets the tone by conveying specific emotions and meanings.
2. Use imagery: Descriptive and vivid imagery engages the reader’s senses, influencing the overall tone of the writing.
3. Create a consistent voice: Maintaining a consistent writing style and voice throughout the text helps establish and sustain the desired tone.
4. Pay attention to pacing: The rhythm and pacing of the narrative can significantly impact it, whether it’s through fast-paced action or reflective, slower passages.
5. Consider the setting: The choice and description of the story’s setting can contribute to the tone by creating a certain atmosphere or mood.
6. Use dialogue: Dialogue can reveal character emotions and attitudes, playing a crucial role in shaping it in the work.

Benefits of Using a Good Tone

Establishing a clear and effective tone has numerous benefits in written and spoken communication. Here are some of the key benefits:

1. Enhances clarity: Effective communication ensures that the intended message is clearly understood, reducing the potential for misunderstandings or confusion.
2. Increases engagement: When communication is engaging and interesting, it captures the audience’s attention and promotes active participation in the conversation or discussion.
3. Builds trust: Clear and honest communication fosters trust and credibility, as people are more likely to trust those who communicate openly and transparently.
4. Improves relationships: Effective communication is a cornerstone of healthy relationships, enabling individuals to express themselves, listen actively, and resolve conflicts constructively.
5. Creates an appropriate mood: Communication can set the tone and mood for a conversation or interaction, whether it’s professional, friendly, empathetic, or formal.
6. Conveys personality: Communication style reflects an individual’s personality, allowing others to get to know and connect with them on a personal level.

These benefits highlight the importance of effective communication in various aspects of personal and professional life.

Tone and Literary Theory

Literary Theory	Application
Formalism	Analyze the detached and impersonal tone in T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land” to reveal its contribution to portraying a fragmented and disillusioned modern society.
Reader-Response Theory	Explore the varied emotional tones in readers’ responses to Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth” to understand how different interpretations elicit feelings of fear, sympathy, or admiration.
Marxist Criticism	Critically examine the depiction of social inequality in George Orwell’s novel “1984” using a critical and confrontational tone to highlight the oppressive nature of the ruling class and the marginalized conditions of the working class.
Feminist Criticism	Interpret the empowering and inclusive tone in Virginia Woolf’s essay “A Room of One’s Own” to analyze its challenge to traditional gender roles, advocacy for women’s autonomy, and promotion of their creative expression.
Postcolonial Theory	Analyze the subversion of colonial discourse in Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” using a decolonizing and subversive tone to explore how the author challenges Eurocentric narratives and empowers indigenous voices, thereby highlighting resistance against colonialism.

Suggested Readings

1. Abrams, M. H. The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition. Oxford University Press, 1971.
2. Barthes, Roland. Image-Music-Text. Translated by Stephen Heath, Hill and Wang, 1977.
3. Brooks, Cleanth. The Well Wrought Urn: Studies in the Structure of Poetry. Harcourt, Brace & World, 1947.
4. Culler, Jonathan. Structuralist Poetics: Structuralism, Linguistics, and the Study of Literature. Routledge, 2002.
5. Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton University Press, 1957.
6. Ransom, John Crowe. The World’s Body. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1938.